Al Zylstra

With a couple of stressful moments ( I promised Alex I wouldn’t spill the beans), we are waiting patiently for our flight to Amsterdam. Lots of pictures and posts are coming…

I am very excited to be Stage Managing this amazing play: MEN EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS

Men Express Their Feelings is a comedy about hockey, culture and relationships. Two dads and their sons are sequestered to a hockey rink dressing room to sort out a critical situation. Amidst a series of wild misunderstandings and ridiculous antics, these guys get to know each other and themselves a whole lot better, while redefining what it means to WIN.

This play deals with non-traditional relationship issues and contains explicit scenes and dialogue.

We are auditioning FOUR roles:

RAJ: (able to play) a 17 years old. South Asian Canadian (born in Canada). The goaltender.

BRAD: (able to play) a 17 years old. Caucasian Canadian (born in Canada). The Captain.

MR SHARMA: (able to play) a 42 years old. Moved to Canada from India in his early 20s. Class privileged North

Indian accent, sounding somewhat British. Lawyer turned driving instructor.

MR BACON: (able to play) a 44 years old. Caucasian Canadian (born in Canada). Cell phone kiosk manager.

If you know of anyone who is interested in auditioning for these roles, Contact Philip Roaf at 778 385 7187 for more information.

Soak in the sun on the shores of the Fraser- the FreshCo Richmond Dragon Boat Festival returns to Steveston on August 19!
BC’s third largest race returns to Imperial Landing, with FreshCo and the Province of British Columbia supporting the Festival’s largest ever programming lineup- and the most teams ever!

The Festival is free to attend and open to the public.
80 teams representing more than 2,000 racers are set to take to the water, with races coming down the Fraser River every 11 minutes running from 8:30 AM to approximately 5:30 PM. The Festival is the largest race in BC outside of Vancouver, with participating teams attending from around BC and the US.
On top of the racing, the Festival is hosting an entirely local cultural program lineup for the community to enjoy on the main stage, including: Indigenous soul pop artist Hayley Wallis and the Bright Futures; the Sun Moon Lake trio experimenting with modern and traditional Chinese instruments; Coastal Wolf Pack presenting Musqueam protocol; and Hon Hsing Athletic Club bringing lion dances to the community.

I am stage managing a great local line up of talent.

Starting with Coastal Wolf Pack at 11:00 am

The Hon Hsing Athletic Club will be making their way through the Festival Grounds with their Chinese Dragon Dances

At 2:00 pm is the amazing Ginalina – Sun Moon Lake Trio

At 3:00 pm, we will have the pleasure of seeing and hearing Rachel Carino from the Sarah McLachlan School of Music

At 4:00, we will get to experience the amazingly talented Hayley Wallis and the Bright Futures

Closing out the day will be another great talent: Luc Lemans at 5:00 pm

The site will be a huge party and I hope you can make it down to see everything.

Alex and I have started a tradition – an annual block party – which is held on the long weekend in July or the one in August. We had a great event this year with over 30 people in attendance. Phantom and Beau were in their glory!

Everyone who came to the party had to meet the gatekeepers and offer them a bribe to allow safe passage to the event – bribes were gleefully accepted.

I cannot believe that the Dragon Boat Festival came and went so quickly! I didn’t get a chance to take a lot of photos or video this year. I was running between two stages, the indigenous pavilion, the Kid’s zone and all the while rushing to make sure that my performers were on stage in a timely manner. I had a glorious time! Put on almost 100,000 steps over three days!

Even the local fauna took in the event! This troupe was fearless! Ignoring every sign and just plowed through the crowds.

Every year, there is a ceremony to celebrate breast cancer survivors and this who lost their battle. Every year, the song, Meet you at the Light by Desiree Dawson is played and every year, you can find me crying. It is such an emotional song and so poignant. The quality of the video is not great as I was recording it off a giant video monitor. But, still truly moving.

This was my home for three amazing days! The weather was glorious and the crowds had so much fun! This is what a great festival is all about!

I can’t wait for next year! In the meantime, however, I have been hired as the Stage Manager for the Steveston Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday, August 19. Hope to see everyone down there!

It looks like it will be a fun filled day again with great music and exciting races.

This past week has been a true roller coaster of stuff.

The final performances of the show I am currently working on: Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun are happening this week. There are still tickets available for tonight, Friday’s Saturday and Sunday. If you want to see a great show with truly talented actors, this is it. If you want to buy tickets, click here.

I am stage managing the performances on Thursday and Friday.

Saturday and Sunday, I will be working at the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival. This year marks my 15th year as the Stage Manager for the Music Festival which runs during the weekend.

Saturday, June 24

Sunday, June 25

I encourage anyone who is in the Lower Mainland to come down and check out what has become, one of Vancouver’s best and diverse festivals.

I had to say goodbye this week to three of our finned friends. They struggled with health issues for a while and no treatments, medication or rehabilitation attempts seemed to improve their overall health. I am sad about their passing but, I know that they are no longer suffering.

This is my latest project as a Stage Manager and I am so proud of this production. What an amazing cast and Crew!

Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun by Norm Foster is our final show of the season, a tender look at how real people can endure hardships with humour and kindness. 

​A thirty-five-year-old man with the mental capacity of a seven-year-old, meets a pregnant young woman in crisis, and the two form a lasting friendship. A story about people finding the nerve to take responsibility, and about persevering against the odds.  One of Norm Foster’s most touching plays, about a man who must learn to let go to move on.

Directed by Don Briard. Don directs at many theatres around the lower mainland and has directed several shows on our stage, including most recently Over the River and Through the Woods, in which he also performed. 

I hope you can get out and see this show. https://www.whiterockplayers.ca/kissthemoontickets

Today is my parent’s wedding anniversary. They were married on June 8, 1949

It was a grand affair. Family members from both sides put on their finest and celebrated what would be a marriage that lasted 53 years before my dad passed in 2003.