Things To Do In Vancouver This Weekend
One Night in Byzantium
Slam poetry, stories of motherhood, an operatic tale of Argentinian politics, comedy, a 90s drag show, a live-action graphic novel, and a giant marathon have us running from April to May Day this weekend! It may have cooled off a bit this week, but there is enough going on to keep you thoroughly entertained until it gets warm enough to be content with just sitting outside in the sun again.
Friday April 29
One Night in Byzantium
Man Up Battle of the 90s: Bubblegum vs. Angst
Where: The Cobalt, 9:00pm
What: It’s a drag show! Watch some fierce lip-syncers battle about what the 90s was really all about.
Vetta Chamber Music Presents Seasons
Where: West Point Grey United Church, 7:00pm
What: To celebrate 30 seasons of Vetta Chamber Music, the Vetta Chamber Players will perform the ever popular Four Seasons by Vivaldi, and pair it with a local take on our seasons with Seasons of the Sea – a special commission composed by Vancouver’s own Jeffrey Ryan, in collaboration with aboriginal storyteller Rosemary Georgeson. Tickets available at Tickets Tonight.
One Night in Byzantium
Facing East
Where: Jericho Arts Centre
What: An upstanding Mormon couple is faced with the suicide of their gay son. When they unexpectedly meet their son’s partner they must face a reality long ignored, and reconcile their feelings with their beliefs. Vancouver audiences will be the first to see a fully-staged production of this moving new work, which has its eyes set toward New York and London. Tickets available at Tickets Tonight.
Runs until: Saturday May 14, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
One Night in Byzantium
Where: 1000 Parker Street Studios
What: An atmospheric evening with music, wine and exotic treats celebrating Middle Eastern crafts and an incredible collection of vintage and authentic rugs, carpets, unique soft furnishings and stylishly select pieces.
One Night in Byzantium
Sideshow
Where: Pacific Theatre
What: The annual extravaganza of who-knows-where-it-will-go improv comedy. Hang out with improvisers-about-twin for an unpredictable, hilarious, and family-friendly evening that will have you chuckling all the way home.
Runs until: Saturday April 30, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Graham Clark Presents Canadian Heritage Minutes
Where: Hot Art Wet City
What: Remember the Canadian Heritage Minutes? Join Graham Clark as he provides running commentary over those classic bits of Canadiana.
One Night in Byzantium
The Straight Series featuring Years and Years
Where: The Commodore Ballroom
What: A British electronica trio founded in London.
One Night in Byzantium
Foxy Ladies – The Jimi Hendrix Live Band & Burlesque Experience
Where: The Fox Cabaret, 8:00pm
What: Live band & burlesque in ode to the ultimate rock god – Jimi Hendrix. Take yourself back in time with wild girls & psychedelic visuals all to your favourites Hendrix tunes.
One Night in Byzantium
Goodwood Atoms
Where: The Media Club
What: A blend of ethereal folk, electronic-inflected grooves and heavy-hitting climaxes that echo complex soundscape.
One Night in Byzantium
Aidan Knight
Where: The Biltmore, 7:00pm
What: From Victoria, folk-rock singer songwriter tours in support of his latest release, “Each Other”.
Saturday April 30
One Night in Byzantium
Direct Animation Workshop for Kids
Where: ArtStarts Gallery, 11:00am & 1:00pm
What: Kids can make their own hand-drawn animations on 16mm film by drawing and scratching right on the film itself. Join Cineworks artists Nisha Platzer and Ryder Thomas White to experiment with drawing on clear film, scratching on black film or marking film that already has images on it. See your own patterns of shape and colour come to life with the magic of the movie projector.
One Night in Byzantium
The Intergalactic Nemesis: Target Earth
Where: York Theatre
What: Telling an adventure story set in the 1930s, The Intergalactic Nemesis mashes up comic-book and radio-play formats into a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience, a new art form – the live-action graphic novel.
