A handful of longtime Whistler residents are set to go head-to-head in a battle of wits as part of the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival's annual debate, Icon Gone.
The event, which is set to take place at the Rainbow Theatre on Sunday, April 18 at 8 p.m., will see Shauna Hardy Mishaw, Kevin Damaskie, Cathy Jewett, Mike Berard, Nicole Fitzgerald, Stephen Vogler and Pique 's own Andrew Mitchell arguing their case for what constitutes Whistler's greatest icon. Maureen Douglas is hosting (and probably refereeing) during this no-holds-barred evening of trash-talking and raucous rhetoric, so come find out what makes this town of 10,000 really tick! While the real honour will be defeating their fellow opponents, the winner will also walk away with a killer grand prize donated by Foto Source.
Tickets are $15 at www.wssf.com/event/icon-gone or the Whistler Activity Centre. Proceeds go towards the Whistler Museum and Archives Society.
PechaKucha Night coming
A Japanese phenomenon is making its Whistler debut in a few weeks, and no, it's not Hello Kitty.
PechaKucha (pronounced "pe-chak-cha" and translating to "chit-chat") is an innovative, grassroots presentation format that was developed in Tokyo in 2003 as a way for young designers to meet, network and share their work with the public through a collection of 20 slides, each shown for only 20 seconds. That gives each designer a total of six minutes and 40 seconds to explain their ideas before the next presenter takes the stage. The rapid-fire and entertaining concept quickly evolved into a massive celebration and has spread to cities around the world.
Whistler will host its very first PechaKucha Night at Maxx Fish on Sunday, April 18, starting at 7 p.m. Admission is $5.
Take a look through the lens
The Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre has partnered with TWSSF organizers to hold a photography competition for kids, challenging local youth to explore the natural world through their camera lens.
They've just launched the "See The Bigger Picture" biodiversity photography contest, open to students from Grade 3 to 5 who reside in traditional Squamish and Lil'wat Nations territory. The concept was inspired by the "See the Bigger Picture Exhibit" developed by Green Wave, Airbus and National Geographic, which is currently on display at the SLCC until Friday, April 30.
Students must create a Quicktime multimedia presentation that focuses on the beauty and diversity of our region. Submissions will be projected throughout the village during TWSSF. The winning class will receive a complimentary VIP day in Whistler on Thursday, April 22 (including transportation). The day of activities includes a visit to the SLCC, lunch and samples of traditional Squamish and Lil'wat foods, a backstage tour to the Pro Photographer Showdown and the opportunity to present an award in the village.
For full contest rules, visit www.slcc.ca , or contact Willie Lewis at [email protected] .
Musical theatre classes offered in Whistler
Children from Whistler have a new musical opportunity available to them this spring.
After a 15-year career in musicals throughout Europe, Hilary Wight, a musical theatre performer from the UK, is offering classes in Vancouver, Squamish and now Whistler.
"When I first moved to Canada I lived in Whistler but was very involved in setting up the Canadian branch of an international theatre school in Vancouver," Wight explained in a recent press release. "I wanted to do something in my own community but the opportunity never arose."
After four years of living in the region, Wight established a school in Vancouver and has now turned her attention to the needs of the Sea to Sky community.
"Squamish is too small for a branch of the school I run in Vancouver, so I teamed up with Brennan Park to offer classes through them," she explained.
Those classes have been "hugely successful," drawing almost 50 kids per week in to sing, dance and act.
"The classes are firstly, a lot of fun," Wight said. "I encourage them to be creative and to explore new ways to express themselves. Musical theatre has a magical quality and I try to impart that to them, along with the love that I have for performance."
During the fall session, Wight noticed that several children from Whistler made the trip to Squamish to attend the classes as there was nothing comparable offered in Whistler. So, she has decided to run classes in Whistler, holding sessions at Myrtle Phillip Community Centre on Thursday evenings starting Thursday, April 15. There are classes for different age groups between the ages of 3 and 12, and instruction will be offered in song and dance, with a performance for parents held at the end of the session.
For more information, contact Pam Deane at 604-935-8371 ([email protected]) or Wight at [email protected]. Registration is available through the RMOW at Meadow Park, Myrtle Philip Community Centre or online at Whistler.ca.
