Club Carousel
Join One Voice Chorus on a magical history tour!
Join One Voice Chorus on a magical history tour!
Club Carousel may have long since shut its doors, but the courage and vision it took to found Calgary's first gay club still resonate today. One Voice Chorus pays tribute to a piece of our city's queer history with a cabaret-style concert of popular dance music from the era. The program features Top 40 tunes from 1968 to 1974, including hits such as "Sweet Caroline", "You are the Sunshine of My Life", and "Dance to the Music".
"With this concert, we aim to celebrate the gay and lesbian heroes who were building safe space for the queer community in Calgary," says OVC Artistic Director Jane Perry. "They paved the way for community organizations like One Voice Chorus and I feel we owe them a debt of thanks. We look forward to telling their collective story in music and in narration."
Narrating the concert is Kevin Allen, a local historian who will share a glimpse into the life and times of Club Carousel and its patrons. Kevin draws on the extensive research and interviews he has conducted for his forthcoming book on Calgary's queer history
You can find additional information about the concert and the Calgary Gay History Project on the website.
For this concert only, there are two show times to choose from: an afternoon show at 2:30 pm and an evening show at 7:30 pm. We hope you will accept our invitation to hop on the history tour and join One Voice Chorus for a magical evening!
Concert Details
When
Saturday March 28, 2015
Two shows!
2:30 pm & 7:30 pm
Where
Unitarian Church of Calgary
1703 - 1 Street NW
Calgary
Ticket sales closed
More news about Club Carousel Concert
Club Carousel: Be Happy, Be Gay!
Join One Voice Chorus on a magical history tour!
On the opening night of Club Carousel, Calgary's first-ever gay dance club, the police arrived, and informed those present that if they were found gathering on the premises the next night, they would all be charged with "operating a cabaret without a license."
On the opening night of Club Carousel, Calgary's first-ever gay dance club, the police arrived, and informed those present that if they were found gathering on the premises the next night, they would all be charged with "operating a cabaret without a license." Despite the police warning, many brave members of the society showed up the next night anyway.But so did the police, who arrested and charged the members as warned.Renowned Calgary defence lawyer, Harvey Ghitter, offered his services to those charged, and according to the late Jack Loenen, an original member of the Scarth Street Society, by the time those charged went to trial, “the original police charge was thrown out of court as we were classified as a social club (open only to members and their guests) and not as a cabaret."
Gradually, word spread about Club Carousel, and it became an inspirational model for the formation of other gay clubs in Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, and Winnipeg. These clubs dramatically altered the gay social scene on the prairies and, for the first time, created safe social spaces for LGBTQ communities across the prairies.
So, in many ways, Calgary’s Club Carousel and its members became a bridge that enabled other members of the gay community to reach out to each other. It is that bridge, and the strong networks that it has enabled, that OVC will celebrate at its CLUB CAROUSEL concerts on Saturday, March 28.
The concert is just one day away. The evening show is already sold out and tickets to the afternoon show are selling fast - be sure to get yours soon!
Club Carousel
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Two shows!
2:30 pm & 7:30 pm Unitarian Church of Calgary 1703 - 1 Street NW, Calgary
Club Carousel: Named After a Brand of Paint
Picture it: 1968. A small group of folks, members of Calgary’s underground gay community who call themselves the Scarth Street Society, are cleaning up an empty space downtown with the plan of opening the city’s first gay dance club.
Picture it: 1968. A small group of folks, members of Calgary’s underground gay community who call themselves the Scarth Street Society, are cleaning up an empty space downtown with the plan of opening the city’s first gay dance club. According to the late Jack Loenen, an original member of the Scarth Street Society, “As we were working, we discovered an old can of Carousel brand paint, with a drawing of a carousel horse on the label. And that was it! The Club Carousel was born.”Featuring Top 40 hits from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including favorites such as “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, “Joy to the World (Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog)” and “Lean on Me”, OVC’s upcoming Club Carousel concert is a homage to Club Carousel and its pioneering founders.Tickets are selling fast – be sure to get yours soon!Club CarouselSaturday, March 28, 2015Two shows! 2:30 pm & 7:30 pmUnitarian Church of Calgary1703 - 1 Street NW, Calgary