Theatre Under the Stars (“TUTS”) is ramping up for another season of entertainment at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. Tickets are now on sale for this summer’s shows: Oliver! The Musical and Hairspray – The Broadway Musical running on alternating evenings, July 10 to August 22, 2015.

TUTS 2015 Season

Celebrating 75 years of song-and-dance filled productions, TUTS shines the spotlight on two of Broadway’s adored underdogs – one, a loveable orphan, the other an unexpected teenage heroine with big heart and big dreams.

Transporting audiences to Baltimore circa 1962, Hairspray joins the always-optimistic Tracy Turnblad in her dreams of starring on local TV program, The Corny Collins Show. From Director Sarah Rodgers, this colourful cast features Erin E. Walker (Tracy Turnblad), Andy Toth (Edna Turnblad), Chris D. King (Corny Collins), and Dustin Freeland (Link Larkin), among many more.

From Director Shel Piercy, Oliver! – based on Dickens’ iconic novel – follows a young orphan on a harrowing adventure through the streets of Victorian London, starring Stephen Aberle (Fagin/Mr. Brownlow), Damon Calderwood (Bill Sykes/Mr. Bumble), E. Marie West (Nancy), and Carly Ronning in her TUTS debut as Oliver. As a thrilling addition prior to performances, the Malkin Bowl will be fully transformed into an 1840s Village Country Fair, treating audiences to authentic food stalls, foot races, sing-a-longs, and more.

Enjoy an evening in Stanley Park, Vancouver’s crown jewel, grab a grilled salmon dinner at Malkin Bowl’s Garden Cafe, and be entertained in the open air on a warm summer night.

Theatre Under the Stars has been a mainstay of Vancouver summertime entertainment since 1940 when it was the premiere event at the Malkin Bowl when it first opened up. In the early 1960s production shut down but the TUTS company was revived by enthusiasts in 1969. Things came to a halt once again in 1982 when the Malkin Bowl was ravaged by fire but TUTS soldiered on.

Win Tickets to Theatre Under the Stars

If you would like to attend one of this season’s exciting shows at Theatre Under the Stars, I have a Family Four Pack of tickets to give away. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment here naming which show you would like to see: Oliver or Hairspray (1 entry)
• Post one of the following on Twitter (1 entry)

OR

I will draw one winner who will be able to select their performance date of choice this season. Contest closes at 12:00pm on Thursday, July 2, 2015.

Connect with TUTS Vancouver on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news, ticket offers, and special event information.

Update The winner is Claire!

The Bayshore Pool, 1960s.

Known today as the Westin Bayshore
Vancouver Archives# CVA 1435-580

In the fall of 2014 I sign on as the official blog partner of the Jessie Awards (“the Jessies”) which celebrate excellence in Vancouver theatre. Over the last few months I have profiled dozens of shows around town and tonight the season culminates with the awards show at the Commodore on Granville. I’ll be live tweeting award winners, quotes, photos, and more from the Jessie Awards ceremony. Stay tuned for updates!

Jessie Awards 2015 Winners

Outstanding Lighting Design (Large Theatre)
Recipient: Lauchlin Johnston, The Whipping Man, Pacific Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design (Small Theatre)
Recipient: Jeff Harrison, Blasted, Pi Theatre

Outstanding Design (Theatre for Young Audiences): Props Design
Dusty Hagerud and Tara Travis, The Little Prince, Monster Theatre Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

53,855 spectators attended the Round of 16 knock-out match between Canada and Switzerland on Sunday, making it one for the records books with the highest attendance for any national team match (any sport, men or women) ever in Canada. With a slow start to the match in the first half, both teams came out ready for battle in the second with Switzerland putting up a valiant effort in front of the Vancouver crowd.

“We were really impressed with the support at BC Place, it was brilliant tonight,” Team Canada’s Coach John Herdman told media after the match. “Walking out in front of 50-odd thousand people and who would have thought for women’s football. It was just one of those surreal days.”

Supporters on the upper level of the stadium’s south end kept a steady drum beat going along with modified Whitecaps FC songs, with the rest of the crowd joining in intermittently for a simple “Ca-na-da! (clap, clap, clap)” chant.

