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Flin Flon Rocks the Arts cultural oasis continues to tap into rich creative vein By Jennifer McFee For the Winnipeg Free Press The arts community is rock solid in Flin Flon, thanks to a deep mine of local creative talent. And the Flin Flon Arts Council continues to excel in its role, supporting the arts and northern artists through its focus on theatre, music, visual arts and much more. A production of Les Misérables was just the latest feather in Flin Flon's cap. Photos courtesy of Flin Flon Arts Council C ultural co-ordinator Crystal Kolt says there's more than meets the eye when you scratch beneath the surface in Flin Flon. "When you first see the town, per- haps you see a little northern mining town," she says. "But like any other mining town, you have all these riches that are part of the veins of the rock that may not be instantly apparent. It's a little bit like that here with the arts and culture." The arts council supports more than just Flin Flon, extending to the entire region, including Bakers Nar- rows, Cranberry portage, The pas and Thompson, as well as the neighbour- ing Saskatchewan communities of Creighton and Denare Beach. As artistic director of the Flin Flon Community Choir, Kolt sees the local talent first-hand. It's also evident to her husband, Mark, who is the group's musical director. "We have striven to provide clas- sical masterworks as well as high-end, professional-quality musical theatre productions to the North," she says. Their musical abilities have earned recognition over the years, resulting in an invitation to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall in 2002. Then in 2013, they returned to New York to perform in a re-orchestrated version of Han- del's Messiah at Lincoln Center. That performance led to a callback from Maestro Jonathan Griffith, who has invited the group to perform in Car- negie Hall once again on June 12, 2016. In addition to their New York shows, the group has performed with the Winnipeg and Saskatoon symphony orchestras. Their top-notch achievements extend as well into the realm of musical theatre. "We've been in existence for 20 years and there have been maybe eight major musical theatre performances. What's really exciting is we're starting to get permission for works that have been elusive in the past. Three years ago, we were one of seven in the country that had permission to do the musical Chicago," Kolt says. "And it took 15 years of calling New York, but we also got permission to produce Les Misérables. We're always trying to move it up to the next level and try to give northerners profes- sional-quality experiences." When Les Misérables took the stage in May, the group offered a dazzling performance directed by Ann Hodges of Winnipeg. "It was such a huge thing for us in terms of product quality, audience de- velopment and professional develop- ment," Kolt says. "part of our deal is to find the talent that's in northern Manitoba and north- ern Saskatchewan. We want to find op- portunities for that to be nurtured and supported and shared with the rest of the province and country." In 2008, the organization created the Central Canada Film Group, which shows Toronto International Film Fes- tival films six times per year, inter- spersed with educational outreach events. And with a love for the writ- ten word, the Flin Flon Writers' Guild continues to encourage and support authors. "There's quite a few publications that have come through that group, so that's a great support team there," Kolt says. Rounding out the cultural experi- ence, an old confectionary has been transformed to serve double artistic duty. Half of the building houses the Northern Visual Arts Centre, which includes space for studios and exhib- itions. The other side is a cabaret- style venue called Johnny's Social Club, which is jam-packed for monthly showcases of performing artists. With an event nearly every night in Flin Flon, there is no shortage of artis- tic entertainment. Coming up on Dec. 6, Lessons and Carols will ring in the holiday season. Then on Dec. 11, the festivities con- tinue with a Wood n' Wire event called Christmas Stars and Carolling at John- ny's Social Club. On Dec. 12 and 13, the Ham Sandwich Theatre troupe will perform Harvey, and arts events continue into the new year with a full schedule of performances. "Our country is still such a pioneer- ing country. There's so much left to be realized and developed," Kolt says. "It's so exciting and it's such a priv- ilege to be in a rural community where you have blue skies in terms of ambi- tion and opportunity to do what you wish. If you can get past the obstacles of distance and money, there are lots of opportunities." Visit flinfonartscouncil.org to keep tabs on programs and events. ❙ "we have sTriven To provide classical masTerworks as well as hiGh-end, professional- qualiTy musical TheaTre producTions To The norTh," Celebrating 30 years of inspiring families and communities to grow together through the joy of learning.

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