CURTAIN RAISER: Two of the city’s venerable arts organizations joined forces and officially opened the BMO Theatre Centre. The Arts Club Theatre Company and Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival moved into the impressive custom-built facility at the Olympic Village. In addition to being headquarters for both companies, the Centre houses two costume shops, four rehearsal rooms and a state-of-the-art, 260-seat theatre. Arts Club artistic director Bill Millerd and Bard on the Beach founder Christopher Gaze welcomed key stakeholders who helped raise nearly $15 million to the grand opening. The multi-level facility — first earmarked for another arts institution, the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Playhouse, before its demise — was made possible with the help of many supporters, including Goldcorp, Industrial Alliance, the City of Vancouver, the Province of B.C., Heritage Canada and BMO Canada, which sees its moniker on its first ever building in B.C.
PITCH PERFECT: More than 20 choirs participated in Yule Duel, Vancouver’s first street-caroling competition. Presented by the Bloom Group and the Gastown Business Improvement Society, the event, inspired by Figgy Pudding, a renowned caroling competition and charitable fundraiser in Seattle, drew hundreds who converged on the historic Gastown area to enjoy the sweet sounds of choral music. Yours truly served as master of ceremonies for the sing off. Caroling with a cause, proceeds from the friendly vocal competition raised more than $30,000 for May’s Place, a hospice in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
GAME ON: Anyone in the city who has been to a sporting event or concert at Rogers Arena and B.C. Place will be familiar with the Shark Club. For more than two decades, it was the city’s go-to pre-game, post-game and everything-in-between sports bar. After an 18-month, multi-million-dollar renovation, the iconic hot spot has returned. Several hundred attendees filed into the nicely appointed 9,250 square-foot dining and lounge space for the official opening, fronted by Tom Gaglardi, owner of the Dallas Stars hockey team. Decked out with state-of-the-art viewing screens complete with a wrap-around sports ticker, the new Shark Club Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»is the standard bearer for the firm’s dozen locations across Canada and the U.K.
