ON STAGE
What: SKAMpede
Where: Galloping Goose Regional Trail
When: Friday to Sunday, July 16 to 18
Tickets: $10 (suggested donation)
Theatre SKAM鈥檚 annual outdoor mobile performance festival is going big in its 13th year, with 16 performing arts companies situated in a variety of venues spread throughout the Inner Harbour and along the Galloping Goose Regional Trail.
Few groups have been adhering to a go-big-or-go-home mindset during the past year due to the protocol-heavy pandemic. But organizers of this weekend鈥檚 family-friendly SKAMpede have moved in that direction with help from funding supplements provided by the B.C. Arts Council.
鈥淭his year, I said let鈥檚 put a little bit of our money behind this,鈥� said artistic and managing producer Matthew Payne. 鈥淚t has safely grown, and that is exciting.鈥�
In previous editions of SKAMpede, guests would congregate at a single hub to receive their full instructions, before travelling as a group by bike or on foot to their respective performance. Starting Friday, groups of up to 12 people will meet at one of four sites, and travel inward post-performance on Saturday and Sunday to Point Hope Shipyard, the festival鈥檚 new central meeting point.
鈥淲e used to have everyone meet at a place and then we鈥檇 send them off in three or four directions, and then we鈥檇 wonder why they didn鈥檛 come back,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淪omething we鈥檝e done subtly this year is putting the launch points at the furthest point, and everybody rides toward the centre.鈥�
The idea of making Point Hope the axis around which the festival spins is one that Payne hopes to expand in the coming years. 鈥淲hile this year it鈥檚 a pretty chill wrap-up event, I think in future years we鈥檒l start calling it a wrap-up party. It鈥檚 going to feel like a tailgate event.鈥�
Close to 150 artists, technicians and staff will bring SKAMpede to life at 5 p.m. Friday, with participating companies from 91原创 Island (and one from 91原创) ranging in size from one person to seven performers.
The four launch points 鈥� Cecelia Ravine Park (475 Burnside Rd. E.); the Railyards (860 Central Spur Rd.); Songhees Walkway (75 Songhees Rd.); the Harbour Air parking lot (900 Wharf St.) 鈥� will feature performances by local performing arts companies such as Broad Theatrics, Visible Bodies Collective and SNAFU, in areas of dance, puppetry and comedy.
Each tour lasts approximately one hour.
The site at Point Hope (345 Harbour Rd.) will be active from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with music and dance performances on tap each day. The decision to expand the central hub was made months ago and based on COVID-19 projections from the province, Payne said.
But while protocols have been relaxed for this year鈥檚 instalment, he expects attendees will put some space between themselves and their neighbours. 鈥淧eople are naturally distancing.鈥�
Capacity at the Point Hope after-party spot has been limited to 100 people, even though Theatre SKAM could have hosted several times that amount.
In the end, Payne said, 鈥減eople are going to vote with their feet. They are going to go where they feel safe.鈥�
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