Hey there. Happy Thursday. 

There is always more stuff happening in Vancouver (and B.C.) than our tiny team can cover, considering a decent chunk of our time is dedicated to making a newspaper. Some of those things are very serious, like the 10th anniversary of B.C. declaring toxic drugs an emergency. Some are political, like three left-of-centre parties agreeing to limit the number of candidates they run in the Vancouver municipal elections this fall. 

And some are silly, like Vancouver-based Twitch streamer Northernlion, who announced that he will be running “the ultimate streamer cruise” next March… and then announced this morning that it was canceled. Nothing gold can stay.

— V.
Senior editor

Markian Tarasiuk is the director of a new found-footage horror film set on Vancouver Island, Hunting Matthew Nichols. That’s maybe not what you’d expect on the resume of a former Hallmark actor. “There’s just so much Hallmark here. So we have such a community. But then, what’s our indie scene?” he tells us. It turned out that the WGA and SAG strikes ended up working to his advantage: “This is the time, because we can get incredible people who aren’t working right now to make this movie with us.”

Suzanne Simard, author of the New York Times bestseller Finding the Mother Tree and ecologist behind the viral TED talk, "How trees talk to each other," is celebrating Earth Day with the launch of her new book, When the Forest Breathes.

On April 22 at UBC's Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Simard will take part in a panel discussion hosted by CBC's Laura Lynch. Simard's research will be brought to life through music with a performance of Métis composer T. Patrick Carrabré’s Mother Tree, which uses text from Simard’s seminal book.

The event also features Fungi Kingdom Dance, created by Rande Cook, Kwakwaka’wakw artist and hereditary chief of the Ma’amtagila people.

Limited signed copies of When the Forest Breathes are available with ticket purchase.

Sure, on the surface, it would be cool if Vancouver had a baseball team slugging it out in the big leagues (sorry, Canadians). But in reality, is the idea a home run or a swing and a miss?

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Some Assembly Theatre launches its 26th season with the world premiere of ‘GLITCH’. Created by Valerie Methot with a diverse team of youth and theatre professionals, ‘GLITCH’ pulls human phone users into an absurd and terrifying world inside a gigantic cell phone. Roundhouse May 8 & 9, at 7:30pm.

Nine drummers and nine dancers share the stage in Stephanie Lake’s Manifesto, showing this week at the Vancouver Playhouse. The mesmerizing set-up gives you a wealth of things to focus on, according to composer Robin Fox. “It splits your attention a little bit,” he acknowledges. “It’s a visual feast, and I have no advice on how to deal with that if you’re only going to see it once.”

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Which acts are getting the chance to play the PNE’s new outdoor stage this summer? There’s the cool (The Beaches!), the old-school (Blue Rodeo!), and the downright off-the-wall (Cynthia Erivo and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra!).

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LightForm Vancouver is setting a new standard for design inspiration. Already being hailed as North America’s best showroom, it brings statement lighting and standout furnishings together in one bold destination. Discover the space at 205 W 5th Ave in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood and explore more at LightForm.ca.

THEATRE: Straight cover star Veda Hille joins Maiko Yamamoto for their new musical show, End of Greatness. (April 16-19 @ Historic Theatre)

LIVING: Designers Alex S. Yu, Bahar Kianpour, CLDCMNTY & BAD DNA host a very varied sale. (April 17-19 @ Another Studios)

PERFORMING ARTS: The world premiere of The Fox, a chamber opera based on D.H. Lawrence’s novella, makes it to the stage. (April 17-19 @ The Annex)

VISUAL ARTS: Annie Pei-Hsuan Chen opens her new exhibition, the boldly geometric Reassembly. (April 17-26 @ THIS Gallery)

WORKSHOP: Learn about invasive species, making salves, and brewing teas in this early Earth Day session. (April 18 @ Museum of Vancouver)

MUSIC: Newfoundland folk quartet Rum Ragged makes the Rock get ready to roll. (April 19 @ BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts, North Vancouver)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

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