Runs until: Sunday May 1, 2016
Canadian Individuals Poetry Slam Finals
Canadian Individuals Poetry Slam Finals
Where: The Rio Theatre, 8:00pm
What: The top 12 poets from prelims advance to this bout. Who will claim the title of 2016 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion? This closing gala includes a feature presentation by Vancouver Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose.
One Night in Byzantium
Evita
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: Don’t cry for her, Argentina. Set in the politically turbulent 1930s and 1940s, Evita follows Eva Perón’s remarkable journey from small-town slums to the tango clubs of Buenos Aires, through a career in B movies, and to the presidential palace on the arm of her new husband, General Juan Perón. Fearlessly aggressive in defending the rights of workers and the poor, Eva attracted the wrath of the aristocracy and the universal love of the people.
Runs until: Sunday May 8, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Ciliate 8
Where: The Beaumont, 8:00pm
What: An intimate multimedia display of alternative music, art, and performance. Includes an art market, progressive soundscapes, spoken word, performance art, aerial acts, and installations.
One Night in Byzantium
The Age of Electric
Where: The Commodore Ballroom
What: Where’s my remote control? Yes, with hits from 1996, it’s a Canadian alternative rock group who may or may not have caused everyone who lived through the 90s to break out into song whenever they’d like to change the channel, but can’t find the proper device.
One Night in Byzantium
Listen to Your Mother
Where: St. James Hall, 7:30pm
What: A one day, live, staged-reading event giving local writers the opportunity to share their stories of motherhood. Produced by the locally-based collective, the Good Mother Project, in partnership with the LTYM National organization, the event will feature live readings from thirteen of Vancouver’s most talented writers and bloggers. Partial proceeds from the production will go towards the Pacific Post Partum Support Society.
One Night in Byzantium
Isabelle Faust performs Bartók
Where: The Orpheum
What: Internationally-renowned violinist Isabelle Faust performs Bartók’s scintillating Violin Concerto No. 2, on the extraordinary “Sleeping Beauty” Stradivarius violin, made in 1704.
Runs until: Monday May 2, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Beach House
Where: The Vogue, 7:00pm
What: An American dream pop band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2004. The band consists of French-born Victoria Legrand and Baltimore native Alex Scally.
The Food
Where: The Rickshaw, 8:00pm
What: The Food is a 12-piece weirdo soul-like band from Vancouver, BC playing soul, funk, blues, rock, and R&B. With guests The Furniture, Spruce Trap, and The Rash For Life.
One Night in Byzantium
How Dangerous are Alien Plants?
Where: Beaty Biodiversity Museum, 2:00pm
What: Join Dr. Hermann Muhle as he discusses plants in the Lone Valley in Southern Germany in light of the 2013 European Commission’s regulation proposal for dealing with invasive alien species.
One Night in Byzantium
Striker
Where: The Media Club
What: An Edmonton-based heavy metal band that has grown immensely through their years in the industry. A classic mix of heavy metal, hard rock, and 80’s hair metal.
Day Wave
Where: The Cobalt
What: From California, indie-rock musician Jackson Phillips (Day Wave) tours in support of his sophomore EP, “Hard to Read”.
One Night in Byzantium
Lion Bear Fox
Where: The Biltmore, 8:00pm
What: The Lion the Bear the Fox took over thirty years to find each other, but only thirty days for Christopher Arruda (the lion), Cory Woodward (the bear) and Ryan McMahon (the fox) to realize they were meant to join their voices as one. The Nanaimo Daily News calls the trio “a musical force of nature” to be reckoned with.
Sunday May 1
One Night in Byzantium
BMO Vancouver International Marathon
Where: Vancouver
What: Get ready to run! Named a Top 10 Destination Marathon by Forbes and one of the world’s most exotic marathons by CNN Travel, the BMO Vancouver Marathon is a Boston Qualifier that takes runners on a 42.2 kilometre (26.2 miles) adventure past beaches, through natural parks, and along Vancouver’s bustling Seawall.
