One of my favourite Vancouver date night activities with my husband is a dinner and a show, which is why I’m so excited to partner with the Jessie Awards this year to bring you monthly theatre listings.
The Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards are an annual awards ceremony and party produced by the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award Society to celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of the Vancouver Professional Theatre Community.
May Theatre Listings for Vancouver
Pacific Theatre Presents:
Outside Mullingar
Pacific Theatre (1440 West 12th Ave, Vancouver)
May 19 to June 10, 2017
A pair of introverted misfits, Rosemary and Anthony’s families have lived on neighbouring farms as far back as anyone can remember, where they battle over property lines and childhood stories but never what matters most.
Urban Ink Presents:
Children of God
at the York Theatre (639 Commercial Dr, Vancouver)
May 17 to June 3, 2017
In this powerful musical, the children of an Oji-Cree family are sent to a residential school in Northern Ontario. This is a story of redemption: for a mother who was never let past the school’s gate, and her kids, who never knew she came.
Firehall Arts Presents:
Circle Game
At Firehall Arts (280 East Cordova St, Vancouver)
May 3 to May 20, 2017
The enduring music of Joni Mitchell is re-imagined in this energetic musical experience. Conceived and directed by Vancouver’s theatrical powerhouses (and spouses) Andrew Cohen & Anna Kuman.
Arts Club Theatre Company Presents:
Million Dollar Quartet
at the Stanley (2750 Granville St, Vancouver)
May 11 to July 9, 2017
Inspired by true events, this rocking jukebox musical takes you into Sun Records Studio on December 4, 1956, to witness the famed recording session that brought together rock and roll legends Presley, Cash, Lewis, and Perkins—for the first and only time.
Arts Club Theatre Company Presents:
Hand to God
at the BMO Theatre Centre (162 W 1st Ave, Vancouver)
May 25 to June 25, 2017
In a church basement in suburban Texas, three troubled teenagers meet weekly to express themselves through puppetry and learn to avoid the devil at all costs.
Patrick Street Productions Presents:
Little Night Music
at the Anvil Centre Theatre (777 Columbia St, New Westminster)
May 11 to 21, 2017
Stephen Sondheim’s sophisticated and luscious musical, inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s film Smiles of a Summer Night. The story is a series of trysts, twists, and revelations that climaxes (so to speak) during a weekend gathering at a country estate.
Staircase Theatre Presents:
The Hunger Room
at PAL (581 Cardero St, Vancouver)
May 25 to June 10, 2017
A a dark thriller that explores loneliness, disconnection and violence. A crisis takes over a suburban high school when a mysterious stalker begins delivering notes written in blood to targeted female students.
Monster Theatre Presents:
The Canada Show
at Various Venues
May 29 to June 29, 2017
The complete history of Canada in one hour.
Follow the Jessies on Facebook and Twitter for more information about theatre in Vancouver.
Growing up in Surrey the City’s slogan was “City of Parks”, and did my siblings, friends and I ever take advantage of that! We had a park in our neighbourhood and it was home to after-school play, our first bike rides, games we invented on the old wooden playground (complete with chain-link bridges under which sharks and dragons lived), and hills that were perfect for rolling in the summer, and skipping down on toboggans in the winter.
All of these explorations, expeditions, and tumbles in the dandelion-woven grass were made in my local city park — a City Centre park — which is why I’m thrilled to team up with the TD Common Ground Project this summer to showcase the newest City Centre park in Surrey that will be available for generations to come.
Surrey’s Forsyth Park and New TD Nature Play Area
“Forsyth Park is right on the edge of Surrey City Centre, which is an area that is visioned as the next metropolitan area for Metro Vancouver,” says Ted Uhrich, Parks Planning Manager City of Surrey. “It will be experiencing a lot of growth over the next twenty, thirty years including the land use plans for Forsyth Park in the north east side of the community.”
About Forsyth Park
Forsyth Park has not been open to the public before, but that’s about to change thanks to a $500,000 grant from the TD Common Ground Project.
“Having TD come forward has allowed us to expedite the delivery of the park to residents in the area, which is great. It’s a really generous grant.”
“There were some trails through it because it’s right near an elementary school and people in the neighbourhood would traverse through but we hadn’t had any funding to develop a playground and other things in the park so it’s great to have the grant from TD.”
It’s is located between 108 Ave and 104 Ave, 140th St and 139th St. Construction is happening now along the south end of the 7.5 acre park and it is expected to be completed at the end of the summer, at which time it will open to all — including four-legged friends in the new off leash area!
Environmental Focus
A big focus of the TD Common Ground Project, and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF), is to have an environmental focus for play spaces and to bring the community together. The City of Surrey has planned the park with that in mind.
”What’s happened in the past is that playgrounds have become quite sterile with metal and set structures,” says Uhrich. “For us, as an urbanizing area, it’s great to have a more natural playground because even while we see the new density, we want kids and other park users to have more of a natural experience while they’re within an urban area. For us that’s a really important part of the delivery on this project.”
