Downtown Whitehorse will come alive with an artistic festival celebrating a blend of theatre, music, storytelling and comedy from Jan. 6 to Feb. 1.
Nakai Theatre is bringing back its annual Pivot Festival, inviting artists and visitors to explore the theme “embracing the dark and stepping into the light” through creative expressions.
The festival kicks off at Whitehorse’s Old Firehall with the opening of a vibrant and colourful space designed by Tara Kolla. The “Sun Room,” open from Jan. 6 to 24, aims to bring “a taste of brightness, warmth and colour to dark, cold winter days,” the festival’s website reads.
Claire Ness, a professional circus performer and musician, will perform a children’s concert at the “Sun Room” on Jan. 11 and 18. As the founding artistic director of the Yukon Circus Society, Ness has focused on bringing circus workshops and performances to Yukon communities, according to her website.
Crafting sessions are scheduled in the “Sun Room” on Jan. 9, led by “Drinking with Scissors” organizer, Allison Button. The session will be an informal gathering of crafters, with supplies and refreshments available for those interested in attending.
Alita Powell and Geneviève Doyon will perform “Look Up,” a story using live-action visual animations and sound effects, at the Old Firehall on multiple dates. The event will feature two short pieces highlighting the magic behind simpler, more analogue methods of storytelling.
Doyon is the Yukon playwright behind “Leave a Message (après le bip)” and “Busted Up: A Yukon Story.” She also co-wrote the Open Pit Theatre’s most recent piece, “Look Up,” with Jessica Hickman, which will be showcased at the Pivot Festival.
On Jan. 14, the traditional poetry crawl event will be hosted along the riverfront stretch between the Old Firehall and Shipyards Park from 7 p.m. Poets will be stationed from balconies to train platforms, delivering their works to wanderers along the river.
The poetry crawl event is curated by Peter Jickling, a Yukoner who was once editor of Up Here Magazine and wrote a weekly column for What’s Up Yukon, titled “Jickling’s Jabberings.” He also wrote his first play, “Syphilis: A Love Story,” in 2011, which was produced in Whitehorse by Ramshackle Theatre and subsequently toured western Canada.
On Jan. 15, questions about whether artists and critics can work together will be explored in an upcoming conversation led by freelance theatre critic Aisling Murphy, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Toronto Star and Globe and Mail. Scheduled to take place at Yukonstruct, this event offers visitors an opportunity to discuss arts criticism, according to Nakai Theatre’s website.
On Jan. 16 from 7 p.m., “Loop Sessions” will take place at the Old Firehall, featuring non-competitive sample flip challenges among beat-makers and producers. The event invites beat-makers to bring their own gear, such as drum machines, samplers or computers with audio software, along with their power sources and headphones, to create music using curated samples.
On Jan. 17, emerging Yukon writers will share recent works, from sci-fi to lyrics, at the Old Firehall from 7 p.m. Visitors can expect to hear works from Eleanor April, Meg Henderson, Lulu Keating, Roy Ness and Clea Roberts.
Erica Mah, a Yukon singer-songwriter, will lead an instructional session signing the three-part harmony arrangement of “It’ll Shine When It Shines” by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils on Jan. 23 at the Nakai Theatre.
The Pivot Festival will conclude with two theatrical performances of “Larry” on Jan. 30 and 31 at the Old Firehall. This performance explores one man’s attempt at self-improvement and a journey into his own psyche.
Contact Jake Howarth at [email protected]