Arts Scene

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com

East Coast tour

Kyra Walker Pearson and her husband Tully are doing a tour of the east coast this August. They will be at On the Verge in Wolfville as part of their Sunday acoustic series at 7 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 12.

Kyra and Tully are based in Kingston, Ont. Their debut self-titled EP has been making some waves and charted on many university campus radio stations across Canada, including Halifax's CKDU.

Summer academy

Summer Arts Academies at Ross Creek gather teenagers with a passion for arts of all disciplines to be inspired from late July to the end of August.

Aimed at youth ages 14-18 who are passionate about the arts in a variety of disciplines, the academies are available for two-week increments in theatre, visual arts, film and dance. One-week academies are available for photography, comic book creation, writing and fiddle.

Director Chris O'Neill is excited by the depth of this year's program. "It’s amazing to have a multidisciplinary facility that can bring together Canadian teens to really take time to learn and to play, to be surrounded by others who also want to be creative and also to have a great time. We're proud of the blend of high level learning that teens can handle and the incredible camp experience the camp creates."

Some of the instructors include Michael Keating, professor at the University of Windsor; Rene Pierre Allain, an instructor for Manhattan's School for Visual Arts and acclaimed artist; and Gene Daniels from NSCAD University.

O’Neill says, "we want kids to come away not only with new ways of looking at the world, but with a stronger sense of what it means to be Canadian and the knowledge that they can help to create that national identity.”

There is still space available in this year's academy programs; interested teens between the ages of 14 and 18 should contact Ross Creek at education@artscentre.ca or by phone at 582-3842. The two-week academy programs began July 29 and they run throughout the rest of the summer. More program details can also be found at www.artscentre.ca.



View Hot Fuzz

Fundy Film continues its Summer Series with Hot Fuzz, the action-packed new comedy from the makers of the hit movie Shaun of the Dead.

With the same razor-sharp combination of humour and attention to detail they used to breathe new life into the undead, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have set their sights on action movies for their next uniquely funny vision.

Hot Fuzz will screen at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville Sunday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. For further information, see www.fundyfilm.ca or call 542-5157. Tickets ($8) are available 30 minutes prior to the film.

Bring a camera

Visit the Harriet Irving Gardens at Acadia University with a camera and an observant eye to capture on digital film a piece of natural beauty from the gardens or trails and win a contest.

There are three categories: children (age 5-12); youth (age 13-18); and adults.

The top three photos will be published in The Advertiser. The grand prize winner will receive a one-hour teaching session with professional photographer Oliver Childs of Gallery 32 in Hantsport.

There is a limit of three submissions per person. E-mail photos (1 MB max) to: botanicalgardens@acadiau.ca.

Contest closes Aug. 17. The Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens are open every day from 7:30 a.m. to sunset.

For more information contact: Emily Reid or Nicole Oliver at 585-1933. botanicalgardens.acadiau.ca

Songs of the sea

The St. Mary's Concert Series presents the Mussel Shell Cafe, an evening of songs and stories by the sea and about the sea, at Christ Church, Morden, Sunday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.

Featuring MC Jim Bent; storyteller Archdeacon Lynn Uzans of Kentville; and a number of vocalists and instrumentalists from the local area.

Admission is by free will donation, with all proceeds going toward the St. Mary's Parish Hall oil spill clean-up expense.

Hello, Dave

Dave Panting of Gulliver's Spree will take part in a Wednesday evening musical session at Paddy's Wolfville. It will begin at 8 p.m.

At the Evergreen

John Gracie will offer a concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4

Gracie began singing before he was speaking. After university, he began to tour the globe and perform on national television.

This summer John has launched two new shows at summer festivals: Concert by the Sea and The Great Canadian Singalong.

In his Evergreen appearance, he will be doing selections from these shows and favourites from his catalogue of nine CDs. Later this summer, Gracie will release his tenth CD, Then Again - Recollections.

He will have a starring role in Stan Rogers: A Matter of Heart, an Eastern Front Theatre Production, running Feb. 21 to March 9, 2008.

Reserve tickets at $15 by phoning 825-6834 or evergreentheatre@gmail.com .

Annual country fest

The fourth annual Fox Mountain Country Music Festival will run Aug. 2-5.

Featured performers will include: L and A Cloggers Dance Team, comedian Laurent D'Entrement, the Bowes Brothers (Ontario), Har-Money Made (NS), Chelsea Nesbitt (NS), Tumbleweed (NS), Valley Gospel Ramblers (NS), Berard Family Band(Louisiana), the Hardcore Troubadours (NB), Triple Time (NS), Joyce Seamone and Total Country(NS), Rough Edges (NS) and Ryan Cook and Sunny Acres (NS).

Mark Cameron, Jon Cyr (winner of the 780 KIXX country contest), Gary Halliday, Rachel Mattie, Audra Raulyns and Matthew Stanton are also booked.

Friday's entertainment will kick off at 2 p.m. with the L & A Cloggers Dance Team, followed by well-known comedian Laurent D'Entremont. Festival folks will be invited to dance on the 30 x 32 foot dance floor in front of the main stage to the sounds of Rough Edges. The dancing is for Friday afternoon only; no evening dancing.

Prize up for grabs

Nominations from members and supporters of the province's arts and culture community for the 2007 Portia White Prize are being accepted until Sept. 15.

The Portia White Prize promotes excellence, innovation and expression in the arts by honouring outstanding artists who make a significant contribution to the province's cultural life.

Named after the internationally acclaimed classical singer from Nova Scotia, it’s the province's largest and most prestigious cultural award and recognized as one of Canada's major awards in the arts.



Coming up

Aug. 2-5

Fox Mnt. Country Music Festival, Aylesford

Until Aug. 5

Rachel Reeve exhibition, Chas. Macdonald Museum, Centreville

Aug. 12

The Odyessy, Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, near Canning

Until Aug. 15

Shirley Valentine, ATF, Festival Theatre, Wolfville,

Until Aug. 18

Waiting for the Parade, CentreStage Theatre, Kentville, 678-8040

Until Sept. 2

Sara Hartland-Rowe exhibition, Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, near Canning

Until Sept. 9

The Drawer Boy, ATF, Festival Theatre, Wolfville

Send arts items to welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca