I still need to get a second job for the summer, since my internship with Calgary Arts Development is not quite full-time, but I have to admit that I’m dragging my heels a little bit in getting something set up. There’s so much going on in this city that it kills me to think of eating up my evenings with a second job. I don’t take advantage of nearly enough of the stuff that Calgary offers, but these days, it’s coming across my desk constantly. When I’m more aware of what’s happening — and around people who are more excited about it — I’m reminded that I need to be out there, seeing and doing more. I want to be getting out there and doing something at least once a week, and there are that many opportunities (and more!), if only I didn’t have to work evenings elsewhere.

It’s the same thing when I’m in school. While I was working in the Public Affairs office, I knew about virtually everything that was going on at the school and at REDCAT, and there was always so much I wanted to see, but there’s just never enough time for all of it.

I make it more of a priority than some people, of course. Even in a “bad” month, I’ll see at least one performing arts event. It’s very, very rare that I’ll go longer than that without seeing something, but occasionally, it happens. Still, I aim for at least two events a month. It’s made somewhat easier by the number of people I know in the arts — even if I only go see events that have friends in them, I’ll see an average of 12-15 events a year, and that’s not even getting to everything that my friends are in.

I try to go beyond just the places where I know someone, though. That’s a good place to start, but it does tend to be a bit limiting. I’m a fan of subscribing to half-price and other listing services (TicketWeb in New York, Goldstar in L.A., ArtsMart in Calgary) and choosing something random with a company I’ve never seen before.

With my job at CADA, I’ll have the opportunity to see all kinds of work. Part of that is, like I said, simply because I’m more aware of what’s out there. Part of it is because I have access to tickets. I just hope that whatever other job I get doesn’t interfere too much with the important stuff in life, especially during the summer, when I don’t have things like classes and rehearsals to fill my time. Even though the summer is traditionally the down season for theatre and regular season programming, there are more than enough festivals, concerts, special events, and exhibits to see, and I plan to take advantage of as much as I can.

I’ll try and post once a week with a roundup of what I’m seeing, reading, listening to, watching, and browsing. It’ll keep me accountable to make sure I’m not getting lazy with my arts intake, and it’ll maybe give Colin and I an excuse to go see things we wouldn’t otherwise see.

How much do you see? What do you wish you had time for? If you’re in Calgary, what’s the most important thing I should make an effort to see this summer?

Tags: calgary, recommendations, School, Theatre, things I've seen

• Digg
• Stumble it!
• Reddit

• True North Strong and Free
• Nights on the town
• Crème and Caramel