Stage Delights for Summer Nights
Imagine being able to gather your gaggle of kids and head out for an evening of family-friendly theatre, where all can be sure to leave feeling lighthearted and entertained. Or maybe it’s a romantic night out with your spouse that you desire, in the balmy summer air under the stars while you take in a show which is more geared toward an older audience. Either way, Project X has you covered.
X-Fest?
X-Fest, which is the annual double-feature event that Project X puts on each summer in Prince Charles Park in Kamloops BC is a very unique and as coined by Tourism Kamloops, “fun-filled family event for all ages.” As part of their mandate, Project X aims to explore “non-traditional venues and forms of theatre,” which they do beautifully by holding their performances outside, in the only outdoor theatre festival currently in the interior of BC. They have also used such theatrical elements as Shakespeare, puppetry, and musical theatre, to name a few.
This past summer (the 2019 season) Project X put on a family-friendly production of Jack and the Beanstock, involving puppetry. For the older audiences, Cinderella, the musical could be found to fill the night with romance and song.
Jack and the Beanstock .Project X, used by permission of Dusan Magdolen-downloaded from https://www.facebook.com/projectxtheatre 
Cinderella . Project X, used by permission of Dusan Magdolen-downloaded from https://www.facebook.com/projectxtheatre
Behind-The-Scenes with Project X
As another part of their mandate, Project X likes to cast local artists in their productions. This not only helps local talent to flourish but supports a feeling of community. This summer, Jacob Kopytko, who is currently a fourth-year Theatre major at TRU could be found stealing hearts as Prince Charming in Cinderella. When casting, Project X makes sure to reach out through social media, to various acting and arts pages, and is also promoted by the professors in the TRU Theatre program, some of whom have worked with Project X on the Board of Directors and the Production Crew.
When speaking with Jakob, he had many good things to say about working for Project X. He explained the audition process and stated that the rehearsals for both shows ran from Mid-June to Mid-July. He said that the audience turnout was high, with, expectedly, more children in the audience for Jack and the Beanstock than for Cinderella. We were also able to speak briefly with Emily Brown, also a student in the TRU Theatre department who worked for Project X this summer as the Marketing and Events Coordinator. She told us her favourite part about Project X is the “friendly and welcoming community” it creates as well as the fact that it is very kid-friendly. These accolades and more were things we also heard in our interview with Project X’s Artistic Producer, Dusan Magdolen.
Artful Connections in Kamloops
X-Fest is a must-see summer phenomenon, no matter who you are. It is magical, it is local, and it is a taste of a different piece of Kamloops than some might expect from the “Tournament Capital”. Not only is it a Tourist attraction, but it is a brushstroke on the communal landscape that is this city.
For more information about Project X and X-Fest, please visit their website at: www.projectx.ca