Home Entertainment in Vancouver Vancouver Shows and Entertainment Calendar in 2024 & 2025 Vancouver’s STAND Performing Arts Festival in 2024

Vancouver’s STAND Performing Arts Festival in 2024

2024 Stand Festival

The Stand Festival is an arts festival showcasing the works of immigrant and refugee artists with performances in both Vancouver and on the North Shore.

The festival runs from November 1st to 17th in 2024. For tickets and full details, visit standfestival.com.

 

The STAND Festival

STAND is an acronym for Strength Through Art Network Diversity. The festival has been running since 2021. It celebrates the stories, passion and artistic talents of newcomers to Canada. The festival is a wonderful series of events that gives immigrant and refugee artists a platform to share their talents. Performances include music, dance and live theatre. There are knowledge-sharing workshops and art exhibitions as well.

 

When & Where

In 2024 the festival runs from November 1st until the 17th.

Performances take place at both The Annex and Scotiabank Dance Centre in downtown Vancouver. Shows also happen at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver.

The Annex’s address is 823 Seymour Street. It’s a cabaret-style venue with two levels owned and operated by Vancouver Civic Theatres. STAND Festival productions happen at The Annex on November 5th and 11th.

The Scotiabank Dance Centre, meanwhile, is at 677 Davie Street. It’s home to several dance studios and the Faris Family Studio black box theatre. STAND Festival performances take place at this location on November 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Presentation House Theatre is at 333 Chesterfield Avenue in North Vancouver. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the Lonsdale Quay SeaBus Terminal and a block west of Lonsdale Avenue. The venue hosts STAND Festival shows on November 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th and 17th.

 

Stand Festival

 

Stand Festival Ticket Costs

Tickets for all STAND Festival performances are available online. Prices for most events are $18 for students and seniors, and $30 for everyone else. There’s one work-in-progress event that costs about $15 per person, which is also the price to attend each workshop.

 


For tickets and full details, visit standfestival.com.


 

Unity Rhythm
Unity Rhythm

 

2024 STAND Festival Shows

The festival lineup for 2024 is below. (Note: Exact show times and other details are subject to change.)

 

Unity Rhythms

(Friday, November 1st, 2024)

Unity Rhythms is a powerful dance performance by a group of nine dancers. Choreographed and directed by Isaac Gasangwa, the dancers celebrate Pan-Africanism on stage with fast paced movements and rhythms. The show starts at 7:30 pm at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.

 

Lussilia

(Saturday, November 2nd, 2024)

Lussilia is a singer and songwriter performing at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. The concert begins at 5:30 pm and features a live band. Expect to hear tropical rhythms and Venezuelan folklore, along with some Spanish flamenco.

 

Lussilia
Lussilia

 

Strings of Unity & Home Is a River

(Saturday, November 2nd, 2024)

Home Is a River is a one-hour show by Taraneh Mousavi and a live band. The Iranian Canadian artist combines poetry with folk and alternative jazz. The opening act is Strings of Unity which is the duo of Pico Masaki and Chihiro Homma. They play ancient Japanese sounds with a modern influence on the harp, piano and guzheng. This event takes place at the Scotiabank Dance Centre and starts at 7:30 pm.

 

Camino y Despedida (Walking Farewells)

(Sunday, November 3rd, 2024)

Back at the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Camino y Despedida is a tribute to migrants. The production features dance, live music and a couple of original songs. It covers various emotions associated with migration, including both hope and sorrow. This event begins at 7:30 pm.

 

Camino y Despedida (Walking Farewells)
Camino y Despedida Walking Farewells

 

The Immigrant’s Heartbeat & Katha – Keertana Chronicles

(Thursday, November 5th, 2024)

The first STAND Festival show at The Annex this year starts at 7:30 pm. The Immigrant’s Heartbeat by Babak Borna is the show’s opening performance with percussion instruments. The event continues with Katha – Keertana Chronicles which combines Hindu mythology with rhythmic music. Performers are Sharvari Somayaji, Shriram Rajagopalan and Keerthy Raghavan.

 

Bekhand: An Evening With 50 Inspiring Iranian Women

(Saturday, November 9th, 2024)

Bekhand: An Evening With 50 Inspiring Iranian Women takes place at 7:30 pm at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver. It’s an interactive comedy performed mostly in English, but also with a little Farsi (i.e. Persian). Audience members select stories from the book 50 Inspiring Iranian Women by Roushi Rouzbehani. Performers use the chosen stories to shape their improvised comedy on stage.

 

The Toad Canes / Metamorphosis

(Sunday, November 10th, 2024)

The Toad Canes / Metamorphosis is a show at Presentation House Theatre that starts at 7:30 pm. It’s a dramatic thriller inspired by the work of Frantz Fanon. The dance explores family relationships, power dynamics and ethics. Performers and people behind the production are Ehsan Fouladifard, Ricardo Hardy, Rene Khazaee and Negin Khazaee.

 

From Grave to Grace & Songs from the East

(Monday, November 11th, 2024)

This event is held at The Annex and starts at 7:30 pm. From Grave to Grace is the opening performance by singer, songwriter and musician Grace Zakko. Songs from the East then features a concert with Ibrahim Saker, Nazeer Salameh and Curtis Andrews. It’s a diverse showcase of Turkish, Arabic and Spanish pieces.

 

Song from the East

 

Gay Ancestors & We All Become An Eye

(Friday, November 15th, 2024)

There are two shows happening at Presentation House Theatre from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Tickets cost about $15 per person and include work-in-progress performances. One is Gay Ancestors, which is a play celebrating the queer community. The other play is We All Become An Eye which is about adversity and resilience in Iran.

 

APÄTRIDA (Stateless)

(Saturday, November 16th, 2024)

APÄTRIDA is a performance by Pablo Zacarías. He’s a Mexican Lebanese artist who sings, shares stories and tells jokes. A number of other musicians and artists are also featured at the show. This event starts at 7:30 pm. It takes place at Presentation House Theatre.

 

I Am 108

(Sunday, November 17th, 2024)

The final show of the STAND Festival in 2024 starts at 7:30 pm at Presentation House Theatre. I Am 108 is a Drag Queen storytelling show about Paraguay’s 108 (which involved the murder of a radio host and subsequent torture of 108 homosexuals in the South American country in 1959). The show features Juanita Bang Bang and is directed by Luciana Silvestre.

 

Stand Festival Workshops in 2024

The 2024 STAND Festival features five different workshops. They all take place at 6:00 pm on different days at North Vancouver’s Presentation House Theatre. This year’s workshops are listed below.

The above knowledge-sharing workshops are not only for immigrant artists but also for immigrants, refugees and members of the public who enjoy art and want to build connections.

 

Art Exhibition

There’s one art exhibition to check out at the STAND Festival in 2024. It’s at Presentation House Theatre on the North Shore.

This year’s exhibition is First Generation, curated by Annie Hung. It’s a showcase of artwork by both young and old immigrants. Expect to notice differences in themes between the two generations.

The exhibition is only open from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm on days when STAND Festival shows take place at the venue, so on November 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th and 17th in 2024.

 

Other Information

For more information about the festival, visit standfestival.com.

To learn about the venues where the festival takes place see our articles about Presentation House Theatre or the Scotiabank Dance Centre. For information about the ANNEX, see the Vancouver Civic Theatres website.

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