Occasionally, I leave aside the misery of politics, poverty, patrimonialism, and provisos that make life difficult. Tonight was one of those times.
Gwen and I spent the evening at North Vancouver’s Presentation House Theatre, enjoying a joyful production of Lerner and Loewe’s Brigadoon by the North Shore Light Opera Society, a group in its 78th year.
Because we arrived early, we were able to sit in the front row of this intimate theatre. There is something special about being so close to the performers that you can see every expression and gesture. The mainstage seats only about 150 people, yet more than 20 performers filled the stage during the opening. Four were members of the Ford family: mother, father, and two daughters, the youngest still in Grade 4. A few were elders who had probably been amateur performers for decades.
People join community groups such as the North Shore Light Opera Society for the love of performing, not for financial reward. For some of the younger cast members, professional opportunities may come later. For now, like the others, the young folks perform for the pleasure of creating something together and sharing it with an audience.
On a night when the news presentations can be discouraging, it was refreshing to spend a few hours enjoying music, enthusiasm, talent, and joy.
Performances like the one Gwen and I experienced in this small North Vancouver theatre may be available in your community. Our program listed nearly 20 upcoming productions in the lower mainland—most in intimate venues, some in unconventional spaces, and others in long-established locations.
Community theatre is one of our quiet treasures. It brings together people of all ages who volunteer their time and talents to create something larger than themselves. If you have not attended a local production recently, consider giving it a try. You may discover remarkable talent near your home and experience the pleasure of music, drama, laughter, and the company of neighbours.
Performances scheduled in the coming months listed in our program tonight were
- 9 to 5, The Musical—The Lawyer Show/Touchstone Theatre
- Come From Away—Arts Club Theatre Company
- The Producers —Theatre In The Country
- You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown—Ryver’s House Productions
- Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella—Fraser Valley Musical Theatre
- Sister Act—Theatre Under The Stars
- The Little Mermaid—Theatre Under the Stars
- Confidential—Musical Theatre Project
- Paparazzi—First Impressions Theatre
- Sunday in the Park With George—Raincity Theatre
- Dogfight—JBM Theatre
- The Spitfire Grill—Theatre in the Country
- Hedwig & the Angry Inch—ZeeZee Theatre
- A Christmas Story—Theatre in the Country
- Elf, the Musical—Arts Club Theatre
- Songs for a New World—Gateway Theatre
- The Elvis Christmas Comeback Special—Arts Club Theatre Company
- The Gingerbread Men: And Yes Another Holiday Cabaret—Arts Club Theatre
- 42nd Street—Gateway Theatre
Categories: Smile
in-sights.ca 
Praised be those to whom we owe credit for great things.
It’s rare but it can happen, often by accident, that someone somewhere takes a chance, does something unexpected and what was impossibly complex – environmentally – magically is reversed.
In the London suburb of Ealing boundless thanks and admiration is owed to a family of 5 Castoridae.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ealing-beaver-project-flooding-greenford-b2992273.html
How eight beavers solved a Tube flooding problem engineers have been trying to fix for years
The creatures were reintroduced in 2023 after being hunted to extinction 400 years ago
An unexpected group of engineers has solved a decades-old flooding issue affecting northwest London residents’ homes, streets, and the local Tube station.
The reintroduction of beavers in Paradise Fields, Ealing, has prevented flooding for the first time in years, with the area having experienced problems since the 1970s.
It’s an issue that the council had tried – and failed – to solve with large-scale and expensive interventions, but less than a year after five beavers were introduced to the site in October 2023, the “ecosystem engineers” had manufactured the complex wetlands and built a network of at least five dams.
Urban beaver officer Seniz Mustafa said the dams had slowed the flow of water downstream and turned the park into a natural sponge capable of storing large volumes of water.
She said people in the community were “so happy” with their arrival, which had drawn thousands to the site.
There are now at least eight beavers living in the park, but Ms Mustafa suspects that Willow, the mother beaver, has had more kits.
Along with a beaver project set up in Enfield in 2023, it is the first time the creatures have been in the capital for at least 400 years after they were hunted to extinction for their fur and meat.
Alongside flood mitigation, the animals’ felling of trees has also allowed sunlight back into the brook, while slower flows have improved water quality.
It has caused fish to return to the area, and meant more complex food webs have been able to develop and support insects, birds, bats and amphibians.
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