In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at WelcometoKelowna.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do. We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination using the form to the left. Thank you, Kelowna!
Kevin Jesuino is nominated for his hard work and dedication to the local arts. He is a passionate person with a zest for life and is always one to laugh. But the arts are not the only thing that Kevin supports within the community. He is also a devoted advocate to social justice and environmental issues.
We asked Kevin the questions below:
What is your name?
Kevin Jesuino
Where do you work?
Independent Performance Theatre Creator/ Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art
Where can people find you or your business online?
http://www.alternatorgallery.com
How do people connect with you on Linkedin?
http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-jesuino/37/490/766
What is your Twitter account?
What do you always find yourself saying?
Yes, I'll do it!" I've learned to say 'No' to certain projects now.
If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
John Cage or Merce Cunningham
If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
Best New Work (in theatre)
If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose?
Fernando Pessoa - an early 20th century Portuguese writer who is at the centre of a new piece of theatre work I'm building. Keep your eyes and ears out for it come Spring 2013.
Who inspires you?
Children, teachers, other artists.
What are 3 things on your bucket list?
-Live in Europe for a year.
-Encourage a city (any city) to turn vacant buildings into artist studios/theatre.
-Get my Yoga Teachers certificate (eventually).
If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
Sine Wave
If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
One of Heisenberg's theories states that the act of observing something will in turn effect the outcome of the situation. Therefore foreseeing my future would inevitably change what will happen to me. So, I'd rather not foresee anything and just leap.
What are you passionate about?
I'm obviously passionate about theatre and art. That's a bit of a cliche. However, I am also passionate about environmental sustainability, community, civil rights, and more arts education in our K-Gr.12 classrooms.
Photo Courtesy of Tracy Kolenchuk
What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
There have been several 'favourite days' in my life. Most of them involve a group of people helping it to be one of my favourite days; first day back in university after a 5 year gap in the real world; closing night of the "Last Will & Testament" tour (a show I helped create) this past spring in Chilliwack; dancing in an open air party in Berlin after touring with InnerFish Performance Co. (a professional Kelowna theatre company) last summer; the day my 4 year old nephew turned to me and said "I love you Uncle Kevin."
What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Developing a drama program for the students at a local high school in Bangkok, Thailand. I was an artist-in-residence there for 2 years. The kids were inspirational! Some of them are still doing theatre today! I like to think it's because of my guiding influence while I was their teacher. Some of them were just meant to be working in the performing arts.
If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
Investors who see the worth of a creative community. Investors who would know that encouraging and educating people about professional art and theatre will in turn bring in other investments and more money into that community.
Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna?
Mad Mango
What is your favourite activity in Kelowna?
Going for a bike ride and taking care of my garden plot at the Cawston Community Garden.
If I could change 1 thing about Kelowna, it would be:
I'd love to see all the major artist institutions and venus work together to present a giant professional theatre festival. If organized by a team of professional local artists and strong marketers Kelowna could become great incubating ground for professional independent performance artists. It's already starting with the type of work UBC-Okanagan's new Interdisciplinary Performance program is creating. Soon you will have fascinating performance artists creating new work who will have lived in Kelowna for 4 years while attending UBCO and no one will know them until after they have left and are making it big in Montreal, Vancouver, Berlin or Tokyo. Let's use what these students have to offer, join forces with all the local Okanagan independent community theatres and let's put on a festival! Does no one see the economic benefit of a theatre festival like this? Let's not forget that the first North American fringe fe stival took place in Edmonton, Alberta in 1981 and in 9 days presented 220 performances and sold 7,500 tickets. In 2001, it's 20th anniversary, the festival had a budget of $1.5 million and attracted half a million visitors.
What do you think makes Kelowna great?
The land! The lake! The weather!
My choice for the Kelowna person of the day is:
Marissa Brown
Neil Cadger
Some general comments I would like to share are:
If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
Not exactly sure. My answer would probably be different if you asked me this tomrrow. At the moment, I'd have to say Ken Gass from Factory Theatre. He's played a major role in defining Canadian theatre and was recently fired by the board of the theatre company he founded in the 70s. It's a controversy over building renovations and I'm sure a lot of other stuff. I wouldn't mind sitting down with Gass and asking "Hey, Ken, what's up? Why all the cuffuffle in your neck of the woods?"
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