Press Releases

CHILLIWACK, BC—Attend the Red Carpet Affair gala opening and be part of a stunning, once-in-a-lifetime event. On Saturday September 25th, the Chilliwack Arts & Cultural Centre Society presents the official opening gala of the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, where Broadway stars will bring the celebration to a whole new level. 

Commencing at 7:00pm, guests are invited to embrace Chilliwack’s rich First Nations culture and take in the dynamic outdoor dance and drum performance by Semoya, representing the Sto:lo Nation. Upon entering The Centre’s vast and glamorous lobby, guests will be served delectable and exquisite hors d’oeuvers sponsored by the Coast Hotel. During the preshow reception, guests will also have the opportunity to view the new Chilliwack Art Gallery featuring artists of distinction who reside or have lived in the Chilliwack area.

A SHOW-STOPPING EVENT

Audience members will then be ushered into The Centre’s luxurious Main Theatre for the 8:00pm dedication and ribbon cutting featuring: Chief Joe Hall, president of the Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Tribe; Dave Stephen, president of the Chilliwack Arts & Cultural Centre Society, and Chilliwack Mayor, Sharon Gaetz. 

Actor Patrick Gallagher will take the role of Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Gallagher, who resided in Chilliwack through his school years, is well known for his movie appearances which include Sideways, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and both Night at the Museum movies.  He is perhaps best known for his role of Ken Tanaka in the hit series Glee.  His extensive TV work includes Da Vinci’s Inquest, True Blood, The Line, Entourage, Men of a Certain Age and the new series, Hawaii 5-O and End Game.

Following the ribbon cutting, the audience will be treated to a best of Broadway concert featuring four top Broadway entertainers:  Lisa Howard, South Pacific, 9 to 5, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Les Misérables; Jason Graae, A Grand Night For Singing,  Falsettos, Snoopy, Do Black Patent Leather Shows Really Reflect Up?,  Forever Plaid, and Hello Muddah, Hello  Fadduh; David Burnham, Wicked, The Light In The Piazza, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; and Jessica Hendy, Cats, Aida, and Amour. Under the musical direction of Scott Coulter, this stellar cast will perform numbers from West Side Story, Hair, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Chicago, South Pacific, Billy Elliott, Mamma Mia!, Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, 9 to 5, and Jersey Boys among others. 
  
This fantastic show will come to a pause and audience members will enjoy a champagne intermission. Following the final act, guests will have a chance to meet Patrick Gallagher and the Broadway cast while enjoying desserts in the final reception.

During this reception, Chilliwack’s Next Top Model, Andrea Schierling, will announce of the winner of the Grand Opening week’s silent auction item: a celebrated art piece from Gary Haggquist’s Cultus Lake series.

Finally, weather permitting, an awesome display of fireworks will cap off the night, celebrating the new Chilliwack Cultural Centre.

“This is such an important event,” comments Patti Lawn, Principal of F.G. Leary Fine Arts Elementary, “The opening gala is the start of something very special for Chilliwack. It is time to come together and truly celebrate our community.”

The Red Carpet Affair will be an amazing once-in-a-lifetime event which you will not want to miss.  Tickets are $150 and are available from the new Centre Box Office located in the lobby of

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT!

the new Cultural Centre.  Tickets can also be purchased over the phone at 604-391-SHOW(7469) or online at www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca.

The Red Carpet Affair gala opening is the culmination of a weeklong celebration of the arts, which includes performances of The Trollsons on Sunday September 19th, the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra’s Last Rose of Summer on Monday, Seacoast Studios production of Barry Broadfoot’s 10 Lost Years on Tuesday, “Fringe God” TJ Dawe’s Lucky 9 on Wednesday, Kokoma African Heritage Drum and Dance Ensemble on Thursday, and the opening of the new Chilliwack Art Gallery on Friday.  Tickets for all events are available through the Centre Box Office.
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Information:

Lisa Howard
Lisa's Broadway credits include the Tony Award winning Lincoln Center Theater revival of South Pacific and the musical comedy 9 to 5.  She is most known, however, for her starring role as Rona Lisa Peretti in William Finn's Tony Award-winning musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which she received a Drama Desk Award . She has toured with the national company of Les Misérables.

