4 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCT. 27, 2016 EDITOR CHANTELLE DEACON FA ntertainment Theatre stages 500th show A renowned South Vancouver theatre celebrates a special occasion siman a ee By ow r CHELSEA POWRIE photo Metro Theatre in South Vancouver. By CHELSEA POWRIE outh Vancouver’s Metro Theatre is hitting a milestone this month with the opening of Sense and Sensibility, its 500th production. Sean Ullmann was a child when the Metro Theatre opened its doors in 1962. She grew up in the theatre, hanging around while her mother worked in many capacities. 54 years later, Ullmann is still at South Vancouver’s Metro The- atre, currently managing the costumes for Sense and Sensibility. “T have the dubious distinction of be- ing the only person left who’s been here since Metro opened,” Ullmann said. “Tm thrilled to see [Sense and Sensibil- ity] being done on such an auspicious occasion.” The Metro Theatre has a loyal follow- ing in South Vancouver. It produces around five shows per season, plus a popular annual Christmas pantomime, a traditional English parody show. In 1964, the Metro Theatre moved to its current location, with its first show be- ing a White Rock Players’ Club produc- tion of Dark of the Moon. Joan Bryans, the director of Sense and Sensibility, first got involved at the Metro Theatre as a member of the cho- rus in the early 80s. “My daughter was 10 or 11, and at that point I didn’t want her to be in a show without me being around to keep an eye on her,” Bryans said. “I thought if she’s in it, I’m going to be in it too!” Bryans has since become a staple di- rector with the company. She is excited to be involved in the 500th production at the Metro Theatre, which she considers an important community institution. “There are very few proper theatres left. Here you have a full audience and the red curtains come down just the way it used to be and you have all the bells and whistles,” Bryans said. “And of course there aren’t very many theatres down in this part of the [city].” The Metro Theatre’s importance also lies in its tradition of fostering emerg- ing talent. Cassie Ledoux is playing Marianne in Sense and Sensibility, her first stage role since moving to Vancou- ver from Smithers. She’s thrilled that institutions like the Metro Theatre still exist. “There’s something very special about live theatre,” Ledoux said. “May- be it inspires something [people] they wouldn’t have otherwise thought about.” FA finds CTUAL d 1 Metro Theatre is a non-profit organiza- tion. 2 Metro Theatre has over 300 seats. 3 Metro Theatre puts on more shows annually than any other theatre in North America. 4 Metro Theatre's annual line-up includes plays and musicals from everywhere. 5 Metro Theatre is wheelchair accessible. Source: MetroTheatre.com Vancouver's most outgoing hermit A Langara student shows his personality through his love for hip-hop music By STUART NEATBY most outgoing hermit. Lehtinen, who studies business administration at Langara College, is better known within Vancouver's all- ages scene by his hip-hop stage name “Hermit.” The 18-year-old has been performing for over two years. A man- ic, wickedly fun stage performer, Lehtinen’s set at an East Vancouver all- ages show last Friday, Oct. 21, ended with a crowd sing-along cover of Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl. Lehtinen, however, insisted that he’s naturally a homebody. “Pm not a super sociable person. These shows, those are my big social events of the month,” said Lehtinen during an interview before the show. The hermit theme, along with his love of Japanese anime and video games, flows through his songs, which he described as “ethereal trap music.” His newest track, Akihabara, an hom- age to the Tokyo district and anime mecca, features lines like “catch me ’m leavin’ my body/’'m runnin’ shi Gendo Ikari/y’all gettin’ mad because Her- mit’s at home/he’s not at your party.” Lehtinen said he isn’t confident when it comes to the state of Vancou- ver’s all-ages music scene. He said that Vancouver desperately needs a sus- tainable all-ages music venue. His set on Friday occurred at a licensed-but- informal East Vancouver venue known only as ‘Half Satan.’ “We're throwing shows at warehous- es and at dilapidated parts studios where the foundation is cracking,” he said. Karlan Morrison, the 26-year-old ar- tistic director of ‘Half Satan,’ said that the work of maintaining all-ages ven- ues are rewarding because of the expo- sure it gives for artists like Lehtinen. “They’re just trying to produce art and have a place to be able to perform the art that they pour their soul into,” he said. Je Lehtinen may be Vancouver’s STUART NEATBY photo Counter-clockwise from the top, Lehtinen performing, bottom right Lehtinen post performance. Langara teachers walk away as winners Two Langara journalism teachers win prestigious awards at the annual Jack Webster Awards dinner By MICHELE PAULSE instructor and Vancouver Sun re- porter, won the Excellence in Le- gal Journalism category at the 30th an- nual Jack Webster Awards on Oct. 20. The awards recognizes journalists in print and broadcasting throughout B.C. for outstanding reporting. Jack Webster had an influential career for over 40 years; in 1986 The Jack Webster Foundation was created in his honour. This year it took place at Vancouver’s Hyatt Regency. Bolan won her Jack Webster Award for her series ‘Jail Violence on the Rise, on inmate-on-inmate attacks over a period of 18 months. “Tt’s nice to get the recognition for a story that was hard to do,” Bolan said. “T always say to my colleagues that I don’t want awards to be the focus of my life.” Bolan said her win was a “crap K: Bolan, a Langara journalism shoot,” and also recognized the ex- KIMBOLAN cellent work of her Langara teacher journalist peers. and journalist “T write stories because I think r4 4 they’re important and a lot of impor- ; tant stories dont I don’t win awards but want they’re still impor- tant stories,” she awards to said. - Bolan said she be the fo spent a lot of the CUS of my evening with other life reporters, discuss- ing the value of news and the im- portance of journalism effecting change throughout communities. Rob Dykstra, a retired Langara journalism instructor, who taught for 32 years, received the Bill Good Award that honours a journalist or educator who makes a significant contribution to journalism in B.C.. “My first reaction was surprise. I was taken aback. I thought ‘who me?” said Dykstra, whose passion for fea- ture writing led him to create the Lan- gara Journalism Review, a magazine about journalism and the media. “To be recognized by your peers is a real achievement,” said Dykstra who described the annual gathering of jour- nalists as a family reunion. Other Langara instructors and alumni were recognized throughout the evening, including Jon Woodward, another Langara journalism instructor and an investigative reporter at CTV. He was nominated with co-reporter Kendra Mangione for Excellence in Digital Journalism. Langara journal- ism grad Mike Hager won The Jack Webster Business, Industry & Econom- ics Award. A current Langara journal- ism student, Alyse Kotyk, won The Jack Webster Foundation Student Journalism Award, along with four other students from B.C. post second- ary institutions.