The 17th annual Chutzpah! Lisa Nemetz International Jewish Performing Arts Festival is coming up February 16 to March 13, 2017. It’s the Lower Mainland’s winter music, dance, comedy and theatre festival presenting international, national and local artists. The Chutzpah! Festival delivers audiences work that is forward-looking, multi-layered, and entertaining.
Chutzpah! Festival
After the success of Chutzpah’s first literary event in 2016, this year Chutzpah! features author Christopher Noxon in “Hollywood Stories”, a special pre-festival event. And for the second year, Chutzpah!PLUS is co-presenting a Film Series with the Vancouver Jewish Film Centre.
Single tickets for Chutzpah! can be purchased online, by phone at the Chutzpah! Box Office: 604-257-5145 or Tickets Tonight: 604-684-2787. Chutzi Packs are also available: see 4 different shows of your choice for only $94 (excluding Ali Hassan and Judy Gold, Shalom Hanoch, David Broza and Mira Awad, The Klezmatics). New this year is a special 5-Show Dance Pack for shows at the Norman Rothstein Theatre for only $115.
Tickets will also be available in-person starting January 30th at the on-site Chutzpah! Box Office at the Jewish Community Centre, 950 West 41st Avenue, just 2 blocks west of the Oakridge Skytrain Station.
The 2017 Chutzpah! Festival have performances at the Norman Rothstein Theatre and other venues in and around Vancouver, including a Comedy Double Bill with Ali Hassan and Judy Gold.
Comedy Double Bill
In this solo show Muslim, Interrupted, Ali Hassan performs his bitingly funny piece of work on flunking out of Sunday school, ingesting forbidden fruits, and becoming a cultural Muslim. The show is a refreshingly hilarious antidote to our increasingly troubling global climate, delivered by this rising star of television, film, radio and stage.
Judy Gold has written and starred in 2 critically acclaimed, Off-Broadway hit shows, The Judy Show – My Life As A Sitcom, and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, which was an audience favourite at the 2014 Chutzpah! Festival.
What: Comedy Double Bill with Ali Hassan and Judy Gold
Where: The York Theatre (639 Commercial Dr, Vancouver)
When: Friday February 24, 2017 at 8:00pm
Tickets: Available online now.
Enter to Win
I have a pair of tickets to give away to the Comedy Double Bill with Ali Hassan and Judy Gold. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to a comedy double bill at @ChutzpahFest http://owl.li/5QV9308ajK1″ quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
Follow the Chutzpah! Festival on Facebook and Twitter for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, January 25, 2017.
Update The winner is Ann!
Though the rain can be a downer, don’t let the wet stuff put the brakes on your active lifestyle. This is the perfect time of year for exploring new places and trying fresh activities that will test your brain and body. If you’re looking for something new, check out these fun ideas out of Coquitlam this month. Warning: May induce excessive grinning!
Evergreen Cultural Centre
If you haven’t taken a ride on SkyTrain’s Evergreen Extension yet, why not hop on the train and see where it takes you? Simply riding the train is an adventure for children, and the last station on the line is Lafarge Lake-Douglas station, which is just steps to Evergreen Cultural Centre, a wonderful visual and performing arts theatre.
Highlights in the coming weeks include the quirky one-woman show, The (Post) Mistress, and a performance by the critically acclaimed Canadian Guitar Quartet. Families won’t want to miss A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a whimsical adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic, featuring fairies, love potions and talking donkeys (ticket admission is pay-what-you-can).
Climb a Mountain
It’s true that Coquitlam is on the edge of nature, surrounded with mountains, but during soggy weather, why not try something new and scale an indoor climbing wall? Did you know that Coquitlam is home to the largest climbing gym in Metro Vancouver? Climb Base5 boasts more than 16,000 square feet of climbing space, a 1,000-square-foot ‘Tsunami Wall’ for bouldering, and custom programs for kids, groups and adults.
Knock ’em Down
Channel your inner Homer Simpson and line up a strike! Bowling is a great activity for all ages on a rainy day, and Zone Bowling in Coquitlam has a beautiful five- and 10-pin bowling alley that attracts visitors from all over Metro Vancouver.
Hit the Ice
Nothing is more Canadian than lacing up the skates and zipping around the ice. Round up the kids, pop on those helmets and get ready to create memories that will last a lifetime. Drop-in indoor ice skating is available at Poirier Sport & Leisure Centre, which is a massive recreation facility that also has pools, a gym and drop-in fitness classes.
Watch a Game
Could the next NHL star be skating on home ice? Head over to Poirier Sport & Leisure Complex at 633 Poirier St. to cheer on the Coquitlam Express and scope out the talent of the BCHL. Whether you’re feeding a hockey addiction or simply looking for an affordable, family-friendly night out, this is guaranteed to be a fun outing. Regular season runs until February 24th.
Take a Hike
Just a short drive from Coquitlam’s City Centre, Minnekhada Regional Park is a peaceful nature sanctuary that offers a place to get away from it all. The 200-hectare park has a variety of trails and is rich with wildlife. If the ground is covered in snow, take a walk around the marsh and enjoy the scenery. Depending on the conditions, you could try the 6.5-kilometre trek to the High Knoll to be rewarded with incredible views of the marsh below (allow yourself at least 2 ½ hours). The park is also home to Minnekhada Lodge, a 1930s country estate that is a popular film and wedding spot, open to the public on occasion for touring.
For more information about exploring Coquitlam, visit coquitlam.ca/explore and plan your trip by transit. Share your photos using tag #explorecoquitlam.
