Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

CHIMERA THEATRE

Hydra Performing Arts Festival kicks off with a preview at the Effie Arts Collective

Apr 27, 2023 | 4:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Beginning Thursday night (April 27), the Effie Arts Collective on Tranquille Road will be the venue for Chimera Theatre’s Hydra Festival.

This year will be the fifth or sixth edition of Hydra Fest — COVID–19 muddied the official count — which gives local artists an opportunity to showcase their work.

“Theatre and music and stand-up and shows — all kinds of cool stuff that I think can bring this local Kamloops voice to the forefront,” Dan Ondang, administrator for Chimera Theatre explains. “And, it provides a place for all the artists in Kamloops to meet each other and hang out in a way that we sort of just normally don’t do.”

Zack Fernstrom is taking part in several acts that will perform during the festival. He’s written an adaptation of Treasure Island and he’s also a member of the Freudian Slips Improv group, which will be performing an improvised game of Dungeons and Dragons on stage.

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“At each show, we’re going to roll the dice in front of the audience to determine who is the dungeon master,” Fernstrom explains. “We’re not going to know ahead of time who is running our show or what’s going to happen. It’s a little more loose than usual. Even though we’re improv, we do sometimes have a structure — this one is even less structured. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

Fernstrom will also be involved in ‘Tonight’s the Night with Zorblax.’

“It’s a late-night talk show, hosted by a six-foot-tall purple alien puppet,” he describes. “We get anyone that has something to promote. They come on, they do an interview, and we play a game with them. Then often we have a musical guest of some sort. This year it’s a little bit different, we’re doing more of a game show style. Shorter interviews and a lot more game.”

Image Credit: CFJC Today

The full festival schedule and ticket information are available at www.ChimeraTheatre.com. You can also pick–up festival passes and tickets at the Effie, which just happens to hosting a festival preview tonight, which includes a concert with The Daytime Highs.

“It’s going to be a great concert with The Daytime Highs,” Ondang promises. “You’re going to have a chance to see little bites of everything that’s at the festival, kind of like a flight of beers, or going out for tapas — you get a little try of everything to see what you’re going to like at its full size.”