VANCOUVER, Canada—Ticket sales for Shen Yun Performing Arts’ matinee show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Jan. 30 set a record for Monday shows at the venue. The sales result for the show was 91 percent—something heretofore unheard of on Mondays, says the director of civic theatres for the City of Vancouver.
“Yesterday’s matinee was definitely a record and a highly unusual thing to happen, so we are all very, very excited,” said Sandra Gajic on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
The renowned New York-based classical Chinese dance company’s three-day, three-show run also saw two sold-out evening shows on Sunday and Tuesday, Jan. 29 and Jan. 31. Demand for tickets compelled organizers to add 249 seats for the Sunday show and 62 seats for the Tuesday show.
“In the theatre world, Mondays are usually what we call the ‘dark nights’—there are usually no performances. So for us, it’s wonderful to see the great success of Shen Yun.
“It definitely broke the record for the theatre: the sold-out show Sunday night; and a Monday matinee, which is even harder to sell; and [a sold-out show] again on Tuesday night,” said Ms. Gajic, who has served in senior management positions in the theatre industry across Canada for over two decades, including in Toronto, Calgary, and Edmonton, prior to coming to Vancouver.
Founded in 2006 on the mission of reviving the genuine traditional culture of China, Shen Yun tours the globe every year with an all-new program of classical Chinese dance and music. It has been performing in Vancouver annually since 2007.
“Shen Yun has been a wonderful partner to us [at] Vancouver civic theatres now for a number of years, and we look forward to many more years of this great partnership,” Ms. Gajic said.
Shen Yun ‘Brings Such Wealth and Rare Level of Artistry to Vancouver’
As the director of civic theatres for the city, Ms. Gajic sees a great number of shows but noted that Shen Yun is one of a kind among all the different productions that grace the stage in Vancouver.
“It’s unique, so vibrant and rich and wonderful. It flows so nicely and it does tell a story. It succeeds to convey the message in the story. That makes it so accessible for people that come to see it,” she said.
In the richly multicultural city of Vancouver, Shen Yun “provides a diverse and culturally very interesting, artistically really high-level show. It’s a performance that brings such wealth and rare level of artistry to our city here in Vancouver,” Ms. Gajic noted.
“I think it’s a great success that it attracts audiences from all walks of life, different diverse audiences. That’s what is always wonderful. It’s part of our mandate to really make sure that people come here of all origins. Me being also an immigrant, I am especially sensitive to that, to see people of all countries and places come and enjoy seeing and hearing [the performances].”
Ms. Gajic said she and her staff at the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Services Department had no worries when they first learned that this year’s shows were going to be scheduled over the three days from Sunday to Tuesday.
“We were not worried about that because we trust that as a product, as an artistic product, what they put on stage, what comes here, it’s so wonderful that the audiences will come. And it was right. It’s amazing to see sold-out shows when normally you have dark houses.”
Ms. Gajic speaks from her long experience in the performing arts world. She has previously served as CEO of the Edmonton Opera, general manager of the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts in Calgary, and operations manager for the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto.
She also managed the start-up process and later project-managed the design and construction of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, where Shen Yun will be playing four shows from Feb. 28 to March 2.
Reporting by Chen Si and Cindy Chan
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has five touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
