BY MEGAN WARREN
FOR ARTSPRING
Following the vibrant success of ArtSpring’s 25th-anniversary celebration in 2024, a new island tradition is taking root.
The ArtSpring RoundTable has officially announced the return of the Salt Spring Community Showcase, scheduled for April 17, and the search is on for local performers to fill the spotlight.
The goal of the anniversary event was to create a celebration of the arts by the local community, for the local community. For Showcase co-producer Christina Penhale (working alongside Michael Bean), this goal was the hook that made her want to be involved.
“My heart work is providing platforms and spaces for our local groups to be seen and heard,” Penhale said. “My focus for the 25th was ‘how do we involve as many local artists from as many different disciplines and as many different backgrounds as we can in a meaningful way?’”
The result was a glorious 25th-anniversary weekend that featured local performers from start to finish, opening and closing the celebration with island talent. With dancers, singers, actors, a swing band, multimedia pieces and even short films, Salt Spring’s incredible creative variety was on full display. It was clear from that weekend that the island wanted more events that centred on local talent. Penhale’s decision to produce this year’s Showcase is a response to a question she heard a lot after the inaugural Showcase: “Why can’t we do this every year?”
ArtSpring has long been known for bringing top-tier acts from around the world to the island. However, the Showcase represents a way forward to ensure that the art deeply enmeshed in the local landscape is also celebrated on ArtSpring’s professional stage.
For Penhale, one of the 25th anniversary’s great triumphs was the breadth of local groups that performed.
“We had Swing Shift and the improv team, we had the GISS dancers, we had musicians from GISS Music, we had StageCoach and we had the Makana Youth Choirs,” she said. “It was just amazing to have all of those people come together in celebration of what we have on this island.”
Organizers hope to see a similar turnout in this year’s application pool, with even more variety in media.
“I would love to see more scenes, poetry, spoken word, monologues, even film,” said Penhale. “More representation of the different disciplines that we have on this island would be great to see.”
To those on the fence about submitting, she offers timeless advice: “If you don’t apply, you can’t get selected. There is no wrong application, you just have to put yourself out there.”
Call for Submissions
Performers of all media are encouraged to apply, regardless of age or experience level. All selected performers will receive an honorarium. General submission time slots are up to 20 minutes long, and youth slots are three to five minutes.
The deadline to apply is Saturday, Feb. 14 at 11:59 p.m. Interested artists can find full submission details and apply online at saltspringshowcase.com.
For those who are more at home in the audience than onstage, tickets to attend the Showcase are already on sale at purchase.artspring.ca. Book your ticket now for a joyful and uplifting celebration of the people who make Salt Spring’s art scene so unique.