One Night in Byzantium
Us and Them
Where: VanCity Theatre, 3:00pm
What: A woman sets out to help four homeless people. Over the course of a decade, and through the Sacred Teachings of the First Nations Medicine Wheel, they end up helping her.
One Night in Byzantium
Grown-Ups Read Things They Wrote As Kids
Where: The Biltmore, 8:00pm
What: Do you still have any of your childhood or teenage writing? Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids is an open-mic evening of book reports, poetry, diary entries, letters from camp, etc. — all read out loud by adults to a room full of strangers.
One Night in Byzantium
Queers and Beers Spring Edition
Where: The Cobalt, 5:00pm
What: Do you love craft beer but wish it was just a little more queer? Want to check out Vancity’s microbrew spaces with fellow queer beer lovers? For the past 2 years Queers & Beers has brought regular get-togethers in Vancouver’s craft brew scene to try new brews and create a safer space to appreciate our community and beer, beer, beer!
One Night in Byzantium
Main Street Vinyl Record Fair
Where: Main Street
What: The bi-annual sales event hosts 50 independent vendors with over 50,000 vinyl records on sale as well as a vintage audio market with great deals on turntables, amps, speakers, record cleaner, storage and other accessories.
One Night in Byzantium
Andy Dixon – Expensive Things
Where: Windsor Gallery
What: New works by Andy Dixon.
Ongoing
One Night in Byzantium
Gods of Suburbia by Dina Goldstein (ends this weekend)
Where: South Main (SOMA) Gallery
What: What if Gods lived among us? What if they were subject to unemployment, homelessness, drug addiction, consumerism, vanity or loneliness? In her provocative and compelling solo exhibition Gods of Suburbia, award-winning photographer Dina Goldstein explores religious faith within the context of modern forces such as technology, science and secularism. The 11 piece series plays with narrative and religious iconography in order to communicate how organized belief has become twisted within a global framework driven by greed.
Runs until: Saturday April 30, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Easter Eggs (ends this weekend)
Where: Hot Art Wet city
What: Andrea Hooge draws her inspiration from childhood interpretations of vintage children’s books and playthings, as well as her cultural heritage. Aside from literal references to Easter eggs in some of her pieces, the work and the title hide a double meaning alluding to inside jokes and surprises.
Runs until: Saturday April 30, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Sideshow (this weekend only)
Where: Pacific Theatre
What: The annual extravaganza of who-knows-where-it-will-go improv comedy. Hang out with improvisers-about-twin for an unpredictable, hilarious, and family-friendly evening that will have you chuckling all the way home.
Runs until: Saturday April 30, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
The Jungle Book with Carousel Theatre for Young People (ends this weekend)
Where: The Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island
What: Deep in the Indian jungle, the human Mowgli is raised by wolves. Tutored by Baloo the bear, Bagheera the panther, and Akela the wolf, Mowgli learns the codes of the hunter. But when Shere Khan’s prejudice pits the tiger against the young man-cub, Mowgli finds the courage to stand up for himself. In this playful adaptation of the classic coming-of-age tale, The Jungle Book imagines a wilderness all our own atop monkey bars, under slides, and amidst the jungle of a neighborhood playground.
Runs until: Sunday May 1, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Scouts Canada Good Turn Week
Where: Across Canada
What: Scouts Canada is challenging all Canadians to make their communities a better place, one good turn at a time, during Scouts Canada’s 7th annual Good Turn Week from April 22 – May 1, 2016 – an inspiring youth-driven movement that invites all Canadians to join in and spread messages of kindness for nothing in return.
Verses Festival of Words (ends this weekend)
Where: Various locations around Commercial Drive
What: Award-winning writers, spoken word poets and performers from across North America in 35 different events in intimate venues.
