Summer Shades

South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter of Federation of Canadian Artists
Exhibition at Shatford Centre, Penticton,

June 15 -July 31 2015

Members of the local Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists
present “Summer Shades”, a group show of fine art at Shatford Centre in
Penticton. The exhibition will be on view June 15 through to July 31,
offering plenty of opportunity for local residents and summer visitors alike
to explore the wide range of work on display in “Summer Shades”.
Shatford Centre hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Info: 250-497-7806 or carol @ carolmunro.ca

The Quail’s Nest was swinging last night, June 11, when eighteen amazing jazz musicians from the Thursday Night Jazz Band filled the air with toe tapping, body swaying music.

The audience, camped out on chairs they carried to the venue, spilled out the big doors into the warmth of a perfect Spring night.  It was a mellow mood.   Walls were hung with African fabrics.  Tables with a variety of African and local handicrafts and even homemade cookies were manned by Oliver Grandmothers for Africa wearing their distinctive lemon yellow shirts with the black logo of mother and child plastered on the front.  It was a time for fun but for a serious cause.

Before the night was out over a thousand dollars was raised to support Grandmothers in Africa.   They are the strong, capable agents of change at the grassroots the Stephen Lewis Foundation champions.

“We are standing hand in hand.  We are marching step by step.  We are singing heart to heart.  We are grandmother sisters.”   So be it.

Photo Credit: Leza Macdonald

Audition dates have been set for next January’s production of the hilarious backstage farce Noises Off produced by the South Okanagan Amateur Players.

Noises Off is a play within a play. It is about an ambitious director and his troupe of mediocre actors. The cast and crew are putting together a silly sex comedy titled, Nothing On – a single-set farce in which lovers frolic, doors slam, clothes are tossed away, and embarrassing hi-jinks ensue.

Playwright Michael Frayn created Noises Off in the early 1980s. It is a love letter and an inside joke to those familiar with the thrilling and unpredictable nature of the stage. The title refers to a common stage direction calling for noises to occur offstage as part of the plot. In this case, the “noises offstage” include the chaos of a production gone horribly wrong.

Each of the three acts of Noises Off contains a performance of the first act of Nothing On.

Act One is set at the dress rehearsal the night before opening with the cast still fumbling with entrances and exits, missed cues, misspoken lines, and bothersome props, most notably several plates of sardines.

In Act Two, the play is seen from backstage, providing a view that reveals the deteriorating personal relationships among the cast that have led to offstage shenanigans and onstage bedlam.

In Act Three, we see a performance near the end of the ten-week run when personal friction has continued to increase and everyone is bored and anxious to be done with the play. The actors attempt to cover up a series of mishaps but only compound the problems and draw attention to the bungling performance.

Much of the comedy emerges from the subtle variations in each version as off-stage chaos affects on-stage performance, with a great deal of slapstick. The contrast between players’ on-stage and off-stage personalities is also a source of comic dissonance.

SOAP plans to produce this play at the Frank Venables Theatre in Oliver in late January, 2016. Auditions will be held on Sunday June 21 in the upstairs board room of the Osoyoos Art Gallery on Main Street, Osoyoos and on Monday June 22 in Big Blue at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre on Airport Road in Oliver. Both will start at 7 pm. Although auditions are being held this month, there are no plans to have rehearsals during through July and August.

Director Ted Osborne has been involved in many SOAP productions as an actor and director. He was most recently involved in The Long Weekend and Lend Me A Tenor. He will be looking for a cast of five men and four women. More information on the characters can be viewed at www.soplayers.ca. The Director can be contacted at elosborne @ yahoo.com

Copies of the script can be viewed at http://www.paololandi.it/theater/testi/Noises%20off.pdf

LLOYD DALLAS The director of Nothing On, Lloyd is passionate, suave, and extremely harried. He has a hot temper which he barely manages to keep in check, most of the time, as he watches his production go from bad to worse to disaster. He is carrying on affairs with both Brooke and Poppy which leads to very much trouble.

DOTTY OTLEY – A (rather) aging prima donna. Her money is funding the production. She has a great deal of trouble remembering her lines, blocking, and props. Capable of using spite or self-pity to get her way… Is having an affair with the much younger Garry. Plays the part of Mrs. Clackett a cockney housekeeper for the Brent’s home in England; hospitable, though slow.

GARRY LEJEUNE – Means well. Believes in The theatre. Tries to keep the show going and everyone’s morale up, but often has trouble finishing his sentences. His good nature is replaced with jealously when he believes Dotty has begun carrying on with Frederick. Plays the part of Roger, a real estate agent who is attempting to rent the house, but uses it for a place to have an affair with Vicki.

BROOK ASHTON – Young and sexy, but a terrible actress. Incapable of taking direction. Spacey and tuned-out – whether onstage or off. Blind as a bat without her contacts, which have a tendency to pop out at bad times. Carrying on with Lloyd, which is how she got her part in the show . . . She plays the part of Vicki who secretly works for Inland Revenue and is trying to woo Roger.

POPPY NORTON-TAYLOR – The assistant stage manager of Nothing On. Overworked and often on the verge of tears. Works frantically to keep the show from completely falling apart, a hopeless (and thankless) task. Her affair with Lloyd leads to a surprise announcement.

