The Vancouver Cultural Events Collection contains an estimated 4500 programs, pamphlets, flyers, posters and other items related to various cultural events dating from 1906 to the present. These items document music, theatre, film, and dance performances and festivals which have taken place in Vancouver and neighbouring communities including but not limited to Banff, Burnaby, Richmond, North Vancouver and Victoria.
Related Guides Research Guides | Archival material UBC Library: Subject Page - Theatre Research Guides | Music UBC Library: Subject Page - Film Studies
The collection is divided into five parts, music, theatre, film, dance, and miscellaneous. Each part includes items from major organizations and festivals as well as miscellaneous items. Some examples of organizations represented in each collection are listed below. More information about the complete holdings can be found in the library catalogue record [insert link to record when active].
Part One: Theatre Arts Club Theatre Company Includes programs from individual performances as well as issues of Encore (1895-2010) and Backstage Review (1989-2010). Bard on the Beach Gateway Theatre Kitsilano Showboat Society Pacific Theater Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company
Part two: Music Early Music Vancouver Friends of Chamber Music Vancouver Opera Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Vancouver Women's Musical Society Vancouver International Jazz Festival
PartThree: Dance Ballet BC The National Ballet of Canada Pacific Northwest Ballet Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Part Four: Film Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation Vancouver Asian Film Festival Vancouver International Film Festival Vancouver Jewish Film Festival
Part Five: Miscellaneous Vancouver International Children's Festival Vancouver International Comedy Festival
For additional information such as reviews of performances, information about concerts and events, profiles of artists, companies, etc use the UBC Catologue to search for print and electornic journals and newspapers. Some important sources include:
Indexs Canadian Periodical Index An interdisciplinary index to over 400 Canadian journals, magazines, and newspapers. Includes reviews of various cultural events from across Canada.
Print and Electronic Journals Pacific Cinematheque Program Guide Magazine published by Pacific Cinematheque which includes reviews of films and information about up coming shows, events and festivals. Playboard Magazine Playboard is free magazine which covers music, theatre, opera, and dance performances and festivals in Vancouver. Access to print copies is available through the UBC Library Catalogue. Musick Published by the Vancouver Society for Early Music, Musick is a quarterly journal which includes advertising, book reviews related to medieval, Renaissance, baroque and classical music. Vancouver Symphony Magazine of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, features articles and reviews about performances and musicians.
Electronic NewspapersTo find reviews enter organization name and review as keywords. For example: "Vancouver Symphony Orchestra" and Review.
Canadian Newsstand Complete Canadian Newsstand Complete offers the full text of over 230 Canadian newspapers from Canada's leading publishers, including The Globe and Mail, National Post and the Vancouver Sun. Many represented newspapers include reviews and advertisements for a variety of local cultural events.
In addition to the Vancouver Cultural Events Pamphlet Collection, pre-1900 pamphlets and large size posters are catalogued as individual items in the SPAM (Special collections PAMphlets) Collection housed at Rare Books and Special Collections branch. Concert programs related to cultural events from the University of British Columbia are housed at the University Archives, and can be accessed through the following link:
UBC Archives - Theatre at UBC Includes biographical and historical information about the Player's Club, Player's Club Alumni, and Frederick Wood Theatre. Also includes digitized copies of many programs.
Reference MaterialsFor general biographical and historical information about specific organizations and festivals, consult the following resources:
Primary Source Materials UBC - University Archives The University archives contains several imporant archival fonds including the Players Club Fonds, the Player's Club Alumni Fonds, the Musical Society Fonds, the School of Music Fonds, the Margaret Rushton Theatre Collection (which includes information about the Vancouver Little Theatre and Vancouver Children's Theatre), the UBC Film Society Fonds, and others. Memory BC Memory BC is a portal where you can access descriptions of archival materials preserved in various locations across BC.
Webpages Playboard Links to current electronic issues of playboard, as well as information about the Vancouver Opera, Ballet British Columbia, CelticFest, The Jessies, Gateway Theatre, and Theatre Under the Stars.
