Living Things Festival brings groundbreaking theatre to Kelowna

Kelowna's international arts festival will play host to more than 18 shows and events celebrating boundary-pushing contemporary theatre, dance, music, animation, art, and more.The festival is curated to provide an inspiring and creative outlet in the depths of winter, encouraging residents to engage with art and one another. In an era of increased loneliness and digital connection, the need for live presence and interaction is greater than ever.

“We team up with presenters from across North America to bring the most exciting, internationally-celebrated performances to Kelowna,” says Neil Cadger, festival founder and UBC Okanagan professor. “This year, Living Things will welcome artists from Vancouver, Montreal, and South Korea via Amsterdam.”

Performances are as varied as the artists' addresses. There's an over-the-top drag bingo show, talking rice cookers, a hilarious one-woman show that explores four generations of indigenous women, and two armies of French baguettes battling for Poland's fate amongst a backdrop of exploding tomato bombs.  It can be difficult to explain the shows at Living Things, but Cadger says that is part of what makes the festival magical. With the recent success of Kelowna’s new annual Fringe Festival, Cadger says that Living Things is the next evolution, with curated shows that represent the best of the international Fringe circuit.

"The work we present is powerful, sometimes deliriously funny, sometimes challenging but always, somehow, a question of life and death."

For the first time, Living Things is partnering with the Kelowna Art Gallery to bring internationally-acclaimed interactive visual art to their downtown space during the festival.  Living Things also includes live public installations in the FINA Gallery in the Creative and Critical Studies building on the UBCO campus, and exhibitions of both student and faculty artwork at the Alternator Gallery.

Tickets range in price from $10-35 per show with admission for select events available for free or by donation. The Festival Pass offers more than 50% savings and gives access to one performance per show, allowing festival-goers to take in every show for just $130 or $95 for students.