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UPDATED: Chemainus Theatre Festival celebrates 25 years

The Chemainus Theatre Festival held a public open house on Friday to celebrate its 25 year anniversary.
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Comox Valley’s John Ingram surprised Cathy Clark by bringing her to the Chemainus Theatre Festival on Friday for the open house and performance of Rock Legends. Here, the two look at memorabilia from Grace & Glorie (2015) and All Shook Up (2012).

The Chemainus Theatre Festival held a public open house on Friday to celebrate its 25 year anniversary.

As part of the open house, actors staged a special invite-only program that included guest speakers and a presentation titled ‘25 Plays in 25 Minutes &Song’ - running through many of the acts performed on stage over the years.

It was a trip down memory lane for those in the local theatre scene.

The Playbill Dining Room played host to theatre exhibits and memorabilia that allowed guest to re-live some of their favourite shows, including props used in everything from Elf to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Outside, there was performances from Bopoma and the Kenton Dick Trio and a plenty of activities to keep children happy and occupied.

“We’re very proud to be celebrating our 25th season. It’s a real marker of the theatre’s success that we can stand the test of time. We’d like to thank all the people of the Cowichan Valley for contributing to our success,” said theatre managing director Randall Huber.

As one of B.C.’s largest performing arts organizations, the theatre welcomes more than 70,000 guests annually to enjoy live theatre experiences by notable directors, talented actors, and imaginative designers.

The evening concluded with a performance of Rock Legends, the Sequel to Twist and Shout which is on stage in Chemainus until August 26.

During the cake-cutting to celebrate the anniversary, North Cowichan mayor and chairman of the Cowichan Valley Regional District Jon Lefebure said the region is “incredibly lucky” to have the theatre as part of the community.

“Many of my children’s friends had their first jobs here,” he said.

“This theatre goes well beyond fantastic art and is an integral part of our growing community.”





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