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Category: Relationship Building

Ballet Kelowna Makes Streetcar a Desirable Ride

Ballet Kelowna Makes Streetcar a Desirable Ride

No streetcar, lots of desire. That was my gritty takeaway on the first day of May at Kelowna Community Theatre as Ballet Kelowna wrapped up its landmark 15th anniversary season with the power and passion of the full-length ballet, A Streetcar Named Desire. American playwright Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning classic tells the story of two southern belle sisters – one clinging to a bygone era, the other embracing the reality of post-World War II life in America. Digging deeper…

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Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Gets Slean and Mean

Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Gets Slean and Mean

Big ups to the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) for sharing the Kelowna Community Theatre stage on the first Saturday night of April with a Canadian songstress who absolutely captivated the house with a mezzo-soprano vocal style I’d define as good “Slean” living. All puns aside, Saskatchewan’s Sarah Slean was the guest artist who describes herself as a dare-to-dream Renaissance woman, singer-songwriter, keyboardist, poet, visual artist, and occasional actress. She pretty much put all those creative skills on display during a…

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Getting A Rocky Mountain High in the Okanagan

Getting A Rocky Mountain High in the Okanagan

On Good Friday Eve 2018, there was nothing like a little musical sunshine on my shoulder to make me happy and glad to be at Kelowna Community Theatre. This was a Rocky Mountain High kind of gathering, an evening celebrating the music of John Denver in such an artistic way that a packed playbill was needed to keep track of all the tooters, fiddlers, bassists, vocalists, and players. Since this was also opening day for Major League Baseball (Toronto lost…

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The Debaters Role-Play With Cosplay Subculture

The Debaters Role-Play With Cosplay Subculture

Here’s the amusing algorithm that provided an un-debatable good time at Kelowna Community Theatre on the first Friday of Spring:  cosplay + wordplay = hilarious horseplay. Let’s break down those three jocular elements. Cosplay, defined as a contraction of the words costume play, means cosplayers wear costumes and accessories to create specific fictional characters in the subculture world of superheroes, film characters, comics, manga/anime, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, and horror. Favorites include Deadpool, Kitana, Pennywise, Ming the Merciless, Silver Surfer, Syren,…

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Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Serves Italian and Wins Gold

Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Serves Italian and Wins Gold

Dueling trumpets during a Vivaldi concerto. That’s not something you often see on a mid-February Friday night in the central Okanagan. But this was no ordinary night as Kelowna Community Theatre welcomed the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) and a busload of phenomenal friends for a show-stopper entitled Viva L’Italia! – from the Chase Wines Masterworks Series. From Baroque concertos to the noble tradition of opera, Italian is known as the international language of music. During this two-hour-and-20-minute gig, the riveting…

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Handbells Highlight The Okanagan Symphony Orchestra’s Ringing In of the Holiday Season

Handbells Highlight The Okanagan Symphony Orchestra’s Ringing In of the Holiday Season

Question:  What do you get when you cross OSO with OHC on a FRI night at KCT three days before XMAS? Answer:  One joyous Christmas symphony and handbell chorus hallelujah expertly boxed, wrapped, and clanged before a packed house. Translation – the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) and Okanagan Handbell Chorus (OKC) teamed up on the Friday before Christmas at Kelowna Community Theatre for a two-hour holiday mash up that was a newborn-king-inspired joy to the world. O Holy Night, the…

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Oh What a Night! was a Neatly Wrapped Tribute to Frankie Valli + Andy Williams

Oh What a Night! was a Neatly Wrapped Tribute to Frankie Valli + Andy Williams

Twas 12 nights before Christmas And all through Kelowna Community Theatre Four crooners were stirring And brought down the house Ho Ho Ho – that’s my lyrical take on Oh What A Night! – The Christmas Edition that came down the metaphorical chimney at Kelowna Community Theatre and brought a sleigh-full of yuletide melodies to the Okanagan. In front of an almost-packed house, many adorned in seasonal red and green, this internationally renowned revue was headlined by a tribute to…

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Kelowna Actors Studio Delivers a Dreamy White Christmas

Kelowna Actors Studio Delivers a Dreamy White Christmas

The cast, crew and volunteers at Kelowna Actors Studio were counting their blessings on Wednesday, November 29th as they opened their 19-show run of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas the Musical in front of a packed house. Wife Elaine and I were on hand as invited guests to take in opening night and get our first taste of Kelowna Actors Studio’s hospitality and stage presence. We thoroughly enjoyed the theatrical vibe, starting with dinner served at our front-row table and then…

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Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Aces its French Connection

Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Aces its French Connection

On the final Friday of November, the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra brought a certain power and panache to its live orchestral performance of The French Connection – Masterworks II at Kelowna Community Theatre.       This buzz worthy concert celebrated the lush and visceral music of the French romantics before the impressionists came onto the scene. The program, as selected by OSO Music Director Rosemary Thomson, included these diverse works:  Les Troyens Chasse royale et orage (Royal Hunt and Storm)…

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Ballet Kelowna Soldiers on With Acts of Remembrance

Ballet Kelowna Soldiers on With Acts of Remembrance

On Remembrance Day Eve 2017, it was a ballet bonanza of bonafide brilliance at Kelowna Community Theatre with one company premiere and two world premieres. This choreographer’s delight came courtesy of Ballet Kelowna, which on this occasion was celebrating the first production of its 15th anniversary season with Acts of Remembrance. Kudos to Simone Orlando, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Kelowna, for assembling such a powerful program featuring nine chiseled dancers and a textured mix of athleticism and storytelling….

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