At the Phoenix
A scream to end all screams
By Bruce Mason, Gabriola Sounder
Monday, May 5 2008
Listen up, you are going to like this very sound idea and want to support it.
There is something missing here - access to a mid-sized performance venue, bigger than the Roxy but smaller than the Community Hall.
Since we already have the perfect jewel that is the Phoenix Auditorium, all it will take to fill the gap is for the island’s performance groups to stage a show - make that a showstopping showcase - and for you to buy a ticket.
Easy, highly enjoyable; one wonderful evening of everyone’s time, a unique opportunity for us all to get together and celebrate Mother’s Day, May 11th, it will not only make you want to scream for joy but also encourage you to do just that.
Our artistic organizations - Gabriola Players, Ponomo Productions, Gabriola Chamber Ensemble, Heartsong Choir, Poetry Gabriola, Afriola Drum and Dance Ensemble and Lulu Performing Arts - have got their act together to stage an evening that is billed as The Phoenix Soundproophing Phundraiser.
Try to get that past your spell check. But it is a no-brainer to grasp the concept. No computer necessary.
Here’s all you need to know: events can’t be scheduled in the Phoenix or rehearsals held when the rooms below are booked, which is often.
A little soundproofing and Eureka, Bob’s your Uncle, aunt, or both, whatever.
Done deal and the doors are open wider so the community can enjoy the comfy, acoustic marvel with unlimited sight lines, more often. How good is that?
The Haven’s Louise Amuir said, “We love having performances here and to share this great venue with the community, but we are a Foundation, operating on a shoe string.”
I picked one performance organization from the list at random and called Doris McLaughlin, president and co-founder of our very popular amateur theatre group the Gabriola Players.
“The Phoenix is the best place to stage full scale productions such as “7 Stories” and “Lend Me A Tenor,” the sets for those two sold-out productions would not have fit in any other performance venue on the island,” she explained.
“It has an awesome backstage for actors to wait for their entry and for readying props. No other place has that,” Doris continued. “It’s a cozy room and has better acoustics, stage and seating than other facilities.
“The one problem is the difficulty getting in to rehearse when something is scheduled in the lower level,” she concluded.
Ditto for the other performers.
The seven groups are a cluster, the Phoenix is the precious stone, and you are the jeweler who will put them together in a gem of an evening that will bring joy and shine on in the future.
There are too many carats in the program for the space here. I stopped counting at 50 performers. Let’s just say this is the definite, definitive don’t miss event of the year with unprecedented variety and an opportunity to taste it all, like when a five-star restaurant offers samples from a classy menu.
In fact Amuir said: “Let’s do dinner for everyone, especially Moms: stuffed chicken breast, roast butternut squash, tofu and artichokes, broccoli, wild rice pilaf, with coffee, tea and the salad bar and sponge cake and fruit for dessert.
“And let’s knock a few dollars off the price,” she added. “Dinner will be $15 and serving will begin at 6 pm so we can all take our time walking the short distance to the performance at the Phoenix.”
Lulu’s Leah Hokansan said advance tickets are on a sliding scale from $10 to $40 and are available at Artworks and the Village Liquor Store.
Those at the high end get the satisfaction of making a welcome contribution to a worthy cause, thrown in for free. Tickets at the door are $20.
We saved the best for last - tickets for youth are $5, anytime, anywhere, so our young people can be inspired to get involved in the Isle of the Arts. Why not buy one for a young person in your life?
Actually, here’s the very best last bit. An opportunity will be provided for Moms - who don’t often get this chance - and everyone else to scream.
MC Bill Miner said: “Along with everything else, there will be a contest, so bring your best scream and make it loud because after the event we will no longer be able to disturb people in other parts of the building.”
The Phoenix Soundproophing Phundraiser begins at 7:30 pm, Sunday, May 11th. Buy a ticket so you can say you were there and rest up for a mother of an evening and a cultural experience that will have it all, including you, hopefully, so we can get on with the show, big time.
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