The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival makes its return on January 16, running for three weeks during the first month of the new year. With an exciting lineup of contemporary artists in disciplines from dance to opera hailing from countries across the world, PuSh is a wide-ranging cultural feast.
Not to mention, since tickets are quite affordable, they also make for a great holiday gift idea.
Here are a some shows to add to your must-see list and that will surely add a little art to your stocking this season.
See also
- Club PuSh sizzles up the Vancouver arts scene this January
- Your essential guide to the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
1. Macbeth
Image: Nicky Newman
Third World Bunfight’s adaptation of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera brings the Shakespearean tragedy into a radical and contemporary context, setting it in the Democratic Republic of Congo and presenting it as a sociological study. The South African company also features a powerful score composed by Fabrizio Cassol, incorporating African musical styles with an emphasis on percussion.
When: January 16 to 21, 7:30pm
Where: Vancouver Playhouse – 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Tickets: On Vancouver Opera, starting at $45
2. dirtsong
Image: Ryhs Graham
One of PuSh’s most highly anticipated performances, dirtsong will see Australia’s Black Arm Band perform songs in 12 different languages, some of which are now extinct, with a select few episodes based on Aboriginal author Alexis Wright’s writings. This show, named for the eternal link between Indigenous people and the earth, marks its Canadian debut and promises to be a both impassioned and poignant experience.
When: Saturday, February 4
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre – 630 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Tickets: On Ticketfly, $25-$45
3. Oil Pressure Vibrator
Image: Geumhyung Jeong
Erotic, contemplative, and original, Geumhyung Jeong’s performance combines sexuality and intellectualism as she explores her lust for an industrial excavator. In describing her desire for the machine, the South Korean artist uses a big-screen accompaniment to show documentary-style footage outlining her search for autoerotic satisfaction.
When: January 17 to 19
Where: Studio D, SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts – 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver (Level 2)
Tickets: On Ticketfly, $35
4. Backstage in Biscuit Land
Image: James Lyndsay
Jess Thom has Tourette syndrome. And she can’t stop saying “biscuit.” Through riotous comedy and song, audiences are invited to experience the English performer’s world, widening perspectives of what normal is and the intricate beauty of the brain in all of its forms.
When: January 30 to February 1
Where: Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre – 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver
Tickets: On Ticketfly, $36
5. Every Brilliant Thing
Image: Phoebe Cheong
Presented as part of caravan: new english performance showcase — a special curation of works from England — Every Brilliant Thing is a new production from Paines Plough and Pentabus Theatre Company, the UK’s national theatre of new plays. Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe and performed by Donahoe, the piece explores depression and the extent we go for loved ones.
When: January 26 to 29
Where: Performance Works – 1218 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver
Tickets: On Ticketfly, $36
6. Portraits in Motion
Image: Franz Ritschel
Flipping through photographed portraits of people arranged in the order they were rapidly shot, Volker Gerling beautifully captures the ranges of human emotion. Gerling, working in the vein of drawing room raconteur, projects the moving images onto a screen as he recites the stories behind these precious moments brought back to life.
When: January 24 to 26
Where: York Theatre – 639 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Tickets: On The Clutch, starting at $19
7. Sweat Baby Sweat
Image: Klaartje Lambrechts
Here, Jan Martens’ remarkable choreography has two dancers recount a story of love through the physicality of the human body. Contorting and lifting in extreme positions that push their bodies beyond their limits, the dancers deliver a narrative that at once explores intimacy, strength, and sexuality.
When: January 18 to 20
Where: Scotiabank Dance Centre – 677 Davie Street, Vancouver
Tickets: On Ticketfly, $36
8. Concord Floral
Image: Erin Brubacher
With a cast that features youth from across the Lower Mainland, Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill’s Concord Floral finds a gang of suburban kids fleeing a mysterious plague — something that unfolds at the abandoned greenhouse they frequent. The production aims to give adolescence a voice, while shining light on adventure and personal triumph.
When: January 25 to 29
Where: Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre – 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver
Tickets: On Ticketfly, $15-$25
Daily Hive is a proud media sponsor of PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
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