Nation’s ‘finest musicians’ to mark community theatre milestone

The year was 1962.

Canada’s first satellite went into orbit and John Diefenbaker’s government was reduced to a minority.

Medicare launched in Saskatchewan and The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the Cold War to new heights.

And in Kelowna, that September marked the opening of the Kelowna Community Theatre (KCT).

Sixty years later, the KCT plans to commemorate the milestone with an open house and concert.

“It’s actually remarkable that a theatre that was built 60 years ago when Kelowna had a population of 11,000 people … still has relevance six decades later,” Gary Cable told Kelowna10.

Cable and his popular musical project – aptly named the Gary Cable Project – will headline an orchestral rock performance, alongside the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO), as part of the celebration.

The OSO were among the first groups to grace the KCT stage in ’62.

In the years since, the theatre has acted as an incubator for culture, playing host to a range of acts, from local musicians to international stars.

Cable said whether it be a concert or spoken word performance, ballet, symphony, drama, or comedy act, the KCT has lived up to its name in providing a space for the community to gather and celebrate.

Far from its original state, the theatre has undergone a multitude of renovations. And while anything 60 years old starts to become a little long in the tooth, Cable – who’s performed at venues from coast-to-coast-to-coast - admits it’s fairing quite well, applauding the upgrades that have kept it relevant for so long.

This relevance allows Cable and his musical companions to entertain in exciting ways.

The Gary Cable Project is a nine-piece band whose members have performed and recorded with a laundry list of musical greats, be it Barbara Streisand, Sarah McLachlan, Ray Charles, or Bryan Adams, to name a few.

Cable described the band as a “group of musicians’ musicians.”

“People that are a cut above what you are normally going to hear in concert,” he said. “I don’t care who we are talking about. The members of the project are some of the finest musicians in the world.”

Coupling the project with the OSO, Cable said, paves the way for an opportunity to perform “these magnum opus kinds of works” that are limited solely to the performance and that performance alone, he said.

When the project last paired with the OSO in 2020, the performers dealt three sold-out shows.

The 60th-anniversary open house goes Sept. 13. Cable and his bandmates will perform on Sept. 16 and 17.

Tickets are available online.