Winter Arts Guide calendar of events
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THEATRE
March 8 – April 3: Steel Magnolias. All the ladies who are anybody come to gossip and have their hair done by Truvy in her Louisiana salon. Sharing their stories, laughs and tears, Steel Magnolias is a much-loved hit play featuring six women who draw upon their strength and love to meet the challenges of life.
April 26 – May 22: Million Dollar Quartet. Four rock n’ roll legends are brought together in Memphis, Tenn., at Sun Record Studios for an impromptu jam session on Dec. 4, 1956. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley play together for the first and only time.
Jan. 26 – Feb. 13: Undressed. A world premiere commissioned by ATP, Undressed is a heartfelt solo show that explores a simple but confounding question: What do you do with a used wedding dress? What follows is a real-time zero waste auction, as Louise Casemore embodies each of the brides who have chosen to let their wedding gown go.
March 2 – March 20: Alberta Kitchen Party. Another world premiere, Alberta Kitchen Party is a spirited musical celebration and candid, personal stories of becoming an actor. A group of friends share stories of their experiences growing up in Calgary, finding their ways as humans and artists, and celebrating their emotional connections to the city and the province.
April 13 – May 1: Kim’s Convenience. Mr. Kim, a Korean shopkeeper, grapples with both a changing neighbourhood landscape and the chasm between him and his second-generation offspring. Ins Choi’s hilarious and touching debut play inspired the hit TV show of the same name.
Until Feb. 13: Cipher. In 1956, a man’s body is found on the coast of B.C. A secret code is found sewn into his clothing. For decades no investigation has revealed his identity or his killer. A forensic toxicologist is looking for an answer when she meets a young man with a stake in the mystery. Their efforts to crack the case have consequences neither of them could have imagined.
March 5 – April 3: Sherlock Holmes and the Vanishing Thimble. A classic escapade and world premiere, a simple task of looking for Holmes’ landlady’s lost thimble casts the residents of Baker Street down a rabbit hole of adventure. Along the way Scotland Yard will intrude, a surprising visitor will drop in and the landlady must discover her inner detective.
May 7 – June 5: Clue. Six guests assemble for a very unusual dinner party at the home of Mr. Boddy. When their host turns up dead, it is clear that no one is safe. Join Ms. Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard as they race to find the murderer among them.
Until Feb. 6: The Soul of Motown. Lamont Dozier, together with brothers Eddie and Brian Holland, wrote and produced hit songs that helped develop and define the Motown sound through the 1960s and ’70s. They have great success writing for groups like The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, The Four Tops and The Temptations but they also had a long-running feud with Motown founder Berry Gordy and with each other.
Feb. 11 – April 17: Screwball Comedy. An homage to zany screwball comedies of the 1930s and ’40s, this play is full of snappy period dialogue and outrageous characters.
Feb. 11 – March 12: Disney’s The Descendents. Based on the popular Disney Channel Original Movies. In the kingdom of Auradon, all of Disney’s beloved heroes are living happily ever after, safe from the terrifying they banished to the Isle of the Lost. That is until Ben, the teenage son of Belle and King Adam (The Beast), offers a chance of redemption for the troublemaking offspring of the evilest villains.
April 11: Top Secret Musical. It won’t be known what show this is until it begins.
April 22 – June 4: Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob the Musical. SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward and all of Bikini Bottom face total annihilation –until a most unexpected hero rises to take centre stage.
MUSIC
March 22: NMC & Tooth Blackner present: Ron Sexsmith. Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith aims to head out on tour this spring and he’s making a stop at Studio Bell. He will be +playing songs from his upcoming new album, Hermitage, the first record he’s produced since moving from busy Toronto to a quieter life in Stratford, Ont.
March 4-5: The Music of Queen. The legendary band’s symphonic rock comes to life with hits like Under Pressure, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Bohemian Rhapsody, and more performed by our full orchestra with Jeans ‘n Classics and Calgary’s Revv52 choir.
