Happy 127th Birthday Vancouver! It was on this day in 1886 that the City of Vancouver was incorporated. Our beloved city, built up within the traditional territory of the Coast Salish First Nations, is more than a place we call home. It’s a natural playground, an inspiration, a melting pot of cultures.
I know that I could never describe Vancouver as well as so many of our talented artists, musicians, writers, and poets so I’ll simply raise my glass and share a poem from one of my favourite writers and performers who called the city home a hundred years ago, E. Pauline Johnson:
A Toast
By E. Pauline Johnson
There’s wine in the cup, Vancouver,
And there’s warmth in my heart for you,
While I drink to your health, your youth, and your wealth,
And the things that you yet will do.
In a vintage rare and olden,
With a flavour fine and keen,
Fill the glass to the edge, while I stand up to pledge
My faith to my western queen.
Then here’s a Ho! Vancouver, in wine of the bonniest hue,
With a hand on my hip and the cup at my lip,
And a love in my life for you.
For you are a jolly good fellow, with a great, big heart, I know;
So I drink this toast
To the “Queen of the Coast.”
Vancouver, here’s a Ho!
And here’s to the days that are coming,
And here’s to the days that are gone,
And here’s to your gold and your spirit bold,
And your luck that has held its own;
And here’s to your hands so sturdy,
And here’s to your hearts so true,
And here’s to the speed of the day decreed
That brings me again to you.
Then here’s a Ho! Vancouver, in wine of the bonniest hue,
With a hand on my hip and the cup at my lip,
And a love in my life for you.
For you are a jolly good fellow, with a great, big heart, I know;
So I drink this toast
To the “Queen of the Coast.”
Vancouver, here’s a Ho!
[Source: Canadian Poetry]
Summer in Vancouver means warm strolls at sunset on the sea wall, fireworks in the sky, and Bard on the Beach. The annual festival under the iconic red and white tents at Vanier Park has recently released their 2013 season line-up and tickets will go on sale Monday, April 8th. This is the 24th season of the summer festival which will run from June 12th to September 14th, 2013.
Twelfth Night
“Twelfth Night brings romance and intrigue, as everyone at Europe’s What You Will Hotel and Spa seems to be falling in love with wrong person.”
Directed by: Dennis Garnhum
Location: BMO Main Stage
Run Dates: June 12th to September 14th
Opening Night: Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Hamlet
“In the great tragedy Hamlet, a troubled young man tries to make sense of a modern-day world where power still corrupts absolutely.”
Directed by: Kim Collier
Location: BMO Main Stage
Run Dates: June 13th to September 12th
Opening Night: Saturday, June 29, 2013
Measure for Measure
“Measure For Measure is set in early-1900s New Orleans, and live jazz plays a featured role.”
Directed by: John Murphy
Location: Studio Stage
Run Dates: July 3rd to September 13th
Opening Night: Thursday, July 11, 2013
Elizabeth Rex
“In Elizabeth Rex the setting is Elizabethan England, as the great Queen meets up with Shakespeare’s acting company the night before her traitorous lover is due to be executed.”
Directed by: Rachel Ditor
Location: Studio Stage
Run Dates: July 5th to September 11th
Opening Night: Sunday, July 14, 2013
Special Events
Special events include the Bard Explored Lecture Series (July 15th & 29th, August 12th & 19th); Bard Explored Shakespeare’s Rebel (book launch and sword fight event July 22nd); Bard-B-Q & Fireworks (play plus sit-down salmon barbecue & fireworks viewing July 27th & 31st, August 3rd); Celebrating Red & White (wine tasting following the matinee performances and before the evening shows August 17th); Viva Verdi! Opera & Arias (UBC Opera Ensemble & members of Vancouver Opera Orchestra, hosted by Christopher Gaze August 26th & September 2nd).
Bard on the Beach is Western Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare company. Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays with evening curtain at 8:00pm, except Sunday evenings and from September 4th onward, when curtain time is an hour earlier at 7pm. Matinees are presented on selected weekends and weekdays.
Tickets
Ticket prices include all fees & taxes and are $43 (evenings) and $25 to $30 (previews, matinees and long weekend evenings) with a $25 Youth Rate (6-25 years, all performances). Early bird pricing offers a $40 regular adult ticket to May 31st. Prices for special events, groups and multi-play ticket package discounts can be found on the Bard website. Early booking is recommended for best seat selection (all seats are reserved) and because many performances sell out in advance.
Order by phone (604) 739-0559 or 1-877-739-0559, or online, and follow @BardontheBeach on Twitter for season updates.
A new season arrives and so do all the freshest fashions and accessories. Park Royal in West Vancouver is a one-stop destination for all of your spring shopping with retailers like Old Navy, H&M, American Eagle Outfitters, Roots, Talbots, Swimco, Nine West, Aldo, Atmosphere, Sport Chek, The Bay, Winners, and much more.
Park Royal North, Park Royal South, and The Village at Park Royal combine to offer 280 unique shops, services, and restaurants spanning over 1.2 million square feet. To get you warmed up for spring Shop Park Royal is giving away a $150 gift card to one lucky Miss604 reader. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming a clothing item you can’t live without this spring (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Follow Park Royal on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook for updates about spring fashions, shops, and services.
One winner will be selected at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, April 19, 2013. Note: Your comments/response may be reposted on the Park Royal Blog. Your email address will remain confidential and used only for prize notification purposes.
Update The winner is @mespadoink!
Today is the anniversary of the first 3D movie screening in Vancouver. Released in 1952, Bwana Devil starring Robert Stack, Barbara Britton and Nigel Bruce is described by most as “horrible” but it was rather exciting to have it on a local screen for the first time way back when. In honor of this, today’s archive photos from the Vancouver Public Library and City of Vancouver feature movie promotions:
It’s been almost a year since I first met Drew and Danielle McTaggart from Dear Rouge at a local coffee shop to interview them about being a Top 25 finalist for the Peak Performance Project. Eight months, one championship title (winning the Peak Performance Project), a cross-Canada tour, Canada Music Week gigs, festival showcases, and Dear Rouge is riding high with no signs of slowing.
They’re now crowd-sourcing the editing of their latest music video, which somehow they found the time to film.
Exposure Video Editing Contest
Dear Rouge is giving filmmakers the opportunity to create their new music video with Exposure: “A film making competition that highlights the often overshadowed editing process and provides a platform for young artists to gain the experience and exposure required to hold their own in a competitive field.”
The video is for their current single “Thinking About You” and they already have all the footage, they just need someone who can weave it all together and turn it into a masterpiece of their own. Aspiring editors can sign up and create a profile on the campaign site, download the pre-shot footage, and compete to show off their unique interpretation of “Thinking About You”. From there, contestants can upload their completed videos to Vimeo and the band will select a winner from the top three videos with the most “likes”.
The top 5 films will be screened at a gala event featuring top industry players and capped off with a special live performance by Dear Rouge. There are cash prizes, exposure, prestige, and credits up for grabs.
“The Exposure contest seeks to cross the artistic spectrum and unite young artists from a variety of fields. The goal is to cultivate a self-sustaining network of artists from different backgrounds that discover and support each other as they develop their work – a contest by artists for artists, looking to help each other out.”
Edits are due by April 30, 2013 and then the voting process will run from May 1 to May 15, 2013. The top 3 will be announced May 16 followed by the close of the competition at the end of May.