Jason Graae
Graae has starred on and off-Broadway in A Grand Night For Singing,  Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy, Do Black Patent Leather Shows Really Reflect Up?,  Forever Plaid, Olympus on My Mind, All in the Timing, Hello Muddah, Hello  Fadduh and many more. On television, Jason has appeared on many shows including Six Feet Under, Friends, Frasier, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  Jason has recorded over forty CDs, including original cast albums, concerts, compilations, and two solo CDs. He has been heard on many cartoons and for five years he was the voice of "Lucky, the Leprechaun" for Lucky Charms Cereal, a balanced part of your complete breakfast. 
 
David Burnham
Burnham played Fiyero in the Broadway production of Wicked, having created the role in the original Los Angeles workshop  productions, and was a member of the original Broadway cast of the six time Tony  Award winning musical The Light In The Piazza. David first gained critical acclaim when, after a two year search, he was chosen to  replace Donny Osmond in the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the  Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat . On film, David was the voice of the Prince in the Warner Bros. animated feature The King & I, and can also be heard as Willy in Disney's Home On The Range. 

Jessica Hendy
Hendy’s Broadway credits include Grizabella in Cats, as well as Aida, and Amour.  She toured The United States and Canada as the Narrator in Josheph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Grizabella in Cats.  In New York City she won a Bistro Award for Get Your Tickets Now, and has received rave reviews for her on woman Cabaret A Life To Call Your Own.  She recently won an Acclaim Award for her portrayal of Jeanne in The Great American Trailer Park Musical and Don’t Make Me Pull This Show Over: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Parenting.

Scott Coulter (Director/Vocal Arrangements)
Coulter was in the original company of Floyd Collins and toured the country as Jinx in Forever Plaid.  His regional credits include Into the Woods, As Bees in Honey Drown, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cotton Patch Gospel and Chess. Other appearances include Sentimental Journey: The Songs of World War II, From Brooklyn to Hollywood, All That Jazz: A Tribute to Kander & Ebb and the critically acclaimed Broadway Unplugged.

For additional information and to arrange interviews, contact:
KellyAnne TeBrinke, Marketing Manager
T: 604.392.8000, ext. 103
C: 604.845.8798
E: [email protected]

Single tickets are now on sale for Red Carpet Affair through the new Centre Box Office. Contact the Centre Box Office in person, by phone at 604.391.SHOW (7469), or online at www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca.

Grand Opening Week

To request a copy of the 2010-2011 Chilliwack Cultural Centre season brochure, please contact the Centre Box Office at 604.391.SHOW (7469).  

   
Chilliwack Cultural Centre

Owned by the City of Chilliwack, the new Cultural Centre houses two unique performance venues, an art gallery, music instruction studios, arts and crafts studios, meeting rooms, and offices, and the new home to the Chilliwack Academy of Music and the Chilliwack Arts Council. Other partners in the project include The City of Chilliwack, The Chilliwack Visual Artists Association, and The Chilliwack Players Guild. 

Chilliwack Cultural Centre highlights:
• 597 seat performance theatre
• 168 seat recital hall / rehearsal space / dance studio / meeting space
• Chilliwack Art gallery (22-foot high display area)
• 21 music instructional rooms
• Arts and crafts studios
• Storage and Archival Resource Room

Chilliwack Arts & Cultural Centre Society Board of Directors
Dave Stephen – President
Patti Lawn – Vice President
Chad Northcott – Treasurer
Andy Purdy – Secretary

Directors at Large
John Blessin
Phil Halladay
Marian Dyck
John Hamilton
Brad Whittaker
Pat Clark
Jerry Spencer – Ex Officio

Chilliwack Arts & Cultural Centre Society Partners
Chilliwack Academy of Music
Chilliwack Arts Council
Chilliwack Players Guild
Chilliwack Visual Artists Association