Vancouver Culture Guide

Arts and Culture

Arts Club Theatre
Now in its 42nd season, the Arts Club operates both the Stanley Theatre and the Granville Island Stage, with productions that have included the musical Funny Girl and a moving adaptation of Carol Shields’ Unless. Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, 2750 Granville St.; Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston St., (604) 687-1644.

Ballet British Columbia
Innovative and uncompromising productions of such works as A Streetcar Named Desire and The Faerie Queen have wowed critics from Tokyo to New York City and garnered acclaim for artistic director John Alleyne’s collaborative approach to choreography. (604) 732-5003.

Bard On The Beach
Two giant tents are erected on the Vanier Park waterfront from June through September for staging old Will’s classics as well as more unusual fare. The mainstage tent is open-ended, so actors perform (on clear days, at least) against a backdrop of mountains and ocean. Vanier Park, (604) 739-0559.

B.C. Sports Hall Of Fame and Museum
The only place in town where you can find out how many goals Frank Patrick scored in 1910 to set a defenceman’s record. Find 20,000 square feet of monuments to B.C. athletes like Terry Fox and Ross Rebagliati making sports history. 777 Pacific Blvd., (604) 687-5520.

Chan Centre For The Performing Arts
Designed as a kind of gigantic cello and outfitted with a 37-tonne chandelier-like acoustic canopy system, the Chan is one of the choicest venues in town for theatre, opera and classical music performances. 6265 Crescent Rd., UBC Campus, (604) 822-2697.

Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives
Adjacent to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen gardens, the Centre hosts a permanent collection of artifacts tracing Chinese-Canadians in British Columbia, along with temporary art exhibitions with Chinese-Canadian themes. 555 Columbia St., (604) 658-8880.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Named for the revolutionary who overthrew the Qing dynasty, the garden was built in the mid-’80s by 52 master artisans from Suzhou using 15th-century methods. 578 Carrall St., (604) 662-3207.

Firehall Arts Centre
Located in Vancouver’s first firehall, the Firehall Arts Centre produces between four and six theatre productions and three to five dance productions each season. It’s known for its edgy and boundary-pushing works. 280 E. Cordova St., (604) 689-0926.

Gulf of Georgia Cannery
Discover the history of west coast fishing, including a canning line exhibit, in the heart of the historic fishing village of Steveston. End the day with a tour of the working fish boats for fresh-off-the-boat seafood. 12138 Fourth Ave., Steveston, (604) 664-9009.

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
Thankfully planetariums and laser light shows didn’t disappear along with roller-skating rinks, because listening to Pink Floyd while staring at galaxies and pattern effects is as good now as it was when you were 16. Next door is an observatory with a half-metre Cassegrain telescope for some glimpses beyond the Vancouver metro region. 1100 Chestnut St., (604) 738-7827.

Kokoro Dance
Performing the beautiful, scary and amazing dance known as Butoh, rooted in post-Second World War Japanese forms, the company appears in various venues throughout the year, including an annual performance at Wreck Beach. (604) 662-7441.

The Lookout
Save this for a clear day: from the 50-storey Harbour Centre Tower, visitors can walk around the circular room and get their bearings on the city below with views ranging as far as Mt. Baker in Washington State, 140 kilometres away. 555 W. Hastings St., (604) 689-0421.

Playhouse Theatre Company
The Playhouse stages at least six groundbreaking plays each season, with the 2007 season featuring works by Morris Panych and Robert Lepage, among others. Hamilton St. and Dunsmuir St., (604) 873-3311.

Playland at the Pacific National Exhibition
Open from mid-April until October 1, Playland offers midway rides for thrill seekers of all ages. 2901 E. Hastings St., (604) 252-3583.

Storyeum
Theatre under the cars: at Storyeum, descend into the depths below Gastown to see western Canadian history come alive in a huge underground theatrical venue (seven stages in an area the size of six hockey rinks). 142 Water St., (604) 687-8142.

Science World
Find hundreds of “teachable moment” interactive displays that are actually fun, including optical illusions, live science demonstrations, virtual musical instruments and Omnimax films on a five-storey dome screen. 1455 Quebec St., (604) 443-7443.