FREDERICK FELLOWES – A neurotic, bumbling actor who is filled with self doubt. A sweet man. Not the brightest bulb in the box. Always has a thousand questions about his lines and blocking. Violence and blood upset him, causing him to faint or get nosebleeds. He plays the part of Phillip Brent who is currently living in Spain with his wife Flavia to avoid paying taxes. He enters the country knowing that if he is caught by Inland Revenue, he will lose most of the year’s income. He also plays the part of Sheikh who is interested in renting the home and is the spitting image of Phillip.

BELINDA BLAIR – An experienced actress who is positive, reliable, and charming. A goodhearted busybody, who knows all the gossip about the company. She attempts to keep the show going as it unravels. She plays the part of Flavia, who is Phillip’s dependable wife opposed to household duties.

TIM ALLGOOD – The company’s long-suffering stage manager who is completely exhausted and sleep-deprived. He’s responsible for an inhuman number of tasks and forced to understudy everybody.

SELSDON MOWBRAY – A cheerful, elderly, alcoholic who forgets his lines and misses his entrances. The entire cast attempts to keep him from getting his hands on a bottle. Panic reigns when he cannot be found at all. He plays the part of an elderly burglar breaking into the Brent’s home.

Note – many parts are not “age specific” except for Selsdon, Brooke, and Dotty. The other actors are experienced and in their “prime” so to speak.

Heritage Society Partners with Royal BC Museum to Offer “Species at Risk Summer Day Camp”

Calling all kids who love science and nature! The Oliver & District Heritage Society is hosting a brand new four day summer camp for kids ages 7 – 12. The Species at Risk Summer Day Camp will run from August 4 – 8, 2015 and will focus on British Columbia’s vanishing and threatened animal, plant, and insect species. Campers can expect four full days of fun, hands-on learning about animals and plants, exciting field trips, talks with biologists and animal experts, chances to create art and comics about species at risk, and more!

The summer camp is a pilot project of the Royal British Columbia Museum, which is running the program as part of its 2015 Species at Risk exhibit. Much of the camp is housed in a custom-made trailer full to the brim with different animal and plant specimens, information, and interactive activities. Camp activities will take place both in this trailer and on the Oliver & District Museum’s lawns.

The goal of the Species at Risk Camp is to create awareness about vanishing species, especially species that live close by in the Oliver area, and to help young people discover ways to protect those creatures who are at risk due to human activity. Knowledgeable interpreters will offer fun and inspiring ways to become a champion for local species and to create change. Campers will leave having learned that they truly can make a difference.

Registration for the Species at Risk Summer Day Camp is $60 for four full days, including field trips. Spaces are limited, so please register early to avoid disappointment. To register or for more information, please contact the Oliver & District Heritage Society at 778-439-3100 Calling all kids who love science and nature! The Oliver & District Heritage Society is hosting a brand new four day summer camp for kids ages 7 – 12. The Species at Risk Summer Day Camp will run from August 4 – 8, 2015 and will focus on British Columbia’s vanishing and threatened animal, plant, and insect species. Campers can expect four full days of fun, hands-on learning about animals and plants, exciting field trips, talks with biologists and animal experts, chances to create art and comics about species at risk, and more!

The summer camp is a pilot project of the Royal British Columbia Museum, which is running the program as part of its 2015 Species at Risk exhibit. Much of the camp is housed in a custom-made trailer full to the brim with different animal and plant specimens, information, and interactive activities. Camp activities will take place both in this trailer and on the Oliver & District Museum’s lawns.

The goal of the Species at Risk Camp is to create awareness about vanishing species, especially species that live close by in the Oliver area, and to help young people discover ways to protect those creatures who are at risk due to human activity. Knowledgeable interpreters will offer fun and inspiring ways to become a champion for local species and to create change. Campers will leave having learned that they truly can make a difference.

Registration for the Species at Risk Summer Day Camp is $60 for four full days, including field trips. Spaces are limited, so please register early to avoid disappointment. To register or for more information, please contact the Oliver & District Heritage Society at 778-439-3100 or info @ oliverheritage.ca. Information about the camp is also available on the Society’s website at www.oliverheritage.ca, as well as on its Facebook page. We hope to see you there!

Again this summer, the Oliver and District Heritage Society [ODHS] will be hosting Guided Historical Walking tours of downtown Oliver. With a revised tour route and new additions along the way, these tours are a great time for the whole family, tourists and local alike. Learn about the enormous water project that that created the town, local mining, what was here before and what makes Oliver a great place now.

From June to August regular one hour tours will be go every Thursday at 10:00 am and Friday at 12:30 p.m. In addition, a special new hour and a half long extended tour will also run on Fridays at 10:00 am. These extended tours will provide you with an inside look at the history of the Oliver Chronicle Newspaper and the Oliver Theatre.

The tours will be lead by ODHS summer students Isaac Nazaroff and Shannon Tan and will start at the Oliver Visitor Centre (6431 Station Street). Make sure to bring your hat, walking shoes, water bottle and a sense of adventure! We look forward to seeing you this summer.

Yours, Pamela Woolner

Community Heritage Manager

Oliver and District Heritage Society

Box 847, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0

250-498-4027
info @ oliverheritage.ca

www.oliverheritage.ca