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Guitars, comedy and ‘Shrek’: Cowichan Performing Arts Centre has it all in January

2023 is starting off with a bang
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Jesus Guerrero of Spain is just one of the performers who will hit the stage at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre in Duncan on Jan. 26 for ‘International Guitar Night’. (Photo courtesy of CPAC)

2023 is starting off with a bang at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, with a number of shows hitting the big stage in January.

First up is the Cowichan Symphony Society’s Devine Bach on Jan. 14.

Starting at 7:30 p.m. audiences will be treated to Victoria Baroque, directed by Steve Devine, for a program that includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach and his son Carl Philipp Emmanuel. Works will include Orchestral Suite No. 3 with ‘Air on the G string’, and Bach’s only Italian Cantata ‘Non sa che sia dolore’.

Tickets are $55, with $10 tickets for students and children.

Note that this performance is not physically at the Cowichan Theatre in Duncan. Instead, it is being staged at the Killy Theatre at Brentwood College in Mill Bay.

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Next up is the Snowed In Comedy Tour on Friday, Jan. 20.

Starting at 7:30 p.m., the tour, in its 14th season, will star Just for Laughs winner Dan Quinn, Great Canadian Laugh Off winner Paul Myrehaug and six time Canadian Commedian of the Year nominee Pete Zedlacher. Erica Sigurdson of the Debaters will also join the show.

Check out Canada’s biggest comedy tour for the ticket price of $53.50, $43.50 for seniors, and $29.50 for students.

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On Thursday, Jan. 26 it’s time for the show that guitar lovers everywhere wait for: International Guitar Night.

This is the 23rd year for the tour, and they’ve got a superb lineup of international musicians.

“Join us for an unforgettable evening of music and storytelling,” said a press release for the show.

Audiences will be treated to music from Jocelyn Gould of Canada, Jesus Guerrero of Spain, Stephanie Jones of Australia, and Itamar Erez of Israel.

Get ready for a program that runs the gamut of jazz, classical, and flamenco.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $44.

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On Monday, Jan. 30, check out the Reel Alternatives presentation of the film Ali & Ava, at 7:30 p.m.

The film is about two lonely people who meet and sparks fly. Their connection grows over the course of a month.

Reel Alternatives is a monthly fundraiser for Cowichan Hospice that brings Toronto Film Festival critically acclaimed films to the Cowichan Valley.

Tickets are $17.

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Last but certainly not least, the Cowichan Musical Society has booked the big stage for the final two weekends in January for their production of Shrek The Musical.

Following their successful staging last year of Beauty and the Beast, the group is taking on this beloved and hilarious fairy tale “in which curses are reversed, monsters get the girls, donkeys and dragons find love, and princesses are beautiful in all shapes and sizes.”

Yes, this is the tale you love from the film, being brought to you live on stage at CPAC.

Regular tickets are $49, children eight and under get in for $39, Rows O-P tickets are $39 and Rows A and B tickets are $29.

This show is family fare, and starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, Saturday, Jan. 28, Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4. There are two matinees scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. and Sunday Feb. 5, also at 2 p.m.

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Tickets for all CPAC shows can be purchased at cowichanpac.ca, or by calling the Cowichan box office at 250-746-2722, or going in person. The box office is in the lobby of the Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan at 2687 James St.



Andrea Rondeau

About the Author: Andrea Rondeau

I returned to B.C. and found myself at the Cowichan Valley Citizen.
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