Let’s face it, February is the least attractive month. Even the candy-coloured array of cars are caked with the dust that blows in your face as they rush by. But from the humblest packages comes the greatest beauty. It was February that greeted me as I entered the world, a brilliant wee pink babe amidst all this grey and dirt brown.
And it was February again, in which the Civic Theatre’s 2014 Nelson Hustle Oscar Gala first basked in glittery golds and silvers inspired by the Best Picture-nominated American Hustle; a welcomed diversion and celebration of the ‘70s, complete with the most colourful of costumes from the era.
Nelson Hustle was a testament to the fact that people in Nelson know how to make February a little less bleak. In fact, this year’s Oscar weekend in Nelson is already so busy (and the vibrant colour of this year’s party so dazzling) that 2016’s Hail, Civic! The Golden Age of Hollywood Gala has to spill over the confines of February, leap year and all, and land on March 5. Friends, Romans and starlets are all invited to our celebration of the end of the Golden Age of Hollywood with its epic Technicolor spectacles.
Aerial dancing mermaids, a Roman goddess DJ, a Blue Hawaii tiki bar and Caesars all await you in this Technicolor dress up party preceding, you guessed it, a screening of the Coen brothers’ latest film, Hail, Caesar! It is events like these that bring together community that remind us why the cinema, even though we enjoy it in the dark, is not a solitary experience.
The laughter, tears and amazement of this shared experience is magical. The fact that these moving pictures that can move us so deeply don’t happen in a vacuum, and also take the shared connected efforts of a community to bring to life, is a testament that we can create our own colour for the most colourless time of year.
Before the party, come out and see your community at three inspiring events that go even further to show the power of cinema to bring people together. The EcoSociety presents the Sweetgrass-produced documentary Jumbo Wild tonight at 7:30 p.m., Coldsmoke Opener presents Kootenay Mountain Culture Elixir on this 40th anniversary year of Whitewater on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Kootenay Project Adventure for the Visually Impaired presents Touching The Top of the World on Monday, Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m. And don’t forget to join us for a free screening of the live streamed Oscars on Feb. 28.
See you on the sound stage.
Jason Asbell is the programmer, theatre manager and Hastius Prior of the Civic Theatre.