3 minute read
The Ticket
Culture
THE TICKET
FAIL EPIC
National bestselling author Vivek Shraya is well-known for writing, but the Calgary-based multidisciplinary artist has always had a love for the stage. “I started out as a musician, and being a writer is something that sort of happened along the way,” she shares. Her upcoming one-woman show in the PuSh Performing Arts Festival covers her popstar journey—but not in the rags-to-riches style of most musical memoirs. “For me, it felt really important to tell a story of what it means to not have your dreams come true,” says Shraya, “especially in a culture where we are obsessed with being resilient. You’re not supposed to reveal your heartbreak—you’re not supposed to say that you’ve failed.”
She titled the show How to Fail as a Popstar, and describes it as an “antisuccess story.” That said, the show isn’t a total bummer: with cheeky humour and down-to-earth joy, it celebrates the comedy of tragedy. There’s storytelling, music, movement and sass, and, ultimately, it’s relatable. “Most of us have wanted something and haven’t been successful,” says Shraya. “And for me, this play is a gesture in giving people the space to own their failures.”
HOW TO FAIL AS A POPSTAR
DATE February 1 and 2 VENUE Performance Works pushfestival.ca
PAGE TO STAGE
Shraya’s latest book, People Change, hit shelves this January. In it, the artist explores her long-standing fascination with the reinvention of change. Actor Elliot Page calls it “a deeply generous and honest gift to the world.”
Intangible Thread at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Feeling 22
Fresh events and old favourites to keep your calendar hopping in the new year.
by Alyssa Hirose
GORILLA THEATRE
DATE Every Saturday VENUE Tightrope Theatre COST $20 tightropetheatre.com This wild and wacky show at the city’s newest comedy venue is made up of expert improvisors competing for the audience’s praise (delivered in the form of bananas, because, you know, gorillas). The comedian with the most bananas at the end of the evening wins.
DINE OUT VANCOUVER
DATE January 14 to 31 VENUE Restaurants across the city COST Varies dineoutvancouver.com If you’re feeling a bit stuck in your ways, resto-wise, this annual fest is the answer: over three hundred participating restaurants offer their best dishes at fixed prices (and it’s easy to filter by budget). Official menus go live on January 6; start planning date night now.
INTANGIBLE THREAD
DATE January 14 to March 30 VENUE Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden COST $16 for adults vancouverchinesegarden.com Local artist Xiangmei Su grew up watching her mother weave in her hometown of Suzhou, China, and her latest exhibition is inspired by that traditional craft. Sixteen paintings and one installation explore themes of identity, migration and modernity. Sew cool.
CHOCOLATE TEMPERING WORKSHOP
DATE January 22 and February 19 VENUE Drunken Chocolatier COST $83 drunkenchocolatier.com ’Tis the season for learning something new, and knowing how to temper chocolate is a pretty awesome (and dare we say sexy?) skill. Carina Chao, otherwise known as the Drunken Chocolatier, teaches you how in this workshop.
MATRIARCHS UPRISING FESTIVAL
DATE February 14 to 19 VENUE Scotiabank Dance Centre COST By donation thedancecentre.ca This powerful fest shines a spotlight on contemporary Indigenous dancers Sophie Dow, Jeanette Kotowich, Animikiikwe Couchie-Waukey, Bella Waru and Christine Friday. Don’t miss the workshops and masterclasses, too.
AFRICAN FASHION WEEK SHOW
DATE February 19 VENUE BMO Theatre’s Newmont Stage COST From $49 afwv.ca African designers based in the Lower Mainland and beyond share runway-ready looks at this event presented by the African Fashion and Arts Movement (AFAM Vancouver). There’s also live music, a marketplace and a silent auction benefitting youth development and empowerment programs in Lagos.
