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SPRING ARTS GUIDE2PRINTING This publication is printed on FSC® certified paper at Mitchell Press. EDITORIAL TEAM Janet Smith (editor), Breanne Doyle, Alissa Horn, John Lucas, Brian Lynch, Emily Lyth, Alexander Varty MARKETING & PARTNERSHIPS Laura Moore GRAPHIC DESIGN Catalina Valenzuela COVER PHOTO Feven Kidane; photo by Matt Taylor WHAT IS STIR? Stir is a digital magazine covering Vancouver arts and culture from every angle. Check us out at createastir.ca. THIS LAND Stir is grateful to live and work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Stir Spring Arts Guide 2026 is a publication of Stir Publishing Vancouver Inc. (Stir). All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for the contents, implied or assumed, of any advertisement in this publication. 3CONTACT: hello@createastir.ca Y ou’ve found Stir Vancou- ver’s first spring edition of its Arts Guide—a look at all the shows greeting the warmer weath- er, with a long view to summer festival season. It’s a continuation of the popular Stir Fall Arts Guide that dis- appears from news- stands at JJ Bean locations and arts venues around town each September. With everything in the world so unset- tled, the arts continue to provide a refuge—a place where people can gather to find com- munity. Sometimes, that sanctuary might be in a serene string recital. Maybe escape comes under the cherry blossoms at a festi- val completely devot- ed to April’s floral explosion of pink. Or perhaps you prefer to process social- justice issues at one of the compelling plays on local stages this spring. Note that some of the city’s summer fests haven’t announced full details of their programming yet, but the following pages will allow you to mark your calendars for events far beyond a certain global soccer extravaganza taking over town in June. Vancouver’s thriving festival scene spans every- thing from docu- mentary films to ex- perimental theatre and hands-on art- making (page 19), and we’ve even added a sampling of WELCOME TO THE SPRING ARTS GUIDE out-of-town summer events (page 71). For much more, head to our con- stantly updated arts coverage at createastir.ca, and sign up for our newsletter to keep up on all the shows offering a lifeline in difficult times. And happy arts-going as the warm weather arrives—we’ll see you at the theatres and galleries. STIR SPRING 2026INTRODUCTION 4The Art of British Columbia audainartmuseum.com4350 Blackcomb Way Whistler, BC Beau Dick, Dzunukwa Mask, 2007. Audain Art Museum Collection. 5SUBSCRIBE NOW! DANCEHOUSE.CA © MICHAEL SLOBODIAN 6L ike many born-and-raised Vancou- verites, Corbin Murdoch feels a deep connection to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival—possibly even deeper than most. “I went to my first festival when I was 13, and it’s the place where I first fell in love with live music,” he says. “I was a volunteer for 10 years, then a patron. And then I was on the board for a short stint. It’s been a big part of my cultural life since I was a child.” It must have felt like a full-circle moment, then, when Murdoch assumed the post of executive director of the VFMF last December. He was chosen after an extensive search, and has been working alongside the fest’s artistic director, Fiona Black, on planning for the 49th Vancouver Folk Music Festival, which takes place July 17 to 19 at Jericho Beach Park. Local music fans likely know Murdoch as a singer-songwriter, through both his solo career and his work with his band, the ONE TO WATCH Corbin Murdoch FUTURE-BOUND: Corbin Murdoch. Musician projects new optimism at Folk Fest ONE TO WATCH • MUSICSTIR SPRING 2026 7Nautical Miles. In fact, the Nautical Miles performed at the Folk Fest in 2014. “Playing music and playing in bands has always been a big part of my life, but my professional career has been pretty much exclusively in arts administration, programming, and producing, for the better part of 20 years now,” says Murdoch, who spent much of the past several years liv- ing in the Yukon as artistic and executive director of the Dawson City Music Festival. Before that, he worked for organizations across the country, including The Cultch, Theatre Replacement, the Vancouver Fringe Festival, and the River Clyde Pageant. The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the concert and festival industry at large, and the VFMF was no exception. Thanks to a wave of public support (and a financial boost from the province), the fest was saved. “The community rallied and refused to let something that’s beloved to our city die,” Murdoch says. “Getting a peek at what’s been going on behind the curtain since 2023, it’s really remarkable what the group that took over the board in 2023 have done, and the people that have joined and rallied since then.” When Stir interviews Murdoch, the Folk Fest is weeks away from revealing this year’s line- up of performers, but the executive director promises that no one will be disappointed. “Twenty-twenty-six is going to be an amazing year, and we’re looking forward to our 50th anniversary in 2027,” he says. “I think for us it’s an opportunity to sort of turn the page. The narrative for the last couple of years has been one of rescue, and now we want to make sure it’s one of optimism, projecting strength, looking forward, and figuring out what the next 50 years look like.” JL IT’S BEEN A BIG PART OF MY CULTURAL LIFE SINCE I WAS A CHILD. STIR SPRING 2026MUSIC • ONE TO WATCH 89Next >