Plays, acclaimed musicians and bands, orchestras, jigging and a major musical - the Flin Flon Arts Council is preparing for one of its biggest years yet for events.
The council’s full slate of events for the 2022-23 season includes prominent names from near and far performing for Flin Flonners throughout the coming months. Three Arts Council events have already taken place this summer - the Trout Festival Fish Fry, which the group organized this year, along with Street Corner Concerts around Flin Flon July 16 and 30 and the Manitoba Underground Opera performance of “Goldie B. Locks and the Three Singing Bears” August 20.
The next major arts event in the works is this year’s edition of Culture Days, running from Sept. 23-Oct. 16. That will include three large-scale events at the Flin Flon Community Hall - the Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers from Winnipeg, as seen on CTV’s Canada’s Got Talent, will perform Oct. 1, followed by the Wild Rice Cabaret Oct. 8.
The final day of Culture Days festivities will coincide with a performance by seven-time Juno Award winner and five-time Canadian platinum-selling artist Serena Ryder at the hall Oct. 16. Ryder, who cracked the Canadian Top 10 singles charts with songs like "What I Wouldn't Do" and "Stompa", is currently touring her latest album, The Art of Falling Apart, released last year.
Following the major shows, the Arts Council will host the fall show from the Ham Sandwich drama troupe Nov. 25-26 - a production of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten's "A Doublewide, Texas Christmas". The Flin Flon Community Choir's Christmas concert will hit the stage next on Dec. 3.
To start 2023, Flin Flon will play host to the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra Jan. 21 at the community hall, then will host the Manitoba Theatre Centre on the hall’s stage Feb. 4.
Ham Sandwich will take the main stage once more March 10-11 for the group’s spring show, with Juno-nominated children’s entertainers Will’s Jams coming to the hall April 18.
The season comes to a conclusion May 5, 6 and 7 with three nights of the Flin Flon Community Choir’s first major musical performance in four years, a community-led production of the Broadway adaptation of Mary Poppins. The musical will be the group’s first such production since the four-night showing of Mamma Mia took over the hall back in 2019.
“This is going to be an extraordinary performing arts year,” said Flin Flon Arts Council cultural coordinator Crystal Kolt of the council's 2022-23 event slate.
“This is going to be a five-star year for us.”
The news comes after two years of COVID-19-related restrictions that limited the size of show crowds and kept showgoers away due to concerns about spread and infection. With no restrictions currently in place, Kolt and the council are looking ahead to a year as close to normal as possible - both building on momentum from 2019 and returning to the prominence the group had before, even if it means preparing for shows during what’s normally the group’s slow season.
“Things are happening during the summer now, which is nice, it’s great. Things are now busy during the summer as well,” Kolt said.
Tickets for each show and event will be available both at the Arts Council’s website and at local businesses.
