“This is a pretty hip crowd,” Cliff Cardinal says to the sold-out Port Theatre. And then he says it again, several times over.

Cardinal’s October 15 performance of As You Like It or The Land Acknowledgement was a rousing success. The one-man play—an Indigenous land acknowledgement that purports to open a Shakespeare classic—has a twist: the land acknowledgement never ends.

I wish I could say I was spoiling the show, but theatres these days insist on Cardinal dropping the ruse and playing the show straight.

No worries; despite this change, The Land Acknowledgement is as popular and provocative as ever. Cardinal pulls no punches, even using the grounds of dropping his original ruse to deftly cut right to the core of his broad subject matter without any imaginary pretence holding him back.

Don’t trust my judgement? No hard feelings! I’ll stick to the facts—one of them being that at the end of the night, that “pretty hip” crowd at The Port Theatre met Cardinal’s performance with a raucous standing ovation.

But the show wasn't just a success for Cliff Cardinal—it was a success for Nanaimo and the local arts community.

A packed theatre is more than just a positive for performers. Every audience member comes away from the experience not only better for it, but craving the addictive taste of theatre.

It’s no secret that support for local art is a harsh and, at times, barren landscape. Nanaimo and its VIU campus, despite their best efforts, are all too familiar with this reality.

And that's a tragedy, truly. But what can we do?

Well, other than supporting your local writers and publications—nudge, nudge—one of the most accessible and attractive options out there is supporting local theatres.

Whether it’s hosted at the beautiful Port Theatre situated right along the water in downtown Nanaimo, or the cozy Malaspina Theatre nestled on VIU’s Nanaimo campus, or anywhere else, there are worthwhile productions being held year-round for those with the mind to seek them out.

While you’ve sadly missed out on As You Like It or The Land Acknowledgement, there’s still some good news. Cliff Cardinal’s play was only the first in the Port Theatre’s 2024 to 2025 Spotlight Series.

The Spotlight Series aims to showcase innovative touring acts, and in the Port Theatre’s own words, “create access to diverse and authentic experiences.”

And if that doesn’t immediately sell you, how does a romantic ballet blended with a retelling of a classic gothic story sound? Ballet Victoria’s Frankenstein has you covered on that front.

Maybe you want to share some laughs and relive the golden days in a more contemporary setting? Murray & Peter’s The Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue is just what you’re looking for.

What about something to insulate you through the coming winter? Come warm yourself in the audience of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s production of Nutcracker—a classic tale retold with a Canadian twist.

Or maybe you see Christmas fast approaching and you realize you have no idea what gifts to get all your friends and family? What better gift than a Christmas concert with all sorts of unique medieval instruments—that’s what Winter Harp is all about.

And did I mention that these are only a handful of events happening before the New Year? Don’t even get me started on what the Port Theatre is hosting come 2025—I recommend you go and check it out for yourself here.

Remember, students get discounted prices at the Port Theatre too. That means being broke isn’t an excuse—trust me, I’ve already used that one.

You really can’t go wrong with supporting local art, and the Port Theatre is a great place to do it. But an even better place to support it is right on VIU’s Nanaimo campus.

Malaspina Theatre is where the incredibly hard-working and talented university theatre department puts on their productions.

More often than not, these productions don’t get the attention and support they deserve, despite putting on stellar shows. 

Most notably this fall, Malaspina Theatre presented eight performances of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, directed by celebrated Canadian playwright and director, Dorothy Dittrich, to much acclaim. 

There are little hidden gems in theatres everywhere if you just go out and look for them. 

So what can we do to support local art? To support these theatre productions? Well, just buying a ticket and enjoying the show is a great start.