Festival of Trees at BPAC will support local theatre productions.

By Staff

November 20th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

The Performing Arts Centre is a place where performances take place – it is not a production theatre – the don’t create and produce plays or dance events except on rare occasions when they partner with a local group that has produced a play that they want to put on stage.

Part of the mandate of the Performing Arts Centre is to encourage small local, sometimes experimental groups to bring their productions to the theatre.

Twenty five six foot artificial Christmas trees will be raffled off to raise funds for local performance groups.

The problem is someone has to pay for the space that is used – the local groups seldom have the funds – and space at the theatre is not cheap. Many groups take a pass on the chance to use the Community Studio Theatre.

ACCOB – Arts and Cultural Council of Burlington found a way to work with the Performing Arts Centre to raise funds that would be dedicated to paying for space rentals.

They came up with the idea of Festival of Trees – these are artificial trees that are decorated and set out in the Family Lobby.

This year there will be 25 artificial trees each six feet tall. They were donated by Canadian Tire – Burlington stores and will be raffled off about a week before Christmas.

Each of the trees is sponsored by a local organization as well.

Raffle Tickets can be purchased in person in the BPAC Family Lobby: 1 ticket for $2, 3 tickets for $5, 7 tickets for $10

The raffle ticket proceeds and the tree sponsorship money goes to ACCOB.  Last year the initiative was able to raise $3000 that paid for dour days of Community Studio space.

The Performing Arts Centre will be open daily from 12pm to 4pm, and prior to evening performances, throughout the Festival, with extended hours based on Lobby activity.

The LightsUp production of Run for your Wife one of the local productions that benefited from the 2017 Festival of Trees fund raiser..

ACCOB decides who will be given the space for a production. ACCOB members have an opportunity to submit their ideas.

The 2018 recipients were Lights Up! Theatre; Koogle Theatre and Andrea Battista.

For those who want to see innovate, ground breaking theatre and dance in the city, find a way to spend some time in the Performing Arts Centre Family Room and buy a handful of raffle tickets.

Buffy St. Marie, and all the other headliners are good for those looking for entertainment. Bringing in a Russian dance group for a production of the Nutcracker Suite is also part of what a Performing Theatre should be doing.

BPAC Executive Director Tammy Fox

Now that BPAC Executive Director Tammy Fox has found her footing she can now perhaps get more innovative. She is known to be trying to put something together with the Sound of Music people.

Something that might get taken up by the new city council that will be sworn in early in December – at the Performing Arts Centre (will this count as local entertainment?) is – how can more in the way of funds be funneled into local original works.