January 19 to August 10, 2022
We are thrilled to continue our exciting season of accessible online arts adventures that include a variety of described performance videos (theatre, opera, dance), festival highlights, visual art tours, storytelling, described film screenings and cultural tours that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home, free of charge via the magic of Zoom.
We’re also thrilled to present the full season of audio plays from our partners at the Arts Club Theatre, plus selected weekend matinée virtual performances from our partners at the Belfry Theatre.
Wednesday evening programs begin at 6:30 pm Pacific Time. Sunday matinées begin at 1:30 pm PT. Scroll down past the listings for the typical event schedule.
Can’t join us on the day?
Most events are recorded in whole or in part and posted on the VocalEye YouTube channel.
ALMOST LIVE ZOOM SCHEDULE – 2022 (subject to change)
- Jan 19: PuSh Festival Preview + Highlights with Anika Vervecken and special guests.
- Jan 26: Touching Life, a documentary with audio description that features local community members Thilo and Yuko.
- Feb 2: My Father is the Greatest Man in the World, a Métis woman questions her father’s past in this audio play from the Arts Club Theatre.
- Feb 9: All About Opera, a look at some of opera’s Greatest Lovers with Julia Bonnett.
- Feb 16: Lights, a touching and often humorous look at the challenges of early Alzheimer’s, written by and starring Adam Grant Warren, a wheelchair user. A Touchstone Theatre production with audio description.
- Sunday Matinée Feb 20: Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer, an irreverent comedy about power, land claims and procreation from the Belfry Theatre with audio description.
- Feb 23: OFF/NO PROGRAM
- March 2: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, a virtual tour of the touring exhibition with Émilie Crewe.
- March 9: The Cull, a biting new audio drama from the Arts Club Theatre.
- March 16: Literary Cabaret, an evening of author readings and music from the 2021 Vancouver Writers Fest.
- March 23: Special Spring Double-Bill features a new dance film with audio description from Good Women Dance Collective in Edmonton, and a preview of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival with Master Gardener, Ingrid Turk.
- March 30: Your Eyes, My Vision, a new visual art project from the Victoria Society for Blind Arts and Culture.
- April 6: Around the Galaxy in 90 Minutes, a speed date with the cosmos with special guest host, Christine Malec
- April 13: All About Opera: Don Giovanni, a descriptive preview of Pacific Opera Victoria’s production.
- Special Saturday Matinée April 16: Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, a whip-smart exploration of power, truth and desire from the Belfry theatre with audio description.
- April 20: OFF/NO PROGRAM
- April 27: Flying Footless, circus arts and accessibility with Erin Ball.
- May 4: You Can’t Get There From Here, Volume 2, a new selection of audio plays from Factory Theatre.
- May 11: Celebrating Indigenous Artists with Deanna Gestrin and special guests.
- May 18: The Garden of Alice, an operatic adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, sung in English, from Pacific Opera Victoria.
- May 25: OFF/NO PROGRAM
- June 1: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, descriptive highlights of this cult classic with JJ Hunt and special guest Greg Armstrong-Morris.
- Sunday Matinée June 5: Kindred, a fairy tale for adults from the Belfry Theatre, with audio description.
- June 8: Redbone Coonhound, a hard-hitting comedy from the Arts Club Theatre’s audio play series.
- June 15: VanDusen Gardens, virtual tour with Master Gardener, Ingrid Turk.
- June 22: For a Look or a Touch, a theatrical song cycle based on a true story of what it meant to be a gay man during the Holocaust, sung in English, from Pacific Opera Victoria
- June 29: OFF/NO PROGRAM
- July 6: You Can’t Get There From Here, part 2, the remaining audio plays from the Factory Theatre series.
- July 13: Artificial Divide, a selection of short stories from blind and partially sighted writers, with editor and community member Robert Kingett.
- July 20: Hidden Treasures, an artist showcase from the New Brunswick Disability Arts Collective with artist and community member Ysabelle Vautour.
- July 27: Indian Summer Festival Highlights with returning guest Laura June Albert.
- Aug 3: OFF/NO PROGRAM
- Aug 10: Crowd-Sourced Vancouver Mural Festival presents the murals with the most descriptions from our 3-month crowd-sourced description project!
Then we’re off until September 28!
Almost Live Zoom events are hosted by artist, actor, podcaster, accessibility advocate and member of the blind community, Amy Amantea. Events will be posted on this website as they are confirmed and will also be shared on the toll-free VocalEye Hotline 1-833-548-3393 (833-LIVE-EYE). You can also subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest updates.
Almost Live Zoom events are designed to be accessible for audience members who are blind and partially sighted. Sighted supporters and guests with other disabilities are welcome to attend. We are unable to provide ASL interpretation, but auto-generated captioning is available. Recorded Almost Live events will be posted on the VocalEye YouTube channel.
Events are free but registration is required for new attendees. You can register for the full season or a single event. Zoom links and reminders are sent out on the day of the event to all registrants.
Register here or call 604-364-5949.
VocalEye broadcasts from the Pacific Time Zone (Vancouver). Guests from other time zones can use this handy Time Zone Converter
Typical Schedule for Wednesday Evenings – Pacific Time
- 6:30 pm – Virtual lobby opens for community updates and socializing with host Amy Amantea
- 6:45 pm – Official welcome and descriptive introduction with guest artist
- 7 pm – Feature presentation begins
- Followed by conversation and Q and A with guest artist and attendees
- Prize draw
- Community social
- Wrap time is usually around 9 or 9:30 pm PT
Weekend Matinées follow a similar schedule, beginning at 1:30 pm PT.
