August, 2023
F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E
The Rossland Council for Arts and Culture (RCAC) is proud to present our 2023/2024 Performance Series: Something Old, Something New, Something Spicy!
This season you will find familiar faces, a fresh dose of theatrical mastery, and a flavourful tango treat. Don’t miss the local and international masters of performance. We appreciate your support in bringing more diverse and captivating performance art to the beautiful land of the Sinixt peoples also known as Rossland, BC! All ages and identities welcome!
Each performance will take place at the historic Miners Hall between October 2023 and March 2024. Doors open one half hour before every performance. Email performance.rcac@gmail.com with any questions.
Since capacity is limited, don’t hesitate to purchase tickets in advance for yourself, or as a meaningful gift!
Adult tickets are $25 per show or purchase a Series Bundle: 3 shows for only $60. This year, we are offering a youth ticket for patrons 18 years old and under for $15 each. Purchase a Series Bundle: 3 shows for only $60! Advance tickets are available at www.rosslandartscouncil.com or from “Out of the Cellar” at 2067 Columbia Avenue in Rossland. Advance ticket holder names will be at the door; no need to print any confirmation.
Door sales depend on ticket availability. Remember to check our social media on Facebook or Instagram (@rosslandarts) for ticket updates!
Full List of 2023/2024 Performances:
Amor de Cosmos: A Delusional Musical
Written by Richard Kelly Kemick, Starring Cody Porter
One-man, Historic, Musical Theatre.
All ages
2h15 minutes with 20 minute intermission
Friday, October 20, 2023, 7PM AND Saturday, October 21, 2023, 7PM
Miners Hall, 1765 Columbia Ave, Rossland
Written in iambic pentameter and featuring a cast of one, Amor De Cosmos: A Delusional Musical depicts the contentious tenure of British Columbia’s infamous and astonishing second premier. Amor De Cosmos (born William Alexander Smith) was BC’s own Father of Confederation. However, in just a handful of years, De Cosmos was declared legally insane and went on to haunt the taverns of Victoria before dying in bankrupt obscurity.
How did an iconoclastic reformer mutate into a conniving member of the political elite? Why do we so often become our own antagonists?
Watch star, Cody Porter, hurl through different roles before your eyes in a two-act performance written by local writer Richard Kelly Kemick, and accompanied by pianist and composer Lindsay Walker.
De Cosmos star, Cody Porter, is an award-winning Edmonton Albertan actor, creator and collaborator who has been haunting stages and screens around Canada and farther flung regions for the past 20 odd years.
Some notable theatre projects have included: The Flying Detective* (accidental humour company), Tragedy: A Tragedy* (Blarney), Passion Play* (Wild Side), The Colleen Bawn, Days of Wine and Roses*, Port Authority and This Lime Tree Bower* (Forces of Chaos) plus Betrayal* (Broken Toys).
* = Sterling Award Nominee
Film and TV highlights include: The Academy (Idiom), Connecting Flights (Link to the Past), and brand new Netflix limited series phenom Painkiller. He is also a first class member of Grindstone Improv Conservatory and regular cast member on King of the Hill – battle style improv show. The stories we tell shape our cultural landscape and it has been an honour for Cody to be a part of that tradition for these past decades.
The RCAC is overjoyed to collaborate with local writer, Richard Kemick in his latest artistic endeavour. With TWO chances to watch, you, too, can support Richard and his amazing cast and crew while giving yourself a musical treat in the meantime!
