Artist’s boot camp

A Penticton-born musician is presenting an Artist’s Boot Camp later this month.

The unique event is a collaborative, three-day intensive for artist of all kinds to create a short, multidisciplinary performance piece.

Led by Pen-Hi graduate, actor/musician, Lucas Penner, this workshop will challenge participants to explore their own artistic voice and nurture the confidence to create original work.

There are two sessions, one for ages 13-17 on the weekend of April 20-22 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort for three hours each day, and a session for ages 18 and over on the weekend of April 27-29 at The Shatford Centre in Penticton.

Penner is a prolific songwriter. He lives on Queen Street in Toronto with mountains in his heart and recording in a closet. He’s narrowing 30 songs down to 10.

He’s reinventing himself as a solo artist after a stint of composing and music directing for theatre. He is an actor from the George Brown Theatre School in Toronto. Penner’s music is vulnerable and fierce, wavering from soft declarations of love, to tantrumlike tirades from the rejected and cynical, and euphoric moments of peace, bliss and acceptance.

His sound was described as a cross between Kurt Weill and the Pixies, with a swinging love affair with Cole Porter and nods to Fiona Apple, Jeff Buckley, Chris Isaak, Sarah McLachlan and Elliott Smith.

Penner is also the artistic director of the Dead and Lovely Collective which does new, dark pop/post punk musicals and is developing a show called Circles.

He’s perhaps best known locally for playing the male lead in Soundstage Productions versions of “Hair,” “Evita,” and “Chess.” He honed his skills as a teenager playing locally in various bands and solo gigs dating back to the time he was 15.

The cost is $200 for the teen session and $230 for the adult session.

To register or for more information log on to Lucas Penner’s Facebook page or visit: www.facebook.com/events/326157357790582