The Port Theatre shimmies and shakes things up for its 14th Spotlight Series with Canadian and international theatre, music and dance.
The season begins in September with the first of six performances of the Classical Coffee Concert Series. Concert pianist Sarah Hagen will be joined by guest musicians for six mid-morning chamber music concerts, held in the intimate setting of the Port Theatre lobby.
The Number 14 (Oct. 6-7) is a Canadian theatrical comedy success that has travelled the world: a madcap physical production that fuses comically masked actors with the absurdity of the big city.
With one show-stopping number after another, Burlesque to Broadway (Oct. 12-13) brings a slice of the Big Apple to Nanaimo. Quinn Lemley, her sexy sidekicks, Gracie and Raz, and a sizzling big band make a splash on stage with sequins, feathers, and a little flesh.
Dust off your Stetson for two country music concerts. Recently inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, Michelle Wright (Oct. 14) shares with her audience the melodies that have won deserved recognition as one of Canada’s great vocal talents. Jason McCoy’s (Nov. 22) innovative tour, ‘Real Life, Real Laughs, Real McCoy’ is a technological one-of-a- kind experience, with an interactive video show introducing surprise guests on the screen.
The diversity within the world of the acoustic guitar is showcased by the virtuosic musicians of International Guitar Night (Nov. 2). For the Canadian tour Brian Gore will be joined by Martin Taylor from Scotland, Solorazaf from Madagascar and Guinga from Brazil.
Hawksley Workman (Nov. 9) is a prolific songwriter, producer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and published author. The six-time nominated, two-time Juno Award winner has enjoyed radio success with his hits Jealous of Your Cigarette and Striptease.
Winter Harp (Dec. 8), a Port Theatre holiday tradition, is a feast for the ears, eyes and soul. Velvet gowns, candles, harps and flutes wrap you snugly in the silken cloak of Christmas.
The Golden Dragon Acrobats of China (Jan. 11) perform a fast-paced and technically innovative new show. Cirque Zíva features two hours of traditional Chinese acrobatics, dance, costumes, ancient and contemporary music and modern theatrical techniques.
RubberbanDance (Feb. 9). is the result of a hip hop dancer, Victor Quijada, and a ballerina, Anne Plamondon, co-creating a new style of artistic expression.
Digging Roots (March 9) duo’s convergence of styles is a sound blurred between the lines of roots, rock, hip hop and blues which earned them a Juno Award for Best Aboriginal Album in 2010.
Flamenco Rosario (March 23) embodies sensuality in the most pure and passionate sense of the word. Artistic Director Rosario Ancer is one of those rare dancers who has the power to convey the heart of the art form.
Expressing her muse through ghazals and Punjabi folk songs, Kiran Ahluwalia (April 26) explores the language of the heart with beautiful artistry and smouldering intensity.
Tickets are on sale to Port Theatre Society members, and available to the public Aug. 15. Please visit www.porttheatre.com.