Rain City Chronicles has gathered an engaging bunch of speakers to take the stage at The Vancouver Aquarium and speak to the storytelling theme of The Life Aquatic.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
Editor's Note: Globe B.C. has joined forces with Scout Magazine to give you the best of what's happening in Vancouver this weekend. For a full week's worth of listings, head over to the complete Scout List, updated each week.
LISTEN: Rain City Chronicles believes that everyone has a great personal story to tell and they make it their business to create opportunities for that to happen. This week, Rain City has gathered an engaging bunch of speakers to take the stage at The Vancouver Aquarium and speak to the storytelling theme of The Life Aquatic. The audience will wander from room to room (stages and seating set up at different locations throughout the aquarium) in order to make the most of the venue. Once again, the team aims to enhance your experience with thoughtful food and drink. This event always sells out and we'd hate for you to miss it, so get sorted with tickets quickly at www.vanaqua.org.
Thursday, April 30 6:45pm, Vancouver Aquarium, $32, www.raincitychronicles.com
WATCH: The Documentary Film Festival (DOXA) takes to the screens of theatres around town starting this week. With close to 100 documentaries on the roster this year, there's plenty to keep you entertained. This week's highlights include an opening night (April 30) presentation of How to Change the World (the story of Greenpeace activist Bob Hunter) that will include festival opening remarks and a post-film Q&A with the filmmaker. Also this week, get political with The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (a history of the revolutionary organization). The list goes on and on – for a list of everything showing this week and next have a look at the DOXA website: www.doxafestival.ca
April 30 – May 10, various times and venues, www.doxafestival.ca
CLASSICAL: Yo-Yo Ma is in town. The mesmerizingly talented cellist will perform an all-Dvorak concert at the Orpheum on Friday night. If you can score yourself a ticket, there's a good chance you will emerge a more enlightened human being (Dvorak can do that). From The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra: "Simply put, Yo-Yo Ma is the most well-known, popular, charismatic and talented classical musician in the world, and has been for some time. Do not miss his first orchestral performance in Vancouver in over a decade." It's amusing to picture a scalper standing on the corner outside the Orpheum flogging tickets to see a cellist, but it is, unfortunately, pretty much your only chance of slipping in if you don't already have tickets. Still, things happen. People catch colds and have to stay home, right?
Friday, May 1, 8 p.m., The Orpheum (601 Smithe St.), www.vancouver.ca
OPENING: DaySleeper, opens at Kimoto Gallery on West 6th this Friday night. It's a show of 'nocturnal portraits' of the disappearing prairies by artist Kevin Boyle. And these are some beautiful 'portraits.' From the artist's statement: "We have been betrayed by our conveniences, and we have forgotten where we came from. We are connected by likes, faves, and plusses … fleeting and artificial things. I want to see your face. I want to hear your words. I want to shake your hand. I want to show you with light that there is beauty in the darkness." Yes, please!
Friday, May 1, 6 – 9 p.m., Kimoto Gallery (1525 West 6th Ave.), www.kimotogallery.com
GRAPES & SODA: Dara Young and chef David Gunawan's highly anticipated (and hugely overdue) Grapes & Soda wine bar – located right next to their award-winning Farmer's Apprentice in South Granville – is finally open. The 25-seater will be pairing six to eight glasses of natural wine with six to eight smallish, seasonally determined dishes each night.
Wednesday through Sunday, 5:30 – 11p.m., 1529 W. 6th
ART: The annual Degree Exhibition at Emily Carr is on. A group exhibition of a magnitude rarely encountered, The Show is really worth a visit. Wander the galleries, hallways, foyers and classrooms of the campus to take in upward of 300 works by the talented graduating students. The artists have come through ECUAD via Design, Media and Visual Arts, and their cumulative body of work is astounding in its breadth and sheer volume. Consider tagging along on a one-hour tour to help provide some context. The opening reception for The Show takes place Saturday, May 2 (5–10 p.m.), and officially opens Sunday, May 3 at 10 a.m., continuing until May 17.
Sunday May 3, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., ECUAD (1400 Johnston, Granville Island), www.ecuad.ca