Granville Island Cultural Society's Executive Director Barbara Chirinos is right where she wants to be. “The great thing about Granville Island is I am immersed in art and culture constantly. You walk out the door, and there are artisans, painters, musicians, performance companies all over the Island.”
The Society is itself a big part of this dynamic, coordinating Granville Island’s rich busking scene and operating three theatres, each within a stone’s throw of the others: The Waterfront Theatre, Performance Works and Studio 1398. The Waterfront is the oldest and best known, having presented theatre from both emerging artists and repertory staples like Tennessee Williams over the decades.
Performance Works serves as a venue for everything from concerts to weddings. Its outdoor areas — including a small stage nestled in at the foot of a tree-lined hill — make it all the more flexible. “We call it our Big Black Box,” says Barbara, alluding to the space’s versatility, and the vast array of purposes it’s been put to over the years. Studio 1398 is a more intimate space, used mostly for live theatre and community events; it’s their “Small Black Box.”
