WWD dancer Jessie Kwan

... thanks, Jessie! Jessie Kwan, ladies and gentleman, cast member of Wen Wei Wang's Unbound, and our latest dancer-on-tour blogger (just scroll down).

Congratulations to Wen Wei Dance for your success on the Island(s)...

Success at Salt Spring!

Sitting on the bed in the Nanaimo's Best Western, typing my first blog entry after a brilliant performance of "Unbound"at the ArtSpring Theater in Salt Spring Island last night. It was a treat to have the community out packing the theater and supporting us! Everything in Salt Spring is so heart warming, the community has such a strong passion about the arts, and of course the food is delicious. The halibut is so fresh and Barbs Bakery's cheese stick twist is really something.

We're now resting up for our closing night tomorrow at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo. This has definitely been a short and delightful tour!

Through the Ages….

Well, we have reached a new demographic with this tour…..the theatre going crowds ! Our audiences were packed with the people who go to see theatre on a regular bases, mostly retirees. In fact there were often many 60, 70 and 80 year olds in the front rows of these tour shows, which is to me a kind of honour, especially considering the 1930s setting. And I'm glad to say that there was as much sparkle in their eyes coming out of the show as I've seen on the younger crowds that regularly come out to our home shows. One such lady yesterday said "I enjoyed every minute of it"

In North America, there isn't a tradition of going to theatre like there is in Europe and elsewhere. Hollywood developed here, so we have a film going tradition. There is a divide between audiences of theatre and other types of entertainment. (Whenever I make these grand sweeping statements I feel like I'm in grade 5 writing an essay to prove a somewhat arbitrary point.)  A simple observation: the Dusty Flowerpot community has naturally, unthinkingly integrated theatre with celebration. People can mingle and drink throughout, become part of the atmosphere, are spoken to directly from the stage, and there is a dance party after every show. This tour has been very successful in engaging audiences in ways that they are not accustomed to, and in future tours I can see how we could bring more of that to the table. In Golden, I taught a workshops the night before and 12 of the participants entered the marathon, and were on stage in character for almost the entire first act. Through directly involving community members in the show, longer workshops, longer runs, and integrated all age after-parties, I believe that presenters in these smaller towns would be able to reach younger audiences that may start to enjoy theatre throughout the year.