The local company is rolling into summer with its third annual Bike Ride, offering an expanded lineup and green initiatives with this year's event, scheduled for July 9, 10, 16 and 17 along the Galloping Goose trail.
Bike Ride, which sees participants riding to various performances near Cecelia Ravine Park and the Selkirk Trestle, will feature 12 shows, up from eight or nine in previous years.
The idea for Bike Ride – which SKAM believes is the only show of its kind – started with the city's trail network.
“We're Galloping Goose users,” says Matthew Payne, SKAM's artistic director. “We'd be riding along the trail, seeing these little underused green spaces and natural auditoriums.”
So the company did what anyone would do. Think of a way to combine the things Victoria loves: Seeing shows and riding bikes.
And while SKAM had done moving shows before, something like Bike Ride, which sees the audience ride off on four different tours to see three shows at a time, was a whole different game.
“The first year we didn't know if it would work,” says Payne. “We weren't sure of the execution.”
But audiences loved the ride, which balances the tours to get a good mix of performances – including comedy, spoken word, dance, story telling and musical theatre.
Now that Theatre SKAM has a handle on the logistics of the event, they're looking to expand. Not only are there more performers this year, Payne feels the quality of the shows is better than ever.
There will also be a bike-decoration station, featuring alternative and recycled materials, a healthy concession featuring local markets, and ethical merchandise.
“As the event grows we wanted to continue to focus on the sustainability of it,” says Payne. We feel we are, along with other users, stewards of the trail. While Bike Ride has had a green mandate from the beginning, we are always looking for ways to minimize our impact while encouraging creative uses of these public spaces.”
Each show is 10 minutes long, and the entire tour will take about three hours to complete. Each day's tours will wrap up with a musical performance at Cecelia Ravine Park. For those who'd like to break the shows up, a two-day pass is available.
“We know we can handle a much bigger crowd,” says Payne, adding that they'd like to see 800 audience members come out (400 attended in 2010). “I think it could really become a marquee event in Victoria.”
Bike Ride runs July 9 & 10 and 16 & 17 beginning at 3:30 p.m. daily. Tickets are $15 each $25 for a two-day pass), and available online at ticketrocket.org/bike-ride or at the venue. Visit skam.ca for more information.
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