WHIMSY IN THE PARK: Shakespeare in the Park kicks off this Wednesday (June 27) for its 25th season and will be running A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Prince Island Park until August 10. Performances run Wednesday through Sunday (most weeks) at 7pm with a weekend matinee at 2pm and tickets are pay-what-you-can.
Photo by David Cooper courtesy of Theatre Calgary

Monday (June 25): One Yellow Rabbit’s annual Summer Lab Intensive kicks off today – a three week “Master Class” for actors, writers, directors, dancers and other artists from across the country. According to Allison Mitton, One Yellow Rabbit’s Marketing and Communications Manager, the artists come to learn performance creation techniques from Denise Clarke and the One Yellow Rabbit Ensemble.
“At the end of the lab, the performers give a 10 minute presentation of their own creation using the techniques learned at the workshop,” she said.
The Lab runs from June 25 to July 14 at the Big Secret Theatre.

Tuesday (June 26): Pages on Kensington is hosting Curtis Gillespie with his book “Almost There: The Family Vacation Then and Now” upstairs at the bookstore (1135 Kensington Road NW) starting at 7:30pm. Curtis is well known for his journalistic work and has written for publications in Canada, the United States and Britain and his newest book explores the meaning of our family vacations using his own anecdotes as a backdrop.

Wednesday (June 27): Shakespeare in the Park kicks of its 25th season today with A Midsummer Night’s Dream – a timeless story of love, magic, mischief and fairies with a modern and family friendly twist. Put on by Mount Royal University and Theatre Calgary, the revamped program aims to place the education of aspiring artists foremost and the production team is filled with recently graduated students from Mount Royal University and other post-secondary schools from across Alberta.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs at Prince’s Island Park from June 27 to August 10, Wednesdays to Sundays at 7pm with weekend matinees at 2pm (weather permitted). There will be no shows June 30–July 1 for Canada Day Celebrations and July 23–29 for Folk Fest. Admission is pay-what-you-can and all funds go towards the Shakespeare in the Park Program for Alberta’s emerging theatre artists.

Thursday (June 28): The Garden Variety Show’s season three finale runs tonight at the Loose Moose Theatre (1235 26 Ave SE) and features magicians, jugglers, comedians, ventriloquists and musicians. It all starts at 7:30pm and tickets are $10 each in advance or $12 at the door (cash only).

Friday (June 29): Maple – Canadian Flavoured Art Show opens at the Village Brewery tonight (5000 12A Street SE) with live music by Ryan Lyster, Nicole Moyneur, Chris Gheran and The Hired Guns. The show features art with a “Canadian flavour” and features paintings, photography and concrete art. Everything gets underway at 7pm and tickets are $10 at door (cash only).

Saturday (June 30): Celebrate the last day of the month with Loose Moose’s Gorilla Theatre – a zany night of improv where the troupe’s best of the best direct one another in random, chaotic and crazy scenes. Show starts at 8pm at the Loose Moose Theatre (1235 26 Ave SE) and tickets are $12.

Sunday (July 1): It’s Canada Day so of course there are a million and one things to do today including street fairs, fire works, concerts, car shows and horse races but the one I’d recommend would be Dominion Day at Heritage Park. There will be family games, entertainers, music, a citizenship ceremony followed by birthday cake and a reading of The Cremation of Sam McGee (how can you get more Canadian than that).
A good run down of events from around Calgary can be found here and here.