Skip to content

Nanaimo’s Port Theatre announces 2018-19 Spotlight series

This season marks the performance venue’s 20th anniversary
13325191_web1_183008-NBU-port-theatre-season
Port Theatre general manager Bruce Halliday hopes he won’t be the only one in the seats when the venue kicks off its 2018-19 season in September. (Josef Jacobson/The News Bulletin)

This year the Port Theatre is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a season that brings a diverse selection of dance, music and performance into the spotlight.

Port Theatre general manager Bruce Halliday travels the country searching for acts to feature in the venue’s Spotlight series. There are some performers Halliday’s been trying for years to bring to Nanaimo, and this year he’s crossing some of those names off the list.

“I’m always looking for interesting artists, some emerging, some better known, some very well established artists like the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. If we didn’t present them, there’s nobody else who would,” Halliday said.

“Because we receive $65,000 a year in funding towards that series, we’ve got some room to take risks, financial risks, and then the grants help us do that, which means these shows may or may not be commercially viable but they’ll be shows that are artistically excellent.”

Ontario roots rockers Midnight Shine kick off the Spotlight season on Sept. 9, followed by Montreal’s Cirque Eloize on Sept. 28. Soul singer Jully Black graces the Port Theatre stage on Oct. 12. The B.C. World Music Collective presents its eclectic sounds on Nov. 3. To mark the holiday season the Royal Winnipeg Ballet performs The Nutcracker on Dec. 4 and 5 and the Winter Harp returns Dec. 8. International Guitar Night is back with a new linuep to kick off the new year on Jan. 26. Ten-time Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin performs on Feb. 15, while Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba offers an evening of Caribbean dance on March 10. Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre Company presents Circle Game: Reimagining the Music of Joni Mitchell on March 22 and Courtenay pianist Sarah Hagen and Toronto spoken word artist Brendan McLeod tell Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s story in Exultation. Singer-songwriter Danny Michel wraps up the Spotlight season on April 24.

The auditorium stage isn’t the only space that will host performances, as the theatre lobby welcomes the Offstage Jazz Series and Classical Coffee Concert Series. Red Haven, Nick La Riviere, Nico Rhodes and Marc Atkinson will bring the jazz on Oct. 16, Nov. 6, March 12 and April 2, respectively, and the Bergmann Duo return to provide chamber music on Oct. 2, Nov. 27, March 26 and April 16.

Halliday said he hopes the season exposes Nanaimo audiences to new artists and art forms and fosters an appreciation of live performance.

“A very simple measure of success is watching an audience leave the auditorium and there’s a buzz after the show,” he said.

As there are dozens of ethnic backgrounds represented by this season’s performers, Halliday said taking in the upcoming shows is like touring the globe.

“I equate this a lot [to] travelling,” he said.

“So if you want to broaden your views or get out and see the world, this is a little bit of a way to see part of the world without leaving home.”

More information on the Spotlight series and tickets are available here.