The Chilliwack Cultural Centre has announced its upcoming season of shows and along with it comes a number of edgy performances, a series dedicated to Chilliwack performing arts groups, and ticket discounts as part of the launch.
“Everything is so new, this is such a different season,” said executive director Jean-Louis Bleau.
It’s not easy to define arts and there’s a “fluidity” between the disciplines of theatre, dance and music, he said.
That’s why the 2023-2024 season shows, which run from September to May, are divided into six sponsored series based on a common style, genre or tradition, rather than discipline: the Amplified Series, Passport Series, Centre Stage Series, Visions Series, Young at Heart Series, and Spark Series.
They’ll be kicking off the season on Sept. 9 with Juno Award-winning trumpeter Bria Skonberg who grew up in Chilliwack. She was supposed to do a 2022 Christmas concert, but it was cancelled due to a snowstorm so they asked her to launch the 2023-2024 season.
Her show is part of the Amplified Series which Bleau describes as a diverse range of musical performances. That series also includes The Vancouver Cello Quartet, The McDades, and the return of the Bergmann Duo.
READ MORE: Juno Award-winning trumpeter Bria Skonberg in Chilliwack for hometown show
The Passport Series explores the world via performance; Centre Stage is an imaginative mix of musicals and theatre shows; Young at Heart is all about children’s shows that capture the imagination of the young and the young at heart; Visions celebrates the talent of Chilliwack arts organizations; and Spark is all the performances that push the boundaries and explore ideas – shows that are unique and different, said Bleau.
It’s that last series he’s most excited to experience.
The Spark Series is “innovation in ideas or performance,” he said. It’ll feature shows like Hedy! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamar, Sansei: The Story Teller, and Blizzard by FLIP Fabrique which is a cirque group from Quebec.
“For me, I’m one of those people that love to see performances that I don’t know what to expect… that are edgier.”
He’s also looking forward to Ballet Victoria’s Dracula, and Live from the Underworld, which uses motion capture to project dancers’ movements on screen of the underworld.
The Visions Series is a curated lineup of shows by ‘resident companies’: The Chilliwack Academy of Music, The Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra, The Chilliwack Player’s Guild, The Chilliwack School of Performing Arts, The Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra, The Chilliwack Visual Artists Association, and Secondary Characters.
“It’s celebrating the amazing talent that we have here,” Bleau said of the Visions Series.
The Passport Series features Qairo, Ambi Subramaniam: An Ode to the Carnatic Violin and Tamar Ilana & Ventanas.
The Centre Stage Series includes The Birds & The Bees and Made in Italy by Vancouver-based group The Art’s Club and Ballet Jörgen’s Anne of Green Gables.
The Young at Heart Series features Dino-Light, The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings and Ballet Victoria’s The Nutcracker.
People can get ticket discounts to some of these shows if they sign up for the Chilliwack Cultural Centre’s Patron Program.
“The Patron Program is about creating ownership for the community in the centre,” Bleau said, adding that people who sign up get discounts on tickets, advanced notice about events, and more.
There are five different Patron Programs to choose from and they include ‘Discover’ (for everyone), ‘Bandit’s Club’ (ages 15 and under), ‘U28’ (ages 16 to 28), ‘Joy’ (ages 55 and older) and ‘Red’. It is free to sign up for all of them, except Red which costs $25 a year.
From Aug. 29 to Sept. 18, as part of the season kickoff, those who join or are already part of the Patron Program get 30 per cent off tickets for certain performances this season.
“We want people to come and see something new, see something that they might not be familiar with and we’re doing a ticket guarantee,” he said.
Some folks might not want to invest their money in tickets for a show they’re not sure they will like, Bleau added.
“If you come to an event and you don’t like it, come and talk to me, tell me what you didn’t like about it and I will give you tickets to another event within our season.”
The ticket guarantee is offered once per season and is only for those who’ve signed up with the Patron Program.
Another event coming up next year is The Year of the Dragon Lunar New Year Celebration where there will be an indoor Asian market in the lobby and the Rotary Hall Studio Theatre (free admission), followed by a formal program with lion dancing in the theatre, which will be a ticketed event.
The main goal of the six new series and the Patron Program is to get people to come out to live performances post-COVID.
“We’ve put in a lot of work in terms of trying to let people know that we’re here and we want you to make this part of your home in Chilliwack. We are part of the community and everyone has ownership in what we do.”
For more, including info on shows for the 2023-2024 season, the Patron Program and to buy tickets, go to chilliwackculturalcentre.ca or call 604-391-SHOW(7469).
