Arts&life tT | RIGHT: Matt Ireland, the the show EDITORPATRICK PENNER | TOP: Audiences take their seats ahead of Murder on Reserve LEFT: Actor Helen Volkow in the dressing getting in character star of the show, exam- ines the props before CHELSEA LiU PHOTOS THURSDAY, FEB.14, 2019 | nteers centre stage Metro Theatre is kept alive by team of live drama lovers = By CHELSEA LIU edicated volunteers are the only thing keeping a south Vancouver commu- nity theatre from closing its doors. The Metro Theatre on Southwest Marine Drive near the Arthur Laing Bridge is a non-profit co-op theatre and just completed its 514th show, Murder on Reserve. Tracy-Lynn Chernaske, the theatre’s set decorator, said 90 per cent of the work is run by volunteers. “We wouldn't be here without our volunteers,” Chernaske said. The theatre cites 1.2 million hours have been put in by volunteers over its continuous 56 season run. Their son said. The theatre has come close to shut- ting down several times since it lost a efforts contradict the common notion _ provincial grant in 1977. that Vancouver is = [— = But several a city that doesn't “There is no money angel investors, care about culture. . . and above all else, Leslie Thomp- in community the work of its son, the light and ur volunteers, have sound director, theatre, itsa labour kept productions said the volun- " oing. teers participate of love. 8 These volun- knowing there is -LESLIE THOMPSON, LIGHT AND SOUND teers say it’s simply little budget for L- DIRECTOR their love of live the productions. “Thi . . . ere is no money in community theatre, it’s a labour of love,” Thomp- theatre that drives them to give of their time. “We believe that community theatre is very important and we know it’s not self-sustaining, without volunteers there would be no live theatre,” said Joan Glossop, who volunteers with food services while her husband acts and directs. The volunteers love Metro’s inclu- sivity of regular people. Anybody is allowed to audition for productions. Maria Baker has been attending Metro Theatre performances for well over 30 years, but Murder on Reserve was her first time on stage as an actor. The theatre has always been a huge part of her life. “You get satisfaction in doing things you enjoy,” Baker said. Damaged art s Questions posed over what caused several metal frogs to deform = By CHRISTINA DOMMER ho or what damaged several giant frogs on Langara’s campus remains a mystery. The four steel frogs, which stand waist high and were installed as pieces of public art by a student in the fine arts department, were found bent over and disfigured shortly after the winter break. The creator, fine arts student Tina Nguyen, said she doesn't think that the artworks could have been damaged Tina Nguyen stands in front of one of her metal frogs. cHRISTINA DOMMER PHOTO A Leap in the Right Direction, was cut out of 10-gauge hot rolled steel using electric current. The frogs were distributed to several spots around the by the 70 km/h "T kind of doubt it campus. winds over . . 1 At the begin- the holidays, was Just the wind ning of the because they're — TINA NGUYEN, LANGARA FINE ARTS semester, some made from thick STUDENT of the frogs were metal. “I kind of doubt it was just the wind, might have been vandalism,” Nguyen said. The art installation, known as found bent over on the leg they stood on. Simran Basra, a student taking chemistry at Langara, thought the damage to the sculptures muddled parks mystery the artwork’s message. “It’s disrupting [Nguyen’s] origi- nal idea,” Basra said. One steel frog by the foun- tain was even uprooted from the round. “They are bolted to the ground with three half-inch steel bolts,” Nguyen said. “Which is impres- sive, to say the least, that some- one’s strong enough to just pick them up and push them around.” But the head of public art for the city of Vancouver, Eric Frederick- sen, explained the weather causes significant damage to public art around the city. “We have a fairly active main- tenance program in response to things being in the public realm and taking damage over the years through wear and tear and the elements,” Fredericksen said. “Even non-extreme (weather) can cause that.” Most of the time, it is difficult to know how damage occurs to anything in public space. “If someone writes their name on something in spray-paint then you have an idea what might have happened,” Fred- ericksen said. “A lot of stuff happens over the holidays or in the middle of the night when nobody is around.” A LEAP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION » About the art The four frogs represent rebirth and fertility. Tina Nguyen thinks that post-secondary school is the perfect place to reinvent yourself. » When they arrived The frogs were installed on Dec.14, 2018. They will be in place for another year. » The locations One frog sits on the path in front of the fountain. Another is on front walkway to Building A. Students can find one nestled behind the visual arts pottery shed. The last frog stands across from Building B, facing the student union. » Artist's future work Nguyen will be heading a 13- week, $1,000 public art instal- lation to be placed in front of the Langara-49th Canada Line SkyTrain station. THE VOICE 7 Valentines varies at Langara Canada's celebration of romance likely to confuse many interna- tional students = By MISSYJOHNSON s Valentine’s Day affec- tions are spread around Langara College this week, the traditions associated with it may seem unusual to the school’s culturally diverse student body. A Langara sociology teacher, Gagun Chhina, says not every culture around the world cele- brates Valentine’s Day the same way Canadians will, although many do have traditional roman- tic events. “Most cultures have a day where they celebrate love,” Chhina said. But the pink decorations, candy hearts, flowers and Hallmark cards will still be abnormal for many international students, who make up one-third of Langara’s enrol- ment, according to statistics from last fall. Some cultures believe the West- ern version of courting and love is counter to their traditions. “When they have their own customs, they see it as a dilution of their own practices,” Chhina said. In 1868, Cadbury created "Fancy Boxes,’ the first heart-shaped box of chocolates. winDELt OSKAY FLICKR PHOTO In Pakistan, where Langara student Haider Mehdi is from, Valentine’s Day was banned in 2017. “They don’t take this thing that well over there,” Mehdi said. “It is still very much a taboo.” While some countries don’t celebrate or even allow Valentine’s Day, other countries have a similar version of the holiday. “Cultures are constantly borrow- ing and sharing things with one another,” said Langara anthropol- ogy instructor Adam Solomonian. South Korea has White Day in April, where women and girls present chocolates and gifts to the men in their lives. Brazil celebrates Dia dos Namorados, which trans- lates to Lover’s Day, in June. According to Chhina, celebrat- ing romantic love is common practice in most places around the world. Langara student Steven Zhao said China doesn't have Valen- tine’s Day, but it does have the Qixi Festival, which is similar. “We just celebrate the ones we love,” Zhao said. The average Canadian will spend $164 on Valentine’s Day, according to a survey done by RetailMeNot.ca. But not every Canadian agrees with the commercial nature of the celebration. “T think you should just show that you love each other every day not just one day a year,” said Lang- ara student, Cynthia Turnbull.