Saturday, April 14, 2012

Lots to see, hear and do in Niagara this weekend

It is another busy weekend in the arts in Niagara, so I thought I would take a few moments this weekend and highlight a few of the more interesting things you can catch if you are so inclined.  From concerts to art shows, Niagara and beyond is where you want to be this weekend!

First and foremost, the Niagara Symphony performs the final Pops! concert this weekend, Saturday evening at 7:30 and Sunday afternoon at 2:30 at the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre at the Centre for the Arts, Brock University.  Titled Last Night at the Proms:  1812 Edition, the concert features a lot of the typical British fare you come to expect, such as Elgar's Nimrod from his Enigma Variations, Rule Britannia! and of course, Jerusalem.  But also on the programme will be familiar 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky, with the Niagara Symphony teaming with the Niagara Youth Orchestra.  This is not a usual Last Night of the Proms  piece, of course, but given the 1812 Bicentennial celebrations currently underway, it seems rather appropriate.

I will be at both concerts this weekend, by the way, with lots of great musical selections available for purchase, including of course Last Night of the Proms CDs and DVDs so you can take a little bit of Britain home with you!  Tickets will be more plentiful for Saturday evening rather than Sunday afternoon, but for either you can call the Brock box office at 905-688-5550, ext. 3257 or just show up at the box office for either concert and grab a best available seat.

Earlier this week, Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects opened their final production of the season at the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre in downtown St. Catharines, Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Our Town, performed by the Young Company.  I had a chance to preview the play during rehearsals and from what I saw, this will be a play well worth catching.  The Young Company is made up of a lot of eager young actors ready to show what they can do, so you are in for a good show.  Our Town opened earlier this week and continues through to April 21st, with evening performances Wednesday to Saturday at 7:30 and matinees Thursday and Friday at 11 am and Sunday at 2 pm.

I still have to catch the show myself, so I might see you at one of those later performances!  For tickets, call the box office at 905-938-1222.  Best part of all?  Tickets are only $ 10 each, so you can't beat that deal.

Tonight at the Niagara Artists Centre on St. Paul Street, a fundraiser will be held for NAC called Small Feats.  This free event was introduced last year and people were lined up out the door, so you might want to get there early this time to make sure you get in.  There is a preview for NAC members at 7:30 and the doors open to the general public at 8.

What Small Feats is all about is quite ingenious:  150 pieces from 80 different local artists will hang from the NAC's gallery whitespace, with people able to buy a piece of art created by a local artist for only $ 200.  This is a great deal, and as my neighbour Sandy Middleton, herself one of the artists taking part says, it is a perfect price for newcomers.  The whole idea is to, as Middleton puts it, "take the snobbery out of art" and introduce art to a whole range of prospective buyers.

Last year a total of 75 pieces of art were sold during Small Feats, and raised $ 10,000 for NAC and $ 5,000 for the individual artists.  Many artists have more than one piece of art in the show, with some having as many as three each on display.  Go check it out, and remember, the event is free!

There you go, three events this weekend, none breaking the bank, and all providing great springtime entertainment.

Enjoy the weekend!

April 14th, 2012.

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