Ptarmigan Music and Theatre Society

Strength Within 2012 VIDEO

Krista — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:19:37 +0000

In October 2011, I spent the day at one of our Saturday Strength Within sessions in Vancouver. I was lucky enough to sing and dance and act along with our wonderful participants, and capture some of the magic that went on in the room. I share that magic with you now. To get more of an idea of what our free program for kids (and their siblings!) who are dealing with serious illness/disabilities, press play on our new Strength Within video below:

See our Facebook Event page HERE

Wrapping Up 2011 With A Smile

Krista — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:13:38 +0000

It has been a good year here at Ptarmigan. The last few months have really created a momentum that we hope to leverage in 2012. In this past twelve months, we have broken our own records for funding contributions, we have launched a new website, and we’ve started our Strength Within 2011/2012 sessions with help from the formidable leadership of Samantha Taylor. But that’s not all! We’ve also forayed into the worlds of social media, birthing new accounts on Facebook, and Twitter, and eased in slowly to our new blog, as well as the potential of our coming-to-you-soon email newsletter.

Recently, we found out that another of our programs, Taking Flight, an arts program for seniors, had a successful grant application with The Victoria Foundation. This, along with many other applications that are soon to be adjudicated, should help us continue with this highly-sought-after program. As for our our Mosaic project, it continues to unfold with artistic flair, and our brains are already brimming with big ideas for for future evolutions. We’re just go, go, go here at our beautiful head office on Pender Island:-)

So, from us to you, have a very, merry holiday, and we look forward to keeping you with us on this journey. And, as a Christmas gift that keeps on giving, find out how your donation can help support our efforts. (We’ll even find a way to put a deductible tax receipt in your stocking;-)

Much love from the Ptarmigan Team!

What I Learned From My Day At Strength Within

Krista — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:41:11 +0000

I worked with Ptarmigan back in 2006, and one of my jobs during that contract was to help produce a a Strength Within summer camp for Survivors Of Childhood Cancer. The camp was a true labour of love, and I enjoyed every second of both the prep and the week itself. You can see a few pics of our adventures HERE.

But I knew when I was invited last month to attend one of the new Strength Within ongoing sessions that Ptarmigan has been delivering in Vancouver, that the kids being asked to join this time weren’t just survivors of serious illnesses, but kids that were still facing intense health concerns. I won’t lie, it made me nervous. As an experienced theatre professional, and someone who has taught performing arts to kids of all ages, I wondered how someone like myself could possibly be qualified to spend time with sick kids.

Here is what I realized once the room filled up with these jubilant souls. These kids are just …. KIDS. The youth that filled that space at the Oddfellows Hall in Vancouver, were just as bold, as noisy, as creative, as imaginative, as sometime naughty, and as full of life as any other group of young people I’ve come across. And as for how they learn a song, or play a guitar, or dance to music or put on masks and become a character…their health challenges didn’t compromise the quality of their expression. In fact, it could be argued, that having dealt with so much already, at such young ages, merely enhanced it.

This group inspired me. It also reminded me why I do work with groups like Ptarmigan, and why I will always be such a fierce advocate for why art matters. The theatre company I run is called Live Out Loud Theatre, and I named it so, because I passionately believe that living our lives boldly, authentically, and unapologetically is the key to true health. Not just true health for these particular children who deal with illness or disability, but true health for each and everyone of us.

Strength Within continues to run its sessions until June 2012. Click HERE for more information on the history of this program, and click HERE to find out how you can become a part of such a wonderful program.

Spots Still Open For Youth In Strength Within Program

Krista — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 02:38:43 +0000

Ptarmigan would like to send an invite out to all children/youth who are survivors of, or currently living with, a serious illness & who love the performing arts. Strength Within is a multi-disciplinary arts program that offers free sessions every second Saturday in Vancouver, BC. Professional artists spend two hours exploring many different art forms, with a focus on fun and inclusion. Having just attended one of the sessions recently, I was overjoyed to see the high quality of the instruction, as well as the humour and talent that came out of our current participants. Keep your eyes peeled, for we’ll be uploading pictures and videos from that session shortly!

For more information, click on the poster image to the left, call 1-866-859-0634 or our Strength Within program coordinator at make.arts.work@gmail.com.

Ptarmigan Has Gone Social

Krista — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:01:50 +0000

With such a smashing new website, we had to add some Facebook and Twitter love to the mix, did we not? Want to get in on the love? Of course you do! Well, keep on reading…

It was a long time coming, but we figured here at Ptarmigan that it is about time that the world at large know about all the cool arts programming and events that we’ve been putting on years now. So, with the help of some of our friends, we are tiptoeing into the world of social media…and we’d love it if you would join us and share us around!

“Like” Ptarmigan’s Facebook Page By Clicking Here

Follow Ptarmigan’s Twitter Feed By Clicking Here (we promise to follow you back:-)

New Branding and New Website

minsky — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:00:33 +0000

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new branding and new website!

The website has a lot of great features – photo gallery and video gallery to name a few. You can learn about our programs and the work we do in our communities, and learn how to support us.

You will see our newly designed logo as well, incorporating the Ptarmigan feather – from the resilient and innovative Ptarmigan Bird; resilient such as an arts organization needs to be . . .

We hope you enjoy your visit!