Runs until: Sunday May 1, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
The Intergalactic Nemesis: Target Earth (this weekend only)
Where: York Theatre
What: Telling an adventure story set in the 1930s, The Intergalactic Nemesis mashes up comic-book and radio-play formats into a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience, a new art form – the live-action graphic novel.
Runs until: Sunday May 1, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Isabelle Faust performs Bartók (ends this week)
Where: The Orpheum
What: Internationally-renowned violinist Isabelle Faust performs Bartók’s scintillating Violin Concerto No. 2, on the extraordinary “Sleeping Beauty” Stradivarius violin, made in 1704.
Runs until: Monday May 2, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Retreat: Works by Scott Sueme
Where: Kimoto Art Gallery
What: A departure from the graphic landscapes in my previous series ‘Arena’, this new work zooms in to focus on the essence of form, shape and the interactions of colour. The colour palette ranges from high contrast, to subtle neutral and off-white. The selection of these colours aims to capture the zeitgeist of our modern landscape – a fresh take on primary tones and in-between values.
Runs until: Saturday May 7, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Bulaklak ng Paraiso (Flower of Paradise)
Where: Centre A
What: Filipino-Canadian artist Patrick Cruz will transform the main gallery space of Centre A into an elaborate immersive environment that blends personal, political and historical narratives in order to meditate on the conditions and processes of displacement, cultural hybridity and the material excesses of our globalised world.
Runs until: Saturday May 7, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
The Valley
Where: Arts Club Theatre
What: A teenage boy’s arrest on a SkyTrain platform is the catalyst for this topical story about the contradictory attempts to balance care and public safety. Meet Connor, who has recently dropped out of college; his mother, Sharon, who is struggling with her son’s recent behaviour; Dan, the police officer involved in the SkyTrain incident; and Dan’s wife, Janie, whose own state is driving a wedge through their relationship.
Runs until: Saturday May 7, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Evita
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
What: Don’t cry for her, Argentina. Set in the politically turbulent 1930s and 1940s, Evita follows Eva Perón’s remarkable journey from small-town slums to the tango clubs of Buenos Aires, through a career in B movies, and to the presidential palace on the arm of her new husband, General Juan Perón. Fearlessly aggressive in defending the rights of workers and the poor, Eva attracted the wrath of the aristocracy and the universal love of the people.
Runs until: Sunday May 8, 2016
Arts Alive
Where: Burnaby Art Gallery
What: Highlighting over 50 works by high school students from eight schools in the Burnaby district, the works were selected by a jury that included BAG staff and volunteers as well as students. This marks the 34th year the Arts Alive program has been presented and will include a new People’s Choice Award voted on by the general public during the run of the show.
Runs until: Sunday May 8, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: Works by Randy Grskovic
Where: Burrard Arts Foundation (108 East Broadway)
What: Unlike most photographers, Randy Grskovic uses the darkroom as a starting point for his work. He is affected by the chemistry, geology, and memory of the process. In combination with the science behind the darkroom, Grskovic uses content from history by purchasing glass negatives, smashing them, and printing the result.
Runs until: Saturday May 14, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Facing East
Where: Jericho Arts Centre
What: An upstanding Mormon couple is faced with the suicide of their gay son. When they unexpectedly meet their son’s partner they must face a reality long ignored, and reconcile their feelings with their beliefs. Vancouver audiences will be the first to see a fully-staged production of this moving new work, which has its eyes set toward New York and London. Tickets available at Tickets Tonight.
Runs until: Saturday May 14, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Your Future Home: Creating a New Vancouver
Where: Museum of Vancouver
What: In response to mounting concern about a rapidly changing region, this exhibit will immerse visitors in an experience that spotlights 20 visions for tomorrow’s city, while focusing on four topical issues: housing affordability, residential density, ease of transportation, and quality of public space.
Runs until: Sunday May 15, 2016
Living Colour
Where: VanDusen Gardens
What: A photo exhibition of floral & scenic images taken exclusively in VanDusen Botanical Garden by Raymond Lo.
