By Andrew Stauffer, Theatre Programming Director
At its best, art -- both performing and visual art – provides an opportunity for people to share an experience of something undeniable together. This can be a moment of shared beauty, the affirmation of something deeply meaningful, the celebration of talent produced by an artist with the highest creative abilities, or simply collective joy. Successful art can inspire viewers to see the world differently, start conversations, and ask questions that are local or global in scope.
As Simone Weil wrote, “Art is a symbol of the two noblest human efforts: to construct and to refrain from destruction.” Of course, in the realm of arts education, quality art provides an opportunity for beginner and emerging artists to see what is possible in their given art form. Ultimately, successful art can affirm and reify the unquantifiable value of human experience.
This, at least, is how I understand art and consequently what I’ve spent much time thinking about as I’ve curated my inaugural season as the Theatre Programming Director at the RCA. But a season cannot be successful without an understanding of the community that it is situated in. I’ve done my best to learn from the relationships developed in my previous role organizing our community and educational programs to approach curation with an understanding of the folks who make up our lovely arts-loving community. For me, this means personal as well as organizational partnerships, and I’m excited to say that we have some amazing co-presenting partners this coming season (see below!)
With this said, and without further delay, I’m excited to share the upcoming season:
We’ll begin with the much-beloved BC-based blues guitarist, Harry Manx. While his music is situated firmly in the blues tradition, he draws heavily on Hindustani music. Harry lived in India for twelve years, and much of that time was spent studying under Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, a renowned Indian Classical musician and player of the Mohan Veena, an Indian slide guitar. Building on our ever-popular School of Blues (every third Thursday!), the Sherman Doucette Duet will play an opening set for Harry for an evening that brings some of the best bluesmen from BC to the Mary Irwin Theatre Stage.
Tentacle Tribe will perform their highly regarded performance, PRISM. Known primarily for their fusion of street and contemporary dance, in PRISM, the company sets a vibe that is meditative, mesmerizing, awe-inspiring. The vibrantly dressed dancers work with large mirror panels to multiply their bodies and create illusions of expanding bodies. Distinct limbs become simply body, and body becomes a hypnotic form of colour and motion. The performance is evocative of blooming flowers that morph and expand in relation to each other. Make sure to come a little early for a free kombucha tasting provided by Motherlove Ferments.
The Jeremy Ledbetter Trio graces our stage with three stellar Canadian musicians to perform works from their forthcoming album, Gravity. Ledbetter (piano), along with Larnell Lewis (drums), and Rich Brown (electric bass) are a force to reckon with as they combine virtuosic musicianship with modern jazz sensibilities. This is a concert for both jazz lovers and those who are unfamiliar with the genre. The band combines elements of fusion and funk, Latin and Caribbean music, and even elements of reggae at times, all with the intricacy of chamber music and the energy of rock. I’m excited to have the Craig Thomson Quartet perform an opening set of some of Thomson’s original compositions.
A highlight of the season is the performance by Seffarine, who beautifully blends Arabic, Spanish flamenco, and Persian classical. Taking inspiration from the 9th through 15th centuries, when the cultures around the Mediterranean comingled to create some of the most culturally rich art, Seffarine embraces and extends this rich cultural legacy into the 21st century. Internationally acclaimed Moroccan singer, Lamiae Naki, has a stunning voice that fits perfectly with the oud and Spanish guitar of Nat Hulskamp. They are backed by bassist Damian Erskine and percussionist Manuel Gutierrez who also performs Flamenco dance during performances. Together, their music transports listeners to a world that is tonally rich, rhythmically forceful, and intimately delicate.
Touring in support of his new book, Barely Amazing, Penticton’s own Shane Koyczan will perform an emotionally raw set of spoken word. Koyczan’s work spans topics as diverse as mental health, self-discovery, residential schools, and life’s miracles, and he articulates his perspective on them in ways that are forceful and honest. His poetry manages to be intensely intimate while also being universal in scope, providing an entry point for all listeners to enter the world he crafts.
Ringing in the holiday season is The Comedy Department and their hilarious improv comedy show, Holiday Comedy Rumble: Every Elf for Themself. Santa’s fed up and one of his elves needs to take over his job of delivering presents. But how do they decide? Obviously, the elf who brings the most joy – as determined by our audience’s laughter and their votes – gets to be the new Santa. This will be a wonderful opportunity to share some laughs while watching some of BC’s best improv comics do their thing.
Transitioning from presents to presence, we have jazz vocalist Anna Jacyzyn and her quartet performing Christmas Presence. This show has become an annual tradition for many folks in the Okanagan, and we are excited to host the concert this year. Jacyzyn will be joined on stage by Neville Bowman (piano), Stefan Bienz (double bass), and Stephen Buck (saxophone, clarinet, flute). The band will perform a combination of Jacyzyn’s originals as well as some holiday classics.
