The art of listening to, hearing people
Abeautiful piece of theatre will grace the stage of French Cultural Centre, downtown Kelowna, 702 Bernard Ave., from Feb. 1 – 4, when MadFox Theatre presents “Tiny Beautiful Things.”
This play is based on the bestselling book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by actress, director, producer and screenwriter, Nia Vardalos, best known for her role in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The essence of this play is about the endangered art of listening to – and really hearing and responding to other people. “It works beautifully as a sustained theatrical exercise in empathy,” says The New York Times.
Sugar, a struggling writer, is asked to take over the unpaid, anonymous position of being an advice columnist, using her own empathy and personal experiences. She helps those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small.
It is recommended that audiences have tissues handy, as this play has a habit of bringing our feelings to the surface. The cast is lead by Michelle Deighton, who will be playing the role of Sugar, and this is a passion project of hers.
Pete MacLeod, the director, and founder of MadFox Theatre tells us in a press release that Deighton brought him the script and after reading it, knew there was no one who would inhabit the role the way that she will.
Rounding out the cast are Casey Easton, Angela Schjodt, and Mikayla Jones – all experienced and highly respected performers in their own
rights. “The three of them have the opportunity to play multiple letter writers, of varying ages and backgrounds, so to watch these three showcase their range is such a treat” says MacLeod.
General Admission tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased at madfoxtheatre.com. Showtime is at 7:30 p.m. and the runs from for approx. 75 minutes.
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This weekend in Penticton and the surrounding area, it’s the Okanagan Winter Winefest 2023, which will have its opening night celebrations at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. The theme being ‘Sensation – An Eve for the Senses’ and will feature food tasting stations to highlight the complementing wines ready for tasting from approximately 20 Okanagan wineries.
Event cost is $109.00 and can be purchased through visitpenticton. com/nm_event/sensation-an-eve-forthe-senses. This is the kick off evening to a weekend of full of events and for those wanting to attend you can use promo code: OWWF23 to receive 10 per cent off your ticket.
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On the Saturday the festivities shift over to Oliver and The District Wine Village, 100 Enterprise Way.
Purchase a passport for $60 and visit elevated tasting experiences curated with your tastebuds in mind.
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Sunday is the start of the Wine School at Spirit Ridge Resort, 1200 Rancher Creek Rd., Osoyoos. This wine immersion program promises to engage, enlighten, and entertain you with their “Wines of the World” series. The cost is $35 per class every Sunday until March 26 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., inside the Spirit Ridge Spirit Room. Reservations are essential and will not accommodate walk-ins.
This kind of training will educate you with the proper way of how to taste, evaluate, and appreciate wines with extensive coverage of the most famous wine regions, including local culture, cuisine, art, and music.
There are a total of eight two-hour classes to explain the often-complex world of wine, spanning diverse grape varieties and styles in a relaxed and unforced classroom setting presented by resident wine educator Ingo Grady.
Grady has a knack for informative teaching methods and user-friendly information, to give the student greater wine confidence, knowledge, and enthusiasm. All the critical topics are covered: drinking and tasting, the red and white grapes, where and how wine is made, and the range of soft, serious, and fizzy styles. Moreover, his teaching style is professional but unpretentious, inspiring and fun. Tickets can be purchase through allevents.in/osoyoos/sundaywine-school/10000500969422027
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The Vernon Jazz Club welcomes The Music of Sting through Melody Diachun. Performing from her new album Sumner’s Tales, she and her band will play tracks from the record as well as other music she says is “outstanding.” Her accolades include: Outstanding Jazz Record of The Year at the 2008 Western Canadian Music Awards and was nominated for a Juno as well as a nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year at the National Jazz Awards. The Toronto Music Report says “a force to reckon with in contemporary vocal music.”
Show time is 8 p.m. The club is situated at, 3000 31st St., above Nolan’s Pharmasave in downtown Vernon. For tickets and other information visit vernonjazz.com.