Shane Koyczan caps off spectacular month

Penticton’s resident poet is headlining a month of top-notch events at Venables Theatre in Oliver.

Shane Koyczan, an internationally acclaimed spoken word artist who’s currently touring the Pacific Northwest, takes the stage in Oliver at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29.

“The buzz on social media is already palpable and we are confident that it’s going to be a wonderful evening for our audience,” said theatre manager Leah Foreman in a press release.

“Shane curates a kind of art gallery that displays sculptures of the human experience each time he speaks. Lauded for his sold-out live performances, Koyczan has carved out his own artistic path and taken his work beyond the conventional.”

Koyczan grew up in Penticton and has performed his spoken word poetry around the world but became a household name after taking part in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics opening ceremony. Tickets cost $35 and are available now. First up this month, though, is the Anything You Can Do Comedy Night headlined by Jane Stanton with guests Amber Harper Young and MC Sharon Mahoney at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 12.

Stanton has appeared at top comedy festivals around the world and featured on shows like CBC’s “The Debaters.”

Tickets cost $30 and are available now.

And on Tuesday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m., dancer-choreographer-actor Hiromoto Ida brings “Birthday Present for Myself” to Oliver.

It tells the story of an old man's celebration of his last birthday in an unforgettable performance that merges dance, theatre, classical music and voice. The performance, from pioneer Japanese contemporary theatre playwright Shogo Ota, features a talented group of musicians performing an evocative original score by Russian composer Pavel Karmanov.

Tickets cost $30 or $20 for those 19 and under. Tickets for all three shows can be purchased online at www.venablestheatre.ca.