First annual talent show coming up

By Tyler Clarke, editor of Cutbanks- the Prince George Cultural Magazine

The talents of 16 Prince George residents are to be showcased January 23, during what organizer Sufey Chen hopes will be the first annual talent show, titled PG’s Got Talent. 

“I’ve always wanted to organize a talent show and I finally got around to doing it,” Chen said of organizing the show.
Having lived in Prince George for the past six to seven years, after living in Michigan, China, Singapore, Vancouver, Richmond, and other places, Chen said that the talents in Prince George are certainly comparable to those in these other cities. The only difference, she said, is that these larger places may have more opportunities than Prince George, which is where the upcoming talent show comes into play.

During the latter months of 2009, Chen auditioned over 70 people to share their talents during the talent show, a number she had to dwindle down to just 16 performers.

“There was a lot of talent,” she said, adding that deciding upon who would perform was a difficult decision considering the talent she was dealing with. In the end, she decided upon several musicians, comedians, actors, as well as people of other talents, making for a diverse evening of entertainment.

Although it’s now too late to audition for the show, Chen said that art submissions of various kinds will be accepted to help line the PG Playhouse’s lobby during the event, until January 15.

For an event organized entirely by volunteers, with everyone including performers, sound and lighting people volunteering their time, a $20 admission price has been accused by some as seeming rather steep. Chen defends the price by saying that it’s “a really good show with 16 performers.”

She also said that any funds earned at this event will be carried over to help fund next year’s talent show.

For more information on PG’s Got Talent, Sufey Chen can be contacted at 250-961-9788. There is also a Facebook page – just search “Prince George Talent.”

The PG’s Got Talent Show starts at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Prince George Playhouse. Tickets are $20, and are available at Books and Company and UNBC.