In the press conference, Switzerland’s Coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg thanked the Canadian audiences in Edmonton and Vancouver for being welcoming and friendly. She also reflected on their play and their time at the World Cup: “What didn’t work? We didn’t score a goal. It was a highly intensive match, it was exactly what was expected.” She said that she feels badly for her players but at the same time, this has been a huge experience for them. Switzerland made their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut at this tournament and they’re now looking ahead to Euro 2017.

The next guest in the press conference room was Canada’s goalkeeper — and Player of the Match — Erin McLeod who praised her teammates and talked about working up to that 1-0 victory.

“There have been a lot of upsets in this tournament already, and we want to go all the way and we’ve set a lot of even bigger goals of inspiring a country and not just on the soccer field.” After a first half that only saw one corner kick and one shot on goal, both teams knew they had to step up their play. “I thought in the first half it took us a while to get into our groove and then we did. I mean obviously you’re always relieved when your team scores, but I thought we got better and better as the game went on.”

“I really believe the women on this team and the staff can take us all the way.”
Erin McLeod

McLeod said that Coach John Herdman put it simply in the locker room at half time: “[He] said that we can’t have any regrets, nobody’s walking, no one’s going to be stagnant. This second half we’re going for it — and everybody did.”

She admits her job is made easier by the back line, who she says has been phenomenal for the team this entire tournament, calling out Sesselmann (“Sess”), Wilkinson, Chapman (“Chappie”), and Buchanan. “Kadeisha [Buchanan] I think will be the next best player in the world.”

Coach Herdman also had praise for goal scorer Josee Belanger who was close to retirement before he approached her to join Team Canada for this once in a lifetime opportunity. “No one else had that striking prowess outside of [Christine] Sinclair so we knew we had to get her in, hell or high water. We tried everything, she was getting ready to settle down and have kids, and we talked her back into the program.”

When asked about Christine Sinclair “taking stick” or a lot of criticism lately, Herman jumped to the defence of the team captain. “That women doesn’t deserve to take stick, she’s a world class person, a world class player. She gives everything to this team, every single game […] international football ain’t easy and Sinclair is giving everything, every single game. Off the pitch she’s doing more than she’s ever done before to keep this team connected. She’s the pride of our country, and she’s going to stay there. We should be proud of what that woman’s putting into this Women’s World Cup for our team.”

FIFA Women’s World Cup Quarter Finals

You can cheer on Team Canada at BC Place again this Saturday, June 27th as they take on the winner of today’s Norway vs England match England. Purchase your tickets online today or from the BC Place box office at Gate A. View the full match schedule online.

Vancouver Fan Zone
You can enter to win tickets to FIFA Women’s World Cup matches every day the Vancouver Fan Zone is open by tweeting a selfie to @Miss604 with the tag #VanFanZone. Read full contest details here.

Surrey Doors Open is happening on Saturday with dozens of local organizations, recreation centres, cultural institutions, and businesses opening their doors for free for public tours. In the heart of Downtown Surrey, the Whalley’s Corner Community Festival will be one of the free shuttle bus stops available during Surrey Doors Open.

Whalley’s Corner Festival

On Saturday, June 27th stop by the 2nd annual Whalley’s Corner Community Festival on Grosvenor Road at the intersection of 108 Ave and King George Blvd.

The festival will run between 11:00am and 4:00pm with family-friendly entertainment including Double Shotzz (formerly known as Drift Away), Authentic Board Supply owner and skateboarder Hippie Mike, dancers from Fit For Women Gym, guitarist Jim Abbott, and fiddler Jessica Arthur. Kids can enjoy a bouncy castle, face painting, and balloon art.

This Surrey neighbourhood is where I grew up and it’s full of history. Take the opportunity to explore it on June 27th by taking the hop-on/hop-off Surrey Doors Open shuttle on the City Centre Route (there’s also a Cloverdale Route).

For more information, see the Doors Open 2015 Event Guide and follow the City of Surrey on Twitter and Facebook using the tag #SurreyDoorsOpen.