Arts & Culture

Gateway Theatre’s programming includes a family-friendly Lunar New Year celebration on Jan. 21.

Photo courtesy Gateway Theatre

Gateway Theatre announces remainder of 2022–23 season

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 12:45 PST, Tue January 10, 2023

Last Updated: 3:35 PST, Mon January 30, 2023

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Gateway Theatre is announcing the remainder of its 2022–23 season, which includes in-person artistic offerings as well as audio plays.

To start off the year, Gateway is launching a free audio plays series, A Year of Blessings, where young audiences and their families can learn and explore the wonders behind traditional Chinese festivals in a fun and entertaining way. The first episode, A Year of Blessings: 繽紛新年 Bun Fun New Year, launches on Jan. 21. In the midst of preparing for the Lunar New Year family feast, twin bunnies Bunnifer and Bunnithy learn the true meaning of new year festivities and a couple of interesting recipes along the way.

The second episode, A Year of Blessings: 蝦仔 Little Shrimp will be released on April 5. A brave Little Shrimp with a big heart takes viewers on a musical adventure through the underwater and underworld to connect with friends, family, and ancestors on Qing Ming, the tomb-sweeping holiday.

On June 22, the third episode will be released in conjunction with celebrations for the Dragon Boat Festival. A Year of Blessings is created by Five Blessings Collective, a talented team of Asian-Canadian artists that includes Nancy Tam, Derek Chan, Jasmine Chen, Howard Dai, and Amanda Sum.

Gateway is hosting a Family Fun Lunar New Year Celebration to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit and the official launch of A Year of Blessings audio play series. On Jan. 21, head to Gateway for family-fun celebrations from 10 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m. Activities include a special live reading of A Year of Blessings: Bun Fun New Year in Studio B followed by festive craft activities for families. The cost is $8 per person, and free for kids aged two and under.

From award-winning Indigenous artist Jani Lauzon, Prophecy Fog takes viewers on a journey about relationships with land, family, and sacred spaces in Studio B from March 9 to 18. The journey begins in the Mojave Desert in search of Giant Rock, armed with the question: can a site still be sacred if it has been desecrated? Produced by Paper Canoe Projects, Prophecy Fog weaves together the captivating performance skills of veteran storyteller Jani Lauzon with evocative environmental design and projections by Melissa Joakim, along with director Franco Boni that will forever change how audiences appreciate the sky, the stars, and even a rock. These performances are $35 for general admission. Patrons will be seated on a chair or a cushion on the floor and will need to select which type of seating they would like when purchasing tickets.

Closing the 2023 season is the moving musical production Hey Viola! on Gateway’s MainStage, produced by Musical TheatreWorks in association with Western Canada Theatre. Created by Vancouver performer Krystle Dos Santos and director Tracey Power, Hey Viola! is a musical exploration of Canadian civil rights trailblazer Viola Desmond, the fearless woman featured on Canada’s $10 bill.

Award-winning blues and jazz singer and actor Dos Santos, with the support of fantastic musicians, brings Viola’s life to the stage. Follow her extraordinary journey through the life and events that shaped her to stand up against systemic racial injustices in Canada—including refusing to leave the whites-only section of Nova Scotia’s Roseland cinema in 1946. With brilliant hits of the era and songs that influenced history, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “A Change is Gonna Come,” and “Sinnerman,” this eye-opening musical recognizes the important history and legacy that Viola Desmond left behind.

Hey Viola! runs from April 13 to 22. Ticket prices start at $35. This production is presented in English with Traditional and Simplified Chinese surtitles. April 13 is a Pay What You Will preview and April 21 is a Vocal Eye performance.

Tickets for all 2023 artistic offerings are now on sale at gatewaytheatre.com or 604-270-1812. Box office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Theatre lovers can automatically save 15 per cent off their tickets when purchasing tickets to both Prophecy Fog and Hey Viola!.