The TD Nature Play Area of the park will have natural materials, wood, boulders, and feature a water run that channels through the playground area.
“There’s a lot of opportunities for kids to not only play on what look like typical play structures like swings and slides, but there’s a lot of opportunity for them to play with what we call ‘loose parts’. Lots of logs and rocks, and stuff like that they’ll build what comes into their own imagination.”
Uhrich adds that Forsyth Park will also have a lot of play structures, a tower, a big long slide and will be made out of natural materials in general, and lots of wood.
The City of Surrey has recently developed a biodiversity conservation strategy, and Forsyth Park will play a part in that plan.
Uhrich says projects like this help the residents understand the importance of biodiversity and the protection of the environment. “There’s nothing like having children immersed in natural space, to engage with for the protection of the environment.”
The Surrey Nature Centre at Green Timbers will also be running programs at Forsyth Park in the future.
The TD Common Ground Project
Surrey’s Forsyth Park is a flagship project of the TD Common Ground Project, where TD is supporting 150+ grassroots initiatives in recognition of Canada’s 150th birthday.
For more information, follow TD Canada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the tag #TDCommonGround to learn more about this initiative and to find out when Forsyth Park will be ready for play.
Being a city surrounded by waterways, bridges are an important part of our history. Did you know we’ve had three Cambie Bridges over the last 100+ years? We’ve also had two iterations of the Knight Street Bridge, two Port Manns, and just one Pattullo. There have also been three Granville Street Bridges, which are the focus of today’s photo feature (with references thanks to the History of Metropolitan Vancouver):
First Granville Street Bridge 1889
Mayor David Oppenheimer presided over the January 4th opening of the first Granville Street bridge. This first modest wooden span was 2,400 feet long and cost $16,000 to build. Before the year was out electric streetcars would be crossing the bridge.1
1890. House with Granville Street Bridge and old C.P.R. Bridge in background. Archives# CVA 256-01.23.
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If you were raised in Canada, chances are your childhood photo album includes a snapshot of your younger self holding up a trout to the camera. Fishing in the lakes is about as Canadian as wearing toques and watching hockey. And in Coquitlam, reeling in a trout has never been easier.
Coquitlam Fishing Guide
Did you know that you can step off the SkyTrain at Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain station, fishing rod in hand, and cast a line into the water?
Right now, the fish are biting. Both Lafarge and Como lakes were recently stocked with 1,000 rainbow trout each, and the months of May/June are among the best for trout fishing.
Como Lake can also be reached by transit and has easy shore access, with a loop trail for finding a quiet spot. Spin casting, bait fishing and fly fishing are all options at both lakes.
Free & Fun Fishing Events
Como Lake Fishing Derby (May 28): Free, family-oriented fun for kids under age 16 at Como Lake, with prizes awarded for a variety of catches.
Lafarge Lake Annual Free Fishing Day (June 18): Fishy fun and prizes during BC’s free fishing weekend, when anglers can fish BC’s waters without a licence. The lake is stocked in the morning.
Learn to Fish (May-June): The City of Coquitlam offers free Learn 2 Fish events for kids age 5-17 in partnership with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. For more info, see pages 17-18 in Coquitlam’s spring recreation guide.
What Do You Need to Start?
- BC freshwater sport fishing licences are required for recreational lake fishing for age 16 and over. You can purchase them online through the government of BC website (just $10 for the day for British Columbians). Note: Coquitlam is also known for salmon fishing, which requires a different licence. For more information, read pages 24-25 in the 2017 Coquitlam Travel & Experience Guide, available online
- Rod, reel, line, hook, weight, bait/flies
- Tackle box
- Appropriate clothing: boots, sun hat, etc.
More May Events You Don’t Want to Miss!
International Migratory Bird Day (May 13): Head to Colony Farm Regional Park between 1:00pm and 4:00pm for displays, children’s activities and an introductory bird walk at 2:30pm. Meet in front of the community gardens, end of Colony Farm Rd.
Victoria Day Long Weekend (May 20-22): Looking for ideas to entertain yourself, your kids or your guests? From the Lower Mainland’s largest indoor climbing wall to some of the region’s best playgrounds, you’ll find it in Coquitlam’s Travel Guide.
Coquitlam’s City-wide Garage Sale (May 27): Hunting for a bargain? Get ready to find some treasures.
Fraser Valley Food Truck Festival (May 27): Hungry? Feast your eyes on this foodie frenzy on Burlington Drive next to Coquitlam City Hall from 11:00am to 5:00pm.
Family Fun Day at Place Maillardville
Family Fun Day (May 27): Free fun from 10:00am to 1:00pm at Place Maillardville, featuring Bobs and LoLo, crafts, Tumblebus, face painting and a fire truck!
MEC Vancouver Century Ride (May 28): Choose between a 50km or 100km ride that takes you through Coquitlam’s scenic countryside.
Explore and Share
Pick up your copy of the Coquitlam 2017 Travel & Adventure Guide at any City facility, or read it online, and share your photos online using #explorecoquitlam.
