PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and Anvil Centre Unite to Expand Club PuSh to New Westminster

The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival (PuSh Festival) announces the expansion of its experimental, night-time weekend series Club PuSh, January 19 to February 3, 2018, held at its long-time Vancouver hub, The Fox Cabaret, and for the first time at a second venue, Anvil Centre in New Westminster. New West audiences will be treated to three Club PuSh shows from the eight-show series where acclaimed artists from Canada, the US and UK perform in works ranging from the hip and the queer to the radical and riotous.

“Too often Vancouver is assumed to be the ‘centre’ of all things West Coast. Nothing could be further from the truth; there are many centres, and just as many inspiring arts venues outside of our city,” says Norman Armour, Artistic and Executive Director of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. “Our partnership with Anvil Centre is a testament to this. It forges a significant link with an important arts hub, in which the performing arts theatre is led by one of our region’s most experienced and trusted arts leaders, Jessica Schneider. Having the spirit and brand of Club PuSh co-exist at both The Fox Cabaret and New Westminster’s Anvil Centre feels right. We’re excited to broaden our reach to this burgeoning community.”

Jessica Schneider, representing both Anvil Centre and the Massey Theatre, added: “We have adventurous audiences all over Metro Vancouver who are going to love having Club PuSh a little closer to home. This is yet another smart move for PuSh in branching out to New Westminster’s community. Anvil Centre will be a great theatre setting to take in Club PuSh. Adding a second date for visiting artists increases the impact of their visits to BC and an earlier performance time makes the shows accessible to a wider public.”

Club PuSh audiences will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with art-lovers and artists as they soak up this showcase running in conjunction with the 2018 PuSh Festival’s Main Stage shows. PuSh Festival encourages audiences to enjoy the pre-show atmosphere at Club PuSh at both locations—the bars open one hour before showtime.

The three Club PuSh shows presented at Anvil Centre, which will also be presented at The Fox Cabaret on alternating nights, are:

Unplugged – Dickie Beau (England)
Jan 19, 9PM at The Fox Cabaret
Jan 20, 8PM at­­ Anvil Centre
Presented with Anvil Centre
Supported by British Council
Drag artist extraordinaire Dickie Beau has refined the art of lip-synch playback performances with flawless miming and use of found sound.  Here he drops the mask, and the true Dickie enlightens on Greek culture, democracy and more, laying bare his artistic journey and technique.

Joseph Keckler (USA)
Jan 26, 8PM at Anvil Centre
Jan 27, 9PM at The Fox Cabaret
Presented with Anvil Centre
The artistically ambidextrous Joseph Keckler is a star of New York’s performing arts scene with awards, commissions and book deals. Harnessing his three-octave range, Keckler moves from opera to pop without missing a beat. A self-deprecating and charming showcase of the lowbrow and highbrow.

Cris Derksen Trio — Cris Derksen (Canada)
Feb 2, 8PM at Anvil Centre
Feb 3, 9PM at The Fox Cabaret
Presented with Anvil Centre
Cellist and composer Cris Derksen has been called to collaborate with icons from Kanye West to Naomi Klein. Armed with loop pedal, drum machine, and cello, the JUNO Award-nominee pulls audiences into the propulsive, hypnotizing pounding of powwow music, head-nodding rhythms of a hip-hop, metronome thumps of a techno mix, and more in a thrilling night.

Club PuSh at Anvil Centre three-show packages ($75, plus service fee) and single tickets at anvilcentre.com

The five Club PuSh shows presented only at The Fox Cabaret are:

Torrey Pines – Clyde Petersen (USA)
Jan 20, 9PM | The Fox Cabaret
Trans filmmaker and musician Clyde Petersen presents a stop-motion animated adventure into his misgendered pre-teen years spent in Southern California. Playing to live score performed by Petersen and his band, this is a movie memoir as innovative and idiosyncratic as they come.

HINKYPUNK – FakeKnot (Canada)
Jan 26, 9PM | The Fox Cabaret
Vancouver’s own Ralph Escamillan reveals a dance spectacular that has him decked out in “sequin skin”­—a walking, breathing and shiny signifier. Inspired by drag, ballroom and vogue subcultures of expression through artifice, he offers a beguiling and sexy study on the gaze, the body and the self.

Daughter – QuipTake & Pandemic Theatre (Canada)
Feb 1, 10:30PM | The Fox Cabaret
A harrowing yet hilarious exploration of “toxic masculinity.” Toronto comedian Adam Lazarus, a recent new dad, comes to grips with what it means to become the father of a daughter, and with smart, incisive and remorseful self-reflection, asks, “What are you willing to forgive?”

Spokaoke – Annie Dorsen (USA)
Feb 2, 9PM | The Fox Cabaret
A night of karaoke like no other. Participants won’t find any Queen or Taylor Swift here. In their place are some of the great artists who have gone down in history for their words. More than 90 classic speeches by the greats of our time, from Socrates to Sarah Palin, await to be recited.

Club PuSh Closing Night Concert – Various Artists (Canada)
Feb 3, 10:30pm | The Fox Cabaret
Presented with Revolutions Per Minute (RPM)
Celebrate the closing night of the 2018 PuSh Festival, with a lineup of Indigenous musicians from across Turtle Island. This is a dynamite evening of powerful, diverse music to move the feet and soul. Surely one of the city’s musical events of the year.

PUSH PASSES
PuSh Passes are the best way to experience the PuSh Festival. Pass holders save up to 30% off single tickets. PuSh Passes are flexible so Passholders can book tickets online at any time. Limited quantities.

Four–Show Pass                    $119
Six–Show Pass                      $176
Industry Six-Show Pass        $236
Industry Pack                          $60
Youth Four-Show Pass           $20

TICKETS
Single tickets start at $12. To buy tickets, visit pushfestival.ca or call the PuSh Festival Audience Services info line at 604.449.6000.

About the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival (pushfestival.ca):
The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is Vancouver’s signature, mid-winter cultural event, taking place over three weeks each January in theatres and venues across the city. The PuSh Festival presents groundbreaking, contemporary works of theatre, dance, music, and multimedia by acclaimed local, national, and international artists. The 2018 PuSh Festival features 28 works overall, including 20 Main Stage shows.

About Anvil Centre (anvilcentre.com):
Anvil Centre Theatre is host to community-based arts, dance, and heritage programs, as well as public arts performances. The New Westminster New Media Gallery, New Westminster Museum and Archives, and Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, which all call Anvil Centre home, invite visitors to connect, experience, explore, and discover. Anvil Centre opened in 2014 and also features a boutique conference centre conveniently located in the heart of the City of New Westminster. Designed to accommodate a wide range of events, arts and cultural activities, and City and community-led programs, Anvil Centre is a vibrant gathering space and is New Westminster’s newest commercial and cultural hub.

Feature image: Joseph Keckler – Multiples Photo by M. Sharkey Studio