Jan 16th, 2012

PuSh International Festival 2012

Vancouver is known for being an artistic city, with unique and entertaining events taking place every night of the week. A few examples: you can check out world-renowned exhibits at The Vancouver Art Gallery, hear famous musicians play at live venues - or in orchestra pits -  take in a Broadway play at The Stanley Theatre, and much more.

The annual PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is another rich cultural event that brings together a number of talented performing artists. This year, PuSh runs from January 17 to February 4. You can expect everything from more mainstream acts like this year’s hilarious Do you want what I have got? A Craigslist Cantata (on from Jan. 19 to Feb. 4) to the darker The Pixelated Revolution (Jan. 24 only), a lecture-performance starring Lebanese artist Rabih Mroué, who looks at the usage of mobile phones during the Syrian revolution.

While you can buy tickets at the door (or look at getting a PuSh pass here), you can also buy them in advance at TicketsTonight.ca to save a few bucks.



Here are 3 shows that have been generating some positive buzz so far:

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Idiot is produced by the same team that put on Crime and Punishment in 2005. TheVancouver Sun said Crime and Punishment was “so successfully translated from page to stage that this wholly local production deserves an international spotlight.

The Idiot focuses on Prince Lyov Nikolayevich Myshkin, a good man who suffers from epilepsy that causes “idiocy” in him. After being nearly cured in Russia, he takes a train back home, becoming enamored with Rogozhin during the journey, who is obsessed with the beautiful Nastasya Filippovna, a woman with a bad reputation. Myshkin begins experiencing newfound feelings of greed, love and jealousy, which eventually lead to his collapse.

The Idiot is on from January 20-29 at 7:30pm, with a matinee Sat & Sun at 2:00pm. No show Sun night or Mon.
Tickets Advance $34 /$30 /$28; at door $36 /$32 /$30
Location: Frederic Wood Theatre, 6354 Crescent Road, UBC.

Dances for a Small Stage 25

Dances for a Small Stage returns for another year! And, when they say small stage, they mean it...the stage is only 10-by-13 feet. The choreographers have used Grimm’s Fairy Tales as a starting point, modernizing them in a fun cabaret environment.
The Georgia Straight called it “the place to go to get the pulse of the dance scene.”
They also serve drinks, so you can sit back and enjoy a glass of wine or beer.

Tickets are $20 (cash only at the door) and you must be 19 to attend.
February 1-3, 2012  8:00pm
Location: The Legion on the Drive, 2205 Commercial Drive.

Almighty Voice and His Wife

Almighty Voice and His Wife is written by famous First Nations playwright Daniel David Moses, and tells the true story of a Cree man arrested for killing a cow without a licence. He later escapes, sparking a year-long manhunt. The play explores Almighty Voice as both hero and victim throughout two contrasting acts.
The Globe and Mail has this to say about Almighty Voice and His Wife: “Moses is a coroner of the theatre who slices open the human heart to reveal the fear, hatred and love that have eaten away at it.”

February 1-4, 2012  8:00pm
Matinee Feb 4 at 4:00pm
Tickets Advance $32 /$28 /$26; at door $34 /$30 /$28
Location: Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright Street, Granville Island.






Video: What is the PuSh Festival about?

Tags: events