This wraps up 2024!
The 2025 portion of our RCA Presents season is particularly special because we’re working alongside some of Kelowna’s most committed arts and culture organizations to co-present a solid line-up of shows. These are the Living Things Festival, Creative Okanagan, ClassicalValley chamber music and wine festival, and Centre culturel francophone de l'Okanagan. I am excited to partner with these organizations because they all share the understanding that quality art is essential for a thriving culture and community. They each have a track record of presenting high quality and diverse artists, and they all have strong ties to our community.
We’ll kick off 2025 with two co-presentations with the Living Things Festival, which include Epidermis Circus: the Weirdest Puppet Show You’ve Ever Seen and Lucy Darling in Indulgence. Epidermis Circus, created and performed by Ingrid Hansen, is a hilarious, stunningly creative, and spicy puppet cabaret that pushes the function of objects and toys. Through puppetry, live projection, and audience interaction, she takes everyone on a bizarre trip into a world where objects have intention, perception is a plaything, and laughter is essential.
Toward the end of the festival, Lucy Darling will take the stage with elegance, sophistication, and searing wit in a performance of improv comedy and magic. Honestly, I could just listen to her speak and banter with the audience for the entire show, but the magic is exceptional as well. Carissa Hendrix, the magician/entertainer who performs Lucy Darling, also has a feminist magic podcast.
We’re combining forces with Creative Okanagan to host two nights of back-to-back local shows. The first is for blues lovers and will feature The Graham Ord Blues Revue. Graham is a staple of Kelowna’s music scene and works with a revolving group of musicians to play some of the Okanagan’s funkiest and most swaggering blues tunes. The next night features a double-header of rock bands, including the alt rock supergroup, Nightshades, who just released their first album, Reducer, and Down the Lees, who just released Dirt and won Best Song in the music video category of awards from Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmaking. Check out the video for ‘Douse’.
The first time I heard Tonye Aganaba and their band perform, they completely blew me away with a set that was infused with R&B, soul, blues, and jazz, all with the intimacy and immediacy of a singer/songwriter. Tonye can command an audience and their bandmembers are exceptional players. With powerful vocal solos and harmonies, groovy rhythms, instrumental breaks, and party vibes, Tonye’s performances are always a good time.
We’ll wrap up the season in May with three very different shows. Erica Sigurdson, one of Canada’s top comics, brings her clever storytelling, cutting wit, sardonic charm to the Mary Irwin Theatre. With over 50 appearances on CBC’s The Debaters and two Leo Awards for comedy writing, Erica is sure to get us laughing together. And to boot, we have local comic, Kate Belton, performing an opening set. For those interested in honing their own comedy skills, keep an eye out for a workshop series facilitated by Kate and a free open-mic comedy night prior in our South Atrium prior to Erica’s performance.
One of the most exciting shows of the season is Standing Wave Ensemble, Western Canada’s foremost contemporary chamber ensemble. This performance, co-presented with ClassicalValley chamber music and wine festival, will include works that are a perfect entry point into contemporary music. Stone’s Throw by Jocelyn Morlock, is a fun and mesmerizing work that has the flute dancing over the pulsing rhythms of the marimba. Walking in Claude’s Footsteps, a work by Jordan Nobles, based on Debussy’s les pas sur la neige, is grounded in a familiar musical language while also being stylistically contemporary. The evening closes with the stunning work Raven Tales by Marcus Goddard. The work was part of a collaboration with First Nations artist Mike Dangeli who shared some of his tribe’s oral history, including stories of Txamsem, who is most commonly known in the form of Raven. Raven Tales is a work that is funny, strange, lovely, confusing, and all too human. This will be a stunning show. And for those who are keen to learn more, we will hold a VIP reception where you will have the opportunity to meet the artists of Standing Wave, have a glass of wine, and hear music from a visiting ClassicalValley musician.
We will close the season with the Kate Wyatt Quartet, co-presented with Centre culturel francophone de l'Okanagan. Kate is a pianist and composer, and her album Artifact is something to reckon with. Where Jeremy Ledbetter’s compositions are precise compositions with room for improvisation, Wyatt’s compositions create space for and build on improvisation, allowing the musicians to lean into their collective creative synergies.
That’s it for the 2024/25 season of RCA Presents! You’ll want to get a Theatre Membership so that you can save 20% on two tickets from each of these shows along with other great perks. Purchase before July 8 for your chance to win 2 full festival passes to Denim on the Diamond! Courtesy of RCA Presents Media Sponsor, Stingray Media.
Learn more about each of the shows and purchase tickets at https://rotarycentreforthearts.com/events/in-the-theatre/
Cover photo by Chantel Thederahn.
