Tanja Dixon-Warren and her team at Western Gold are keeping theatre alive online through COVID. (click on any image to enlarge) — Tanja Dixon-Warren and her team at Western Gold are keeping theatre alive online through COVID.
*(click on any image to enlarge)*

WESTERN GOLD THEATRE
Creativity Has No Expiry Date

When PAL (Performing Arts Lodges) was built in Coal Harbour 15 years ago, it delivered a theatre within walking distance of much of the West End, and a home for pioneering arts professionals. It’s no coincidence that PAL’s co-founder, the late Joy Coghill, was also the founder of Western Gold Theatre, a professional company created to continue to give work to senior performers. Finally, with PAL, Western Gold had a home.

Until COVID restrictions hit, Western Gold was presenting at least two staged readings and one full production each season. Productions included Three Tall Women, The Dining Room, Twelfth Night, Escaped Alone, and even a PAL-residents-original, Comfort Cottages.

In 2019, Tanja Dixon-Warren took over as artistic director of Western Gold. A year later, the company's doors were closed due to COVID and the provincial health orders. Late in 2020, Western Gold pivoted and began presenting Virtual Gold: Look! Listen! Learn! – online play readings, pre-recorded programming, podcasts and creative workshops featuring the company's very talented roster of artists. You can find information about these Virtual Gold offerings on Western Gold's website or Facebook page.

Western Gold is the resident theatre company at PAL Vancouver.

For the month of May, Tanja has invited Melissa Oei to guest curate Western Gold Theatre’s celebration of Asian Heritage Month. “The broad parameters I have,” says Melissa, “are to engage artists in their older years; consider collaborating with emerging artists; and to explore both traditional cultural and contemporary practice. In one word – I have been encouraged to ‘dream’. I am thrilled to be given agency to tell stories that resonate with me and those from my community.”

The Look! Presentation for Asian Heritage Month is a roundtable moderated by Howard Jang (Vice President, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity; Chair, Vancouver Chinatown Storytelling Centre) bringing artistic leaders past, present and future together for a candid, informative and inspiring conversation about the journeys previously traversed and how we carve a path forward. This will be on Zoom and archived as a podcast.

For the Listen! Podcast, the call is out to emerging and established Asian Canadian playwrights. Later in May, one playwright will be chosen and their work ‘workshopped’ and shared in an online presentation.

Melissa Oei will curate Western Gold’s offerings for Asian Heritage Month.

The month's Learn! Workshop is on Chinese shadow puppets, a centuries-long form of storytelling. Learn the history of Chinese shadow puppetry and be led step-by-step in the creation of your own shadow puppet using common craft supplies. Suitable for all ages. Mid May.

Final details on dates and times will be available soon online by clicking on the Western Gold logo on the right side of every page in The West End Journal or following the links above. And watch for more programming in June.