I went back to Baldy Mountain Resort for the second time this winter, and while I explored more downhill terrain, toured upcoming real estate, and sipped hot apple cider in the lodge, I probably had the most fun on the Frisbee golf course — while on snowshoes!
I wrote about my experience for SnowSeekers:
Zipping around in a cart, looking at prime real estate lots for sale, followed by 18 holes and a delicious lunch. No, I wasn’t at a South Okanagan golf resort, I was bundled up for the powder and sunshine at Baldy Mountain Resort checking out their latest offerings.
After a glorious morning on the slopes, which I had to myself along with my guide Kevin Rand, I got a tour of some of Baldy’s up-and-coming attractions, including its complete Frisbee golf course that can be accessed on snowshoes.
Kevin has been living here year-round for nearly two decades and he still gets excited about Baldy.
“Eighteen years later I still go, ‘wow!’” Kevin told me when we took our last chairlift ride of the afternoon. He’s a senior ski patroller at Baldy and a paramedic down in the town of Oliver. I was in good hands that day.
Kevin and his wife have lived at Baldy for the past three years. He’s originally from Ontario and had skied most of B. C., but this is where he decided to buy his home. I asked what made him settle here, and he simply replied: “It’s Baldy! “All you have to do is just look around and you’ll fall in love with the place. It’s awesome.” Continue Reading »…
The Frisbee golf course is a full 18 holes, nestled in a forested area between two downhill outlets. You can rent snowshoes on site and take advantage of the beautiful scenery, then warm up around the fire or in the lodge with friends and family. It’s a great alternative if you don’t have a full group of downhill enthusiasts, or it’s just a great way to end the day as the setting Okanagan sun peeks through the trees.
When we returned to the lodge, Angie and I strapped on snowshoes and checked out the Frisbee golf course nestled in a wooded area beside the Fairweather run, off the Sugar Lump chair.
Angie can often be found leading a group of Baldy Babes on Mondays between December and April. The group meets once a week, starting the day with coffee and treats in the lodge, then they explore the mountain, and return to the lodge for lunch, dessert, and a glass of wine. Continue Reading »…
Baldy is just 60 minutes from wine country so it’s definitely worth checking out some of the Ski Baldy, Stay Osoyoos offerings in the South Okanagan this winter.
It’s never too early to think about how you can send a thoughtful, sweet, and funny message to a special someone in your life. A Loving Spoonful CandyGrams are now available to purchase for Valentine’s Day, with proceeds going directly to assisting those with HIV/AIDS in Vancouver.
A Loving Spoonful CandyGrams
This year our CandyGrams will include a special-edition Valentine’s Day card, a message of your choice, two Purdy’s chocolates, a McDonald’s coupon, and two gummy hearts.
Pick one of 150 creative and fun Valentine’s messages and send this treat to someone you like or love for just $10!
While A Loving Spoonful is based in Vancouver, you can send your CandyGrams anywhere in Canada. For on-time delivery (via Canada Post) by or before Valentine’s Day, orders must be placed on or before February 1st for Eastern Canada, on or before February 2nd for Western Canada, and on or before February 6th for Metro Vancouver.
A Loving Spoonful is a volunteer-driven, non-partisan society that provides free, nutritious meals to people living with HIV/AIDS in Greater Vancouver. Each year, A Loving Spoonful’s volunteers deliver over 100,000 meals to those in need, and with very little government funding, they rely on the generosity of the community.
Follow A Loving Spoonful on Facebook and Twitter (tag: #candygram) for more information.
The 44th Chinese New Year Parade takes place on Sunday, January 29th. This signature event of Vancouver’s Chinatown will feature lion dances, cultural dance troupes, marching bands, martial arts performances and much more.
Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade
When: Sunday, January 29th, 2017 11:00am
Admission: Open to public, free admission
Where: The 1.3-km long route starts at the Millennium Gate on Pender St (between Shanghai Alley and Taylor St), proceeds east along Pender St, turns south onto Gore St, turns west onto Keefer St and then disperses on Keefer at Abbott.
The Chinese New Year Parade celebrates the new year of the Chinese lunar calendar and is a festive event for everyone to enjoy. It will bring together over 70 groups, with 3,000 participants from various community and cultural organizations from around the Lower Mainland, and is anticipated to draw over 100,000 spectators! It’s one of the top 3 largest non-commercial annual parades in Vancouver.
Join everyone from the Vancouver Police Department Motorcycle Drill Team, to local marching bands, and the largest assembly of traditional lion dance teams in Canada with dozens of colourful and energetic lions from various local fraternal and martial arts organizations.
There will be live broadcast from Media Sponsors Shaw TV Vancouver (Channel 4) starting at 10:30am (LIVE), and will then be replayed at various times throughout the following week.
After the parade, as a Chinese New Year tradition to promote good fortune for the year, some lions will be visiting the shops and businesses in Chinatown. The lions will perform a celebratory dance at each participating shop to bring good luck and prosperity. Come see and hear the lion dances up close. This will start right after the parade from approximately 2:00pm to 4:00pm.
The Cultural Fair will be held throughout the weekend, on January 28th and 29th, at the Sun Yat-Sen Plaza (50 East Pender St). The fair will have multicultural performances, a special lion dance grand finale, martial arts demonstration and more. Performances will be between 1:00pm and 4:00pm on Saturday, and 2:00pm and 4:00pm on Sunday.
The Year of the Rooster in the Chinese Lunar calendar officially begins on Saturday, January 28th, 2017. Find out more about these festivities from the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver.