“Amor De Cosmos is a history buff and language lover’s dream. It’s no exaggeration to say that Kemmick has done for De Cosmos what Lin-Manuel Miranda has done for Alexander Hamilton.” -Mark Kreder, My Entertainment World reviewing 2023 Toronto Fringe Festival
“Exhaustion softens the skeleton, attrition will elicit truth: the art of any.” – Act 1
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Andrew Collins Trio
Andrew Collins (mandolin/fiddle/guitar/mandola/mandocello), Adam Shier (guitar/mandolin/vocals) and James McEleney (bass/mandocello/vocals)
Folk/Jazz/Chamber Music
90 minute performance; two 45 minute sets with 20 minute intermission
Thursday, November 23, 2023, 7:30PM
Miners Hall, 1765 Columbia Ave, Rossland
The mercurial, 5x JUNO nominated/7x Canadian Folk Music Award winning mando maestro Andrew Collins finds himself – through no actual fault of his own – at the epicentre of Canada’s acoustic/roots music scene. He didn’t invent it – but he’s certainly a major contributor, having co-founded seriously noteworthy Canadian bands like the Creaking String Quartet, the Foggy Hogtown Boys and now, the Andrew Collins Trio.
As he gathers up innumerable awards and nominations by these various ensembles, Collins, who’s comfortable on mandolin, fiddle, guitar, mandola and mandocello – is zeroing in on the work he does with his beloved trio: fellow string guru Adam Shier, whose versatility shines through on guitar, mandolin, vocals, and in-the-pocket James McEleney, holding it down on the bass, mandocello and vocals.
Showcasing a popular collision of trailblazing roots, folk, chambergrass and jazz, not to mention a dizzying number and energetic interplay of instruments on stage, Collins and Co. appear to live by the old adage, “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” likely keeping them just ahead of his grasp. Bending and blending genres, these musical shapeshifters land somewhere between the re-imagined worlds of Béla Fleck and Newgrass invader, David Grisman.
“Light of touch, fast of wit, copiously imaginative, and a musical scholar of the highest distinction, Canada’s mandolin virtuoso pulls out all the stops” -Toronto Star
“The level of musicianship is outstanding, as you’d expect from a serial award winner such as Andrew Collins. He must be one of the best mandolin players in the business” – Americana – UK
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Payadora Tango Ensemble
Rebekah Wolksein (violin/vocals), Drew Jurecka (bandoneon/violin/vocals), Joseph Phillips (bass), Robert Horvath (piano), Elbio Fernandez (vocals)
Argentinian/Uruguayan Tango & Folk Music
March 26, 2024, 7:00PM
Miners Hall, 1765 Columbia Ave, Rossland
All ages
Payadora is an award-winning ensemble of vocalist, violin, bandoneon, bass and piano that performs its own arrangements of a core repertoire drawing from Argentinian/Uruguayan Tango and Folk music (tangos, milongas, waltzes, folk music such as Zamba and chacarera), as well as original songs inspired by that tradition; a group that’s endorsed by the Argentinian Consulate in Toronto for their adherence to the spirit of tango.
Made up of a group of players who are each musical powerhouses in their own right, this “superstar group” has combined their deep knowledge of tango with their classical, jazz and world music backgrounds to create something entirely new. With Rebekah Wolkstein (violin, vocals), Drew Jurecka (bandoneon, violin, mandolin), Joseph Phillips (double bass, guitar) Robert Horvath (piano) and Elbio Fernandez (vocals), their performances convey joy, virtuosity, humour and their intense passion for the music that they play.
Highlights from Payadora’s past performances include sold-out shows at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa Chamberfest, Indian River Music Festival in PEI, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Harbourfront Centre, Stafford Summer Music, Toronto Music Festival, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, and for the Canadian Opera Company’s World Music Series at the Four Seasons Centre.
Founded in 2013, Payadora’s broad scope in tango draws from the height of Buenos Aires’ Tango tradition, including compositions by De Caro, Pugliese, Troilo, and Salgan, to the masterful, contemporary sounds of Astor Piazzolla and beyond. They also compose and arrange their own repertoire.
As of March, 2023, their latest album was #1 Album on the World Music Charts Europe, and they are preparing for tours of Brazil, Argentina, Eastern Europe, Canada and the U.S. in the 2023-2024 season.
With influences from Argentina to Eastern Europe to the great Astor Piazzolla, Payadora plays the tango like it’s meant to be: sultry, steamy, but with grace and precision. You will be entertained!” -World + Music Magazine
“Moving, heartbreaking…the most memorable release I have ever had the privilege to listen to and review.” -Wholenote