by Stephen Dafoe
stephen@morinvillenews.com
The arts were alive in Morinville in 2015 with multiple live performances taking place in the community each month. Whether it was student actors putting on their school’s annual production after months of rehearsals, professional travelling acts making a tour stop at the cultural centre, or locals getting together to put on a show, Morinville and area residents had plenty of opportunities to catch a live act last year.
Although nowhere near capturing all the shows to hit town, we present to you this sampling of shows from 2015.
Magician Sheldon Casavant, rated one of the country’s top magicians, performs the linking rings during his September show during Alberta Culture Days.
Tomáš Kubínek’s Mar. 20 show at the cultural centre showed why this funny man is a Master of the Impossible.
St. Jean Baptiste Festival kicked off with comedian Mike Dambra headlining the Annual Library Comedy Show.
Cody Ray Slaughter hit the stage in September with his Elvis ‘56 show, an event that packed the house.
Ed Bulger plays the harmonica during the Martinis & Blues event held last year at Smith Music.
Riley Quinn performed during a youth event last spring.
Writer Marty Chan was in town last year to release the latest book in his novel series based on an alternate version of Houdini. Chan entertained his audience with one of the magician’s illusions.
Jimmy Rankin’s Back Road Paradise show was a big hit with his Morinville audience Feb. 12.
Missoula Children’s Theatre brought 60 local youth to the stage with their production of The Little Mermaid in February.
The Brabec Brothers Bavarian Band were one of the main performers at the Town’s Oktoberfest event.
Television and radio personality Bob Layton packed the house for the Silver Shoe’s Pub Night in support of Sturgeon Foundation in October.
Peter Pan was the Georges H. Primeau production for 2015, uniting 26 Grade 5 to 8 students for two shows in April that drew an audience of 300.
After many months of rehearsal, MCHS put on three successful nights of their production of Mary Poppins, a show that consisted of a cast of 30 and a crew of 14.
Comedy percussionists BAM hit the stage Oct. 16 with one of the funniest and fastest-paced shows the cultural centre has seen in its five-year history. Natalie MacMaster performs during the Calvin Vollrath show in May.
UPCOMING SHOWS
The Morinville Community Cultural Centre have two shows this month: The Derina Harvey Band, a five-piece Celtic-rock group, perform Jan. 16, and Quest Theatre performs Snow Angel, a play bout kindness, Jan. 23.