Runs until: Sunday May 15, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Throne and Games: A Chance of Snow
Where: The Improv Centre (Granville Island)
What: Inspired by the popular HBO series, VTSL’s improvised parody builds on its 2015 smash hit (Throne and Games – Laughter is Coming). This all new production embarks on speculative, uncharted territory. Is a certain popular character from the TV series really dead … or not? VTSL’s improvisers will go to ‘The Wall’ to give patrons an exceptionally entertaining evening of improv comedy while working under the ‘high pressure’ created by the audience’s suggestions and involvement.
Runs until: Saturday May 28, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
MashUp
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
What: Exploring how artists incorporate found images, objects, sounds and words into their work, starting with the movement’s emergence at the turn of the twentieth century and showing how it has become a dominant force in our world today. It will feature 371 works by 156 artists, filmmakers, architects, musicians and designers, such as Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Juan Gris, Hannah Höch, Joseph Cornell, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Nam June Paik, Jean-Luc Goddard, Frank Gehry, Dara Birnbaum, Stan Douglas, Hito Steyerl, Isa Genzken, DJ Spooky and Tobias Wong, among many others.
Runs until: Sunday June 12, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Arctic Encounters
Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum
What: Unique views of the modern Northwest Passage and the people who call the Arctic their home. Photographs from the Pond Inlet archives, and photographs taken by museum staff on a trip to the Arctic show contemporary social and environmental landscapes of Canada’s far north.
Runs until: Saturday July 3, 2016
From Meadows Woodlands Far and Near
Where: Beaty Biodiversity Museum
What: Delicate watercolours and striking woodcuts inspired by plants from the landscapes of Germany and Canada. Art by Brigitte Potter-Mael.
Runs until: Sunday September 4, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
The Seriousness of Play
Where: The Bill Reid Gallery
What: Haida Manga is a contemporary art form that offers a playful way of viewing and engaging with social issues as it seeks participation, dialogue, reflection and action. Influenced by both the tradition of Haida iconography and contemporary Asian visual culture, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas has created an artistic practice celebrated for its vitality and originality by an international audience engaged in issues of ethnicity, identity and relationships.
Runs until: Sunday October 2, 2016
One Night in Byzantium
Prohibition City Walking Tour
Where: Chinatown
What: Delve into Vancouver’s dirtiest secrets on this scandal fuelled walking tour. Starting in the world of the saloon, you trace the story of prohibition in Vancouver while winding along the city’s most storied streets. You’ll hear tales of blind pigs, corrupt mayors, and enterprising bootleggers. Plus you’ll see first hand evidence of opium dens and walk down an alleyway once teeming with over 40 “bawdy houses.”
Runs until: Saturday October 29, 2016
Across the Top: The Quest for the Northwest Passage
Across The Top: The Quest for the Northwest Passage
Where: Vancouver Maritime Museum
What: This exhibit will transport you to the Arctic where you will learn about its environment and people; the many voyages of discovery; the search for John Franklin’s lost expedition (both historical and modern), and the ultimate discovery of HMS Erebus by Parks Canada.
Runs until: November 2016
One Night in Byzantium
In the Footprint of the Crocodile Man
Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology
What: The Sepik River of Papua New Guinea is one of the largest river systems in the world, extraordinarily beautiful, but seldom visited. It is here that the Iatmul people, who live along its banks, have created internationally renowned works of art primarily inspired by stories of the majestic crocodile as the primordial creator. This unique exhibition will showcase the most comprehensive collection of contemporary Sepik art in North America for the first time. In addition to highlighting the exquisite carvings of Papua New Guinea’s latmul people, the exhibition will delve into their economic, cultural, and spiritual connections to the river system, drawing urgent attention to the logging and mining operations that pose environmental threats to the region.
Runs until: January 31, 2017
What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below or tweet me directly at @lextacular