Rick Stiebel/News Gazette staff
There’s bound to be a personal Christmas favourite for everyone somewhere in the seasonal mix of song, dance and theatre that come together in Keeping PACE With Christmas.
The Sooke School District’s PACE Musical Theatre Academy has gone to great lengths to include a myriad of popular holiday characters and elements in this year’s production, said director Sandy Webster-Worthy, who founded PACE (Program for Academic and Creative Enrichment) more than 30 years ago. The aim was to create an environment where all of the kids are involved in dancing, singing or acting in every production, she explained. “The focus has always been to empower kids to perform so they develop the confidence and gain the experience of being on stage. They learn to work together as a team. A lot of the kids who start in kindergarten stay with PACE all the way through high school.”
Webster-Worthy said the enjoyment she gets from working with PACE continues to grow each year, in part because of the family dynamic that’s a special part of the experience. “We have a very complex team of about 50 parent volunteers,” she noted. “It takes a community to do this. We’ve had parents involved for 20 years as their way to give back to their community.”
“This show is Christmas from top top bottom. We have the real deal Santa, the Grinch, Frosty the Snowman and some of the Muppets Christmas characters, to name a few. There’s a selection of carols, fun songs and comedic Christmas moments and more elaborate and traditional carols as well, guaranteed to launch you right into the Christmas spirit. It’s very fast-paced, and there’s definitely something for everyone.”
A personal favourite for Webster-Worthy is a group of kindergarten students singing “All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth,” and performances that involve some of the parents.
The shows take place Dec. 2 at 7 p.m., Dec. 3 at 2 p.m., Dec. 7 and 9 at 7 p.m., and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Isabelle Reader Theatre, 1026 Goldstream Ave. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. You can purchase tickets at the Westshore Centre for Learning and Training at 101-814 Goldstream Ave., or call 250-391-9002 to reserve or order by phone.
Find the entire holiday edition of West Shore Family online.