Event Date: Monday, March 9th, 2009 at 8pm
Venue: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts
Ticket Price: $30 per adult / $10 per student
FREE Preshow: Mount Boucherie Jazz Combo at 7pm

Together, Leora Cashe and The Ross Taggart Trio pay tribute to Joni Mitchell, one of Canada's greatest icons and best loved recording artists with "Another Side Now - The Songs of Joni Mitchell".

An accomplished graduate of Edmonton's Grant MacEwan jazz program, Leora Cashe has studied with some of the greatest contemporary jazz artists including Kurt Elling, Nancy King and Dee Daniels.

In addition, Leora has recorded and performed in concert with many celebrated Canadian artists including Brad Turner, Denzal Sinclaire, Jim Byrnes, Shari Ulrich and Canadian jazz legend Tommy Banks for CBC Radio and TV.

Leora will be accompanied by the Ross Taggart Trio featuring arranger and pianist extraordinaire Ross Taggart, Vancouver's 'magnificent drummer' Buff Allan and swingin' bassist / guitarist Darren Radtke.

Tickets to Leora Cashe and The Ross Taggart Trio can be purchased through Ticketmaster, by visiting the RCA Box Office, or by calling (250) 717-5304. For further information please visit www.RotaryCentrefortheArts.com

Event: Education Week Special Workshop & Showcase
Date: Monday, March 9th, 2009 at 12:15pm
Ticket Price: Free!

Following the jazz tradition of championing one another, Leora Cashe and The Ross Taggart Trio will lead an intensive 2-hour Stage Band Workshop for students from the Mount Boucherie Singers and Mount Boucherie Jazz Combo.

As part of Education Week, workshop participants will focus on two pieces of music from the repertoire of Joni Mitchell arranged for stage band by Jill Townsend and Ross Taggart. The workshop will be followed by a FREE showcase in the Atrium at 12:15pm on Monday, March 9th.

Following the noon hour performance, workshop participants will be highlighted in the RCA Spotlight Series evening performance featuring Leora Cashe and The Ross Taggart Trio.

In addition to the workshop, noon hour performances featuring children's choirs and musicians from School District 23 will run through March 9-13th from 12-1pm in the Atrium. Everyone is welcome to attend the special showcases happening all week at the RCA!

We are thrilled to announce another year of the exciting Arts Blast Spring Break program for kids! Featuring a wide selection of fun and creative arts activities, Arts Blast is the total arts experience for kids!

The two-day arts camp gives children the opportunity to explore their imagination while taking classes in Art, Music, Drama and Dance. Guided by "top flight" instructors, Arts Blast is a fantastic program designed for individual learning and growth.

With its central location, the Rotary Centre for the Arts is the perfect location for Spring Break activities. Blast into spring by registering your children into Arts Blast! For further information please visit www.RotaryCentrefortheArts.com or call (250) 717-5304.

Event: Mesa... A Comic Road Trip to the Heart
Date: Wed, March 18th - Sat, March 21st, 2009 at 8pm
Venue: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts
Ticket Price: $40 per adult / $10 per student

It's a moving two-man highway comedy, and you're invited for the ride! Paul is asked to drive his wife's 93-year-old Grandpa "Bud" from Calgary to his retirement trailer in Mesa, Arizona. Paul hopes to find strange, roadside diners and sleep out under the stars. Bud wants Denny's and Motel 6.

Paul and Bud spend 5 days together, navigating the predictable turnoffs on the Interstate while discovering their need for each other, sharing their lives, experiences, hopes and dreams. This will be Bud's final year in Mesa - Paul is his chauffeur, but Bud is Paul's guide.

Join this odd couple as they negotiate the hairpin turns of one life stalled and one heading for its final exit. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Rotary Centre for the Arts. To learn more about 'Mesa' and the 08/09 Sunshine Theatre Season visit www.SunshineTheatre.org.

Event: Andy Jones: An Evening with Uncle Val
Date: Tues, March 31st - Sat, April 4th, 2009 at 8pm
Venue: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts
Ticket Price: $40 per adult / $10 per student

Andy Jones brings us the hilariously sarcastic Uncle Val in 'An Evening with Uncle Val'. An indignant, 70 year old retired fisherman, Uncle Val is now trapped in the 'big city' of St. John's after being displaced from his outport home.

Homesick, Val struggles to figure out what life has left to offer him. Is there anything of use for a senior citizen in the suburbs to do? Is there any mystery or magic left for him to discover?

Uncle Val's journey brings us an evening of Christmas reminiscences, encounters with the Beatles, and the danger of St. John's winters or as Val likes to call it: The Seniors' Olympics. There are births, deaths and even romances, as Val struggles to find his place in 'city' life.

Join us for this wonderful comic meditation on Newfoundland, life and mortality. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Rotary Centre for the Arts. To learn more about 'An Evening with Uncle Val' and the 08/09 Sunshine Theatre Season visit www.SunshineTheatre.org.

The Rotary Centre for the Arts is pleased to present a new virtual tour produced by Chris Malins of VirtualAerial.com. We would like to thank Chris for his fantastic work and the addition of the new feature!

The tour will be available this spring on the Rotary Centre for the Arts website and allows you to explore the interior of the entire building in an interactive 360° tour.

To learn more about VirtualAerial.com and the aerial photography of Chris Malins, please visit www.virtualaerial.com or call (250) 575-6950.

What better way to beat the March blahs than a dose of sizzling live entertainment presented by the Rotary Centre for the Arts? Get the latest updates on our news and events by joining the RCA Facebook Group!

To become a member of our group simply visit www.facebook.com and search for the Rotary Centre for the Arts. While visiting our group, help get the word out by asking your friends to check out our page!

This month in the Galleria...
Kelowna Painters' Studio

Various works by members of the Kelowna Painters' Studio will be on display in the Galleria through March 16th - April 30th and are available for viewing daily from 8am - 8pm.

Other Exhibitions this month at the RCA...
Atrium & Display Cases: Alternator Gallery
Mezzanine: Cherie Hanson

Join Resident Artist Cherie Hanson up in Studio 205 on Sunday, March 15th from 7-9pm for Open the Door to Europe

This special artists reception will feature food, art and a fantastic opportunity to meet, mingle and take away some great artwork.

For only $20 at the door, guests will receive a postcard that can be exchanged for $20 towards Cherie's artwork at anytime. All proceeds will go towards helping Cherie fund her group show in Vienna this May!

Event: 6th Annual Wearable Art Gala
Date: Saturday, March 14th at 8pm
Venue: Alternator Gallery, Rotary Centre for the Arts

The Alternators' Wearable Art Gala fundraiser is on the scene once again this year! Each year the audience is bigger, the show more finely choreographed and for the first time ever will feature a closing party inspired to bring you even closer to the full fantasy and thrill of WAG.

The Wearable Art Gala is an artistic exploration of all types of body adornment. This fun and funky adult theatre event is not a fashion show in the traditional sense - it's an artistic exploration of all types of body adornment.

This year WAG will feature large choreographed group performances, delectable organic treats and WAG Unleased, a closing gala party. For more information on WAG please visit www.alternatorgallery.com.