‘Tis the season to craft Circle Craft Christmas Market Nov 17 — 21 ‘Prd. By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor ith the holiday season \f fast approaching, and with the fall semester quickly coming to an end, it’s * easy to find yourself scrambling to get your shopping under control come mid-December. Even still, as often as we might find ourselves cursing the season, we inevitably have the best intentions when it comes to finding that “perfect gift” for those special people in our lives. Conversely, this time of year also opens up a world of potential for getting a little “special” person in your life: you. With that in mind—and I know there’ll be more than a few of you out there who'll condemn @ me outright for even hinting at the thought of Christmas shopping in November— why not try something a little different for Christmas 2010? something for possibly the most ~ Now in its 37" year, the Circle Craft Christmas Market at the Vancouver Convention Centre could be just the place to find something unique to put under the tree while, at the same time, supporting local artisans and professional crafters. Presenting wares from world-class glassblowers, wood-turners, sculptors, clothing and jewellery designers, toy makers and more; this year’s Christmas Market is set to showcase both contemporary and traditional creative works from hundreds of skilled Canadians. Skilled artists the likes of Horseshoe Bay fibre artist, Vanessa T. Cunningham (thrumsca.blogspot.com) for example, who, after graduating in 2007 from Capilano College’s Textiles Art Diploma Program, was the recipient of a Circle Craft Scholarship. A returning exhibitor, Cunningham acknowledges the importance of the Christmas Market as “an internationally recognized market with a wide draw of clientele,” and comments on how her participation in the market has allowed her to hone her “skills as a business woman” as well as “introducing me (Cunningham) to the influential minds of the arts community of Greater Vancouver.” But Cunningham is only one example of approximately 270 exhibitors in attendance this year. Besides housing aforementioned artists, the Circle Craft Christmas Market will also play host to a number of other great attractions to entertain attendees including live demonstrations, performances on the Circle Craft Entertainment Stage from local talent, as well as prize draws, student exhibits, and more. Taking place in the Vancouver Convention Centre’s new West Building, this year’s Circle Craft Christmas Market runs thru November 17 — 21. The price of admission—$12 for adults/$8 for students and seniors— gets you complete access for the duration of the market. Christmas and the claustrophobic crushing feelings of desperation experienced in the quest to find the right gift are both inevitabilities of the season. So plan ahead and think outside the big-box stores this year. By Jay Schreiber urder, dishonesty, rape and even a church choir; this Ai fall’s theatre production The Rimers of Eldritch covers all the bases of simpleton life in the mid-west. A ghost town for many : years, Eldritch is a place where the community is tighter than a leash on a guard dog, and everybody has their nose in someone else’ business. All the pieces are there, from the lingo, to a wood plank set and even a slide- guitar soundtrack that puts you right back in the old west. The script focuses on three main stories, which are ultimately commented on by the gossiping ladies of Eldritch who spend their hot summer days sitting porch- side, knitting in their rocking chairs. The first of these is a tale of Robert “driver Jr.” who suffers from emotional trauma after his older brother died. Robert, or “bobby”, is very reserved but finds himself making friends with a local crippled girl who follows him around everywhere asking him questions, trying to stay out of trouble. Sherlock Holmes meets the Wild West Rimers of Eldritch feels like Red Dead Redemption without the shoot-em-ups The local diner sets the scene for the second twisted tale of Eldritch, where a young woman, Miss Cora Groves, has fallen in love with a drifter, Walter, who was passing through in search of part time work at the eatery. Cora finds herself in over her head after discovering Walter’s flaky behaviour and womanizing traits leading to heartbreak and drama among the towns people. The final scene involves almost the entire village of Eldritch, when murder and mystery strikes, forcing members of the community to testify their case to a judge and jury. With the plot and storyline presented in fragments and repetition of crucial scenes, it takes the better part of the first half of the play to understand what is actually happening on the Stage in front of you; however the fantastic casting made this aspect of the production a lot easier to handle. Returning graduates of the Douglas theatre program, Carlen Escarraga and Tirra Dent, made a big impact as Walter the drifter and his high school “fling on the side” Patsy Johnson. Walter’s day-time lover Cora was fantastically portrayed by first year student Laura Shortt in her main- stage debut. Although the entire cast did a fabulous job bringing depth to the simple- folk of the Midwest, the breakthrough performance of the © entire production had to be Marc Williams’ portrayal of stable boy Skelly Mannor. Skelly’s character was perhaps the most challenging in range and importance to the story line; Marc’s monologue was very moving and, considering the minimal amount of props he worked with, was extremely convincing of his role. Lighting and sets were some of the best that Douglas College has come up with in years, with the capability of keeping all 17 actors on stage at all times, yet not having any of them get directly in the way of the action. Director John Cooper ensured scenes played out smoothly and first time stage-manager Jessie Paynter Marc Williams & Matt Falletta had the program very polished by opening night without so much as an awkward changeover. As the story unfolds, the audience is drawn into the sickly twisted personalities and happenings of Eldritch, This play comes as a major highlight of the Douglas arts calendar, catch it while you still can until November 20.