Jan. 29, Feb. 2, Feb. 4: The Merry Widow. The aristocrat Count Danilo is tasked with seducing and marrying a rich widow, Hanna Glawari, to prevent their small country’s economic collapse. Only one problem – he jilted her once before when they were childhood sweethearts.
April 2, 6, 8: La Traviata. The famous Verdi opera tells the story of Parisian courtesan Violetta who is forced to sacrifice her last chance at true love when she falls for a man whose family disapproves of their relationship, only to discover that her selfless gesture may be her last.
Saddledome concerts:
Feb. 4: Arkells
Feb. 25: Offspring
April 15: Imagine Dragons
May 7: James Taylor and Jackson Browne
May 9: Rage Against the Machine
May 12-13: Chris Stapelton
May 28: Dallas Smith
Grey Eagle Casino concerts:
Feb. 11: Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan
April 30: Buddy Guy
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium concerts
Feb. 18-19: Blue Rodeo
March 2: Jesse Cook
March 3: Colin James
May 21-22: Avril Lavigne
WinSport Arena
May 14: Alice Cooper
OTHER
Until Jan. 30: Every Second, in the Digital Immersion Gallery. An immersive digital show that takes viewers on a journey about life, the moments that matter, the time that passes and the seconds that count. Narrated by Italian-American actress, author, and philanthropist Isabella Rossellini.
March 10-19: Phi. The culmination of the ballet’s portrait series. Jean Grand-Maître explores humanity’s growing addiction to technology in this contemporary sci-fi ballet, inspired by the music of the late great David Bowie. Phi will feature more than 13 compositions spanning Bowie’s entire career, including Heroes, Ashes to Ashes, Heathen and I’m Afraid of Americans.
May 12-14: Cinderella. The most successful production in Alberta Ballet’s 54-year history, the 2021/22 season closes out with Christopher Anderson’s version of the fairytale classic, Cinderella.
Feb. 6-7: Joel Sartore: Building the Photo Ark. Joel Sartore is the founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark project—a multi-year initiative to document every living species in the world’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. To date, Sartore has photographed more than 12,000 of an estimated 20,000 species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Hear about the inspiration, comical mishaps and endearing encounters behind his mission to change the world, one photo—and one species—at a time.
Feb. 17: Yamato – The Drummer of Japan. Yamato combines the precision of traditional Wadaiko drumming with world-class theatrical showmanship. Based in Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture, Yamato travels all over the world with Japan’s traditional Wadaiko drums, spreading the pulse of this traditional Japanese art form. Their latest show Tenmei comes to Arts Commons as part of the BD&P World Stage series.
GALLERIES
Until Feb. 6: Vivek Shraya: Legends of the Trans. New photographic work, inspired by the film Legends of the Fall, continues Vivek Shraya’s queering of performance, photography, and storytelling to show the immense value of non-conforming role models.
Until June 25: Three shows open on Jan. 22 and run until June 25: Farah Al Qasimi; Michelle Bui: Naked Excess; and Veronika Pausova. These separate exhibitions of photography, performance, video and paintings deal with topics such as culture, accumulation and animation.
Until Feb. 26: Why so many ties? Ludovic Boney. Through immersive installations, the artist is concerned with the concept of passage as related to the experience of crossing and with the aesthetic experience of the senses.
Jan. 29-Mar. 5: It’s not the end of the world, Laurel Johannesson. Exploring physical tension and the psyche through photographic-based collages that alter coastlines and beaches into limbo-like spaces.
The 18th year of this event features more than 240 visual artists exhibited in Calgary, Banff, Canmore, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Red Deer and online with the main curated exhibitions hosted at Contemporary Calgary. There will be a broad range of works, including photocollage, conceptual photography, politically engaged practices and works that embrace the social and individual experience, as well as visual explorations of identity and personal narratives.
* All events were still occurring as of press time. Check each event’s website for details and any possible changes, cancellations.
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