entertainment April 15, 1985. PAGE 11° 1985: summer in the city Well kids, another year has come and gone, and soon we'll all be free, like swallows and butterflies. No more nasty school, and a lot more free time: by JOEL HAGEN these are the wonderful symptoms of the months May through August. I’m sure most of you are asking yourselves, ‘‘what am | going to do all summer?’’, and we here at The Other Press are going to try to fill you in on some of the less publicized events that will be coming your way in the next few months, Some are annual happen- ings that pop up every year, and others are brand new. I'll try to cover lots of ground in a short time, so fasten your seatbelts and prepare yourself for a trip into the entertainment world of a somewhat deranged spam. The 8th Annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival I’ve always regretted that | missed the first three folk festivals, but at the time | was young...heck; naive! My taste in music was far from discerning, and |! thought that CFRO stood for some European terrorist group. Now that I’ve matured, I’ve come to love and appreciate the folk fest, and | never miss it. Last year, with the most marvellous weather this side of lotus land (we should be in lotus land, but thanks to the Socreds, the lotuses are dead), almost 70 singers, bands, dancing troupes, poets and actors put on the best show that money can buy, guaranteed. Only $35 dollars (if you get in on a group ticket) buys two and a half days of marvellous music, friendly people, good food, and much spiritual med- icine. Don’t worry about the lack of big names at the festival. One thing I’ve learned in my long and arduous years as a critic is that fame and quality don’t necessarily go hand in hand. This year’s festival runs from July 19 to 21 at Jericho Park. For info, phone the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society at 879-2931, or get on their mailing list: 3271 Main Street, Vancouver, V5W 3M6. The 4th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival | caught this one from its inception, and it also offers exceptional value. In 1982, the festival ran for two weeks and offered the viewer 39 films. It has since grown steadily; and this year over 120 movies from 30 countries will run for a month at the Ridge, Van- couver East, and Hollywood theatres. Rather than raising ticket prices this year, the festival has lowered them, offering a real steal. For as little as $50 you can see every show. If you aren’t quite so dedicated, a ten show pass can be purchased for $25. My personal preference is for the Australian imports. Last Year’s The Clinic, Heatwave (with Judy Davis), and Puberty Blues (directed by Bruce Beresford) were all exceptional. This year promises more good stuff from down under, as well as lots of films from Europe, Japan, Latin America, and our own big bastion of free enter- prise, North America. The festival runs from May 10 to June 6, and tickets and info can be had at the Ridge Theatre, 3131 Arbutus Street, Vancouver. The ‘‘hotline’’ for the festival is 738-0400. The Asia Pacific Festival Just how many festivals can an impressionable young spam handle, anyways? This one, which takes place in Vanier Park from June 6 - 14, is being sponsored by the Asia Pacific Festival Society. It will receive piles of grants and money from corporations and government agencies, so expect some panache and flair. International performers will be coming from as far away as India, the Philippines and Thailand. China’s par- ticipants, the Ningxia Performing Art Troupe, will probably be well worth seeing for their acrobatics and dance. Any fans of the shadow theatre that was so marvellous in The Year of Living Dangerously will want to catch prize-winning puppeteer I Wayan Wija, from Indonesia. Canada will also have participants and performing groups from _ local ethnic community organizations. In- formation about the festival can be had by phoning 687-0651. The White Rock Summer Theatre The White Rock Theatre knows what people are looking for on a warm summer evening, and all of their pro- ductions have a definite seasonal ““feel’’ to them. Past productions, like 18 Wheels and Sleuth, were very well done, and this season should bring equally good quality with two comedies; Bedroom Farce and Blithe Spirit, as well as Gwendoline, a drama for the more sombre crowd. The comedies are guaranteed rib ticklers, and a great way to end a day at the beach. Bedroom Farce is by Alan Ayckbourn, author of The Nor- man Conquests, and involves his usual cast of confused married couples. Blithe Spirit is more of a farce, with a wild cast of ghosts, psychics and other somewhat weird people. The season opens June 28 and reservations can be made by calling 536-1343. Don’t forget to bring along Annette and Frankie. The Music Front Looking into my crystal ball, | see a maelstrom of good vibes brewing for summer of 1985. The best and the brightest on the local music scene are going to ‘‘explode into rock’n roll’ Pe An a (thanks Bruce), and in North America, the rock’n roll ‘‘renaissance’’ is going to go mainstream. | won’t lay any money on either of these predictions, but the signs show that the times are right. Bands like Poisoned, The Enigmas, Family Plot, Work Party and Slow are getting lots of exposure and lots of press, and they are making lots of music. And it’s good music too, so don’t wait for these bands to get famous and leave our little village; check them out while you have the chance. The American rock and roll renaiss- ance is in the hands of an ever-growing number of bands, and has passed all the critical hurdles. R.E.M. and Los Lobos won accolades the last two years in Rolling Stone, and we proles are finally taking notice. Gotta go. Hang loose. Stay alive. Have fun. Dance lots, and in the words of brother Zonker, have a ‘‘far-freakin out’’ time. th’