Australian actor and aboriginal elder Jack Charles will perform Jack Charles V. the Crown at this year’s PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.Bindi Cole
He was a heroin addict, a burglar and a convict who landed behind bars on more than a few occasions.
He's also a revered Australian actor and highly respected aboriginal elder from the Stolen Generations – aboriginal children who were brutally pulled from their families by the Australian government in the early 1900s until the 1970s.
This week, living legend Jack Charles is sharing his remarkable story in Jack Charles V. the Crown, one of the many powerful performances at this year's PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.
"He has lived with such hardship, and lived above and beyond so many challenges that have been put to him. And to have such grace and giving spirit is remarkable," says PuSh artistic and executive director Norman Armour. "We're really proud to have him."
Now in its 12th year, the groundbreaking fest has grown from a mid-winter upstart to a key player on Vancouver's cultural calendar – and it draws top theatre, dance, music and multidisciplinary pieces, as well as leaders from a range of disciplines.
This year's festival sees several renowned artists reckoning with their lives, among them Vancouverite Charles Demers in Leftovers, about his socialist upbringing in the heyday of conservatism; Antonette Rea in the poetic Miss Understood, about her trans journey; and Cynthia Hopkins in A Living Documentary, a hilarious tale of life as a performing artist.
Shows topping Mr. Armour's must-see list also include France's feverish L'Immédiat, a funny and frenetic circus show that the artistic director describes as "Buster Keaton on a case of Red Bull," as well as the jaw-dropping Monumental, which marks the return of Vancouver dance trailblazers The Holy Body Tattoo – this time with live music by post-rock legends Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
"They were a real turning point in this city in terms of the contemporary indie art scene – and they were up to scratch with any group, any artist, anywhere in the world," Mr. Armour says of the dance company's impact on the city. "And to have them on the same stage as Godspeed? It's a remarkable coup."
He's also looking forward to the Club PuSh shows – this year at the Fox Theatre – including DJ Spooky rescoring Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle, an intimate evening with Harold Budd and Canadian theatre star Jordan Tannahill's Declarations, which will also feature a number of local artists.
"I hope the festival gives people a sense of what's important these days – what's important to believe in, what's important to celebrate and honour, and what important questions need to be asked and talked about," Mr. Armour says. "Art, when it's great, is fearless in asking questions – even when it doesn't have the answers."
The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival runs through Feb. 7 (pushfestival.ca).