TheatreSports
Started in 1980, TheatreSports has managed to keep its shtick fresh for more than 200,000 audience members a year (Ryan Stiles of TV’s Whose Line Is It Anyway? is just one of TheatreSports’ famous alumni). In addition to competitive improv, there’s usually a funny riff on some current TV phenomenon (CSI and The Apprentice are recent victims). Granville Island, (604) 738-7013.

UBC Museum of Anthropology
The Museum of Anthropology’s present collection includes 570,000 ethnological and archaeological pieces from around the world, with special focus on B.C.’s First Nations. 6393 N.W. Marine Dr., UBC Campus, (604) 822-3825.

Vancouver Art Gallery
Even if the featured exhibits at one of the continent’s leading contemporary-art venues don’t ring your bell, the ongoing display of significant works by Emily Carr justifies the $15 admission alone. 750 Hornby St., (604) 662-4719.

Vancouver Aquarium
Open seven days a week year-round, its 166 displays feature over 70,000 animals, from West Coast mammals (sea lions, sea otters and harbour seals, among others) to exotic species like Amazonian caimans and electric eels. Stanley Park, (604) 659-3474.

Vancouver Maritime Museum
The best part of the museum is the St. Roch, an RCMP schooner that patrolled the Canadian Arctic in the ’30s and ’40s, but there’s plenty more in the way of pirates, warships and shipwrecks. Kids can get hands-on at the Alcan Children’s Maritime Discovery Centre. 1905 Ogden Ave., (604) 257-8300.

Vancouver Museum
Museum holdings include everything from an Egyptian mummy to First Nations’ artifacts, while feature exhibits have explored less traditional territory like local hippie culture (with original footage of the Stanley Park Be-In) and skateboard design. 1100 Chestnut St., (604) 736-4431.

Architecture

AIBC Walking Tours
Look up, eh. For $5 and a couple hours of your time, the Architectural Institute of B.C. will walk you through the city’s beginnings in Gastown, the industrial lands of Yaletown or the unique storefronts of Chinatown. 100-440 Cambie St., (604) 683-8588.

Canada Place
Built as the Canada Pavilion for Expo86, Canada Place—known for its distinct 27-metre-high fibreglass sails—is primarily used as a convention centre and cruise-ship docking point, but views of the harbour are impressive from its perimeter. 999 Canada Pl., (604) 775-7200.

Lions Gate Bridge
Nearing 70, the grand dame of Vancouver bridges still looks like a million bucks, especially since she was decked out with lights (a gift from the Guinness family in 1986) and a $125 million reconstruction effort. From Stanley Park you can walk across to the North Shore for the full experience.

The Marine Building
Architect George Nairne intended the 27-metre lobby of the 1930s building to resemble a treasurefilled Mayan temple, featuring etched brass renditions of turtles, crabs and sea horses, elevators inlaid with 12 British Columbia hardwoods, and lavish murals celebrating historic voyages of ships like the Golden Hind. A $20-million renovation in the ’80s restored its glory, with the Marine retaining its status as one of the world’s great art déco monuments. 355 Burrard St.

Provincial Law Courts
Transparency in the legal system was architect Arthur Erickson’s metaphor; the reality is a glass roof that covers more than an acre. Gardens and a waterfall make the complex even more inviting. 800 Smithe St., (604) 660-8989.

Sam Kee Building
When the city of Vancouver appropriated all but two metres of owner Chang Toy’s property, he built the Sam Kee Building. At just 1.5 metres (six feet) deep, it’s the world’s shallowest commercial building, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. 8 W. Pender St.

Simon Fraser University
Concrete has its limitations, but as Arthur Erickson’s first major project (designed with the Acropolis and Italian terraces in mind), SFU’s campus is renowned as a benchmark of integrative architecture. 8888 University Dr., Burnaby (604) 291-3111.

Vancouver Public Library
One hundred million dollars buys a lot of critical commentary. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie and completed in 1995, the Vancouver Public Library building was the most expensive public project ever approved by the city. Its Colosseum-like appearance sparked an ongoing local and international scuffle, with many critics sniffing that its striking design was too derivative and, well, too striking, but Vancouverites — mostly — loved it. The nine-storey spiral structure of taupe-hued concrete incorporates 315 arches, as well as an atrium plaza and outdoor amphitheatre-style courtyard. 350 W. Georgia St., (604) 331-3603.