VERNON, BC— The Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre proudly presents Bear Grease on Tuesday, October 24 at 7:30PM as the second performance in the 2023-24 SPOTLIGHT Theatre Series.

Bear Grease is a fresh and fun Indigenous take on the classic 1978 musical. The all-Indigenous cast includes Crystle Lightning (2021 Canadian Screen Award Winner for Best Actress, Trickster, and Three Pines) as Sandy and MC RedCloud (Yellowstone) as Danny. Expect familiar characters like Rizzo and Frenchie in this well-known story of high school love, except the Pink Ladies are Pink Aunties and the famous melodies stay true to their 50’s roots, but with a hip hop boost.

Crystle Lightning, from the Enoch Cree Nation, is the 2021 Canadian Screen Award Winner for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Maggie in CBC’s Trickster. Her television appearances include hit series Days of Our Lives, Yellowstone and Outlander. MC RedCloud, of the Huichol/Wixaritari, is an actor and recording artist who once held the world record for longest freestyle rap. Together they form the hip-hop duo LightningCloud and have shared the stage with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown. They co-wrote Bear Grease to celebrate their Indigenous identities in a way that would be accessible to everyone.

“Bear Grease was the first show to sell out at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 2021 and it looks like it will be just as popular here in Vernon,” said Artistic Director Erin Kennedy. “Don't wait to get your tickets – you don’t want to miss this one!”

“The REASON it sold out so quickly is because before it went fully public, Fringe sent out an Email blast to its Theatre Patrons, who happened to be almost fully white. None of our friends or family members could even get in.” said RedCloud. “We were a bit worried that they wouldn’t get our humor, but they literally rolled on the floor laughing and the response was phenomenal. So we knew that with an Indigenous crowd, they would rip the roof off.”

The Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre presents Bear Grease on Tuesday, October 24 at 7:30PM. The show runs for 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $35 for adults, $32 for seniors and $30 for students. For tickets, please call 250-549-SHOW (7469) or visit www.vdpac.ca.

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Ticket Link: https://www.ticketseller.ca/tickets/event/bear-grease

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozMs2t80stY

About Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre

The Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Society is a non-profit, charitable organization devoted to fostering artists, their work, and live performance in all genres and for all ages. The Society operates the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre (VDPAC) on behalf of the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) and with the support of over 30 staff and 200 volunteers. Each year, we present our SPOTLIGHT Season of over 30 diverse performances, complemented by over 125 concerts, festivals, and special events. We select professional touring productions to entertain, enlighten, move and amuse our audiences. Altogether, they offer patrons of all ages a world of unforgettable live theatre experiences. Please visit: https://vdpac.ca/ & https://ticketseller.ca/

Facebook: @vdpac
Instagram: @vernonperformingarts

For more information, media can contact:

Raj Jain

Marketing & Community Engagement Coordinator

250-542-9335

[email protected]