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May 14, 2010
JWB/JI nurtures community
A maestro celebrates paper’s years of support for arts and culture.
PERRY EHRLICH
I was recently rummaging through some memorabilia and found an article in the Bulletin written 34 years ago. It was about a show called An Evening of Song that I had produced at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver shortly after moving to the city to begin my legal career. To help publicize the show, I was told to contact the Bulletin. A well-written article and an accompanying photograph in the paper encouraged a couple hundred people to buy tickets to a show produced by an unknown 23-year-old kid from Yorkton, Sask.! I was amazed!
Over the past 34 years, I have produced many shows at the JCC, and the Bulletin (now known as the Independent) has been one of my main supporters. In particular, the focus of my Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! musical theatre summer program (now heading into its 16th year at the JCC) has been to nurture and train young performers and, in so doing, to build their self-esteem and self-confidence by emphasizing the importance of commitment and working hard to make their dreams come true. By supporting me, and publicizing Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance!, the Independent has nurtured me and made my dreams come true. I cannot even begin to count the number of children who became aware of Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! through articles written in the Independent.
In addition, the JI recently publicized my Showstoppers troupe, who performed in 12 shows at Robson Square, Pacific Coliseum, Canada Hockey Place and the Richmond O Zone during the Olympic Games.
I do not take for granted the willingness of the Independent to support my musical endeavors – in particular, during these troubling times when funding to the arts has been drastically cut and many cultural organizations face ongoing problems and limited budgets as the result of same.
As well, I was humbled to see a story about my father, David Ehrlich, in the April 23 edition of the Independent. As a child, my dad rarely spoke about the Holocaust, and I recall that the first time that I heard his story in its entirety was at a symposium at the University of British Columbia when I was in my late twenties. To see his story on the first page of the Independent made me incredibly proud.
I am extremely appreciative that the Independent exists, not only to update us on community news and events, but also to support the arts and to honor individuals in our community (like my dad) who set an example for all of us.
I wish a happy 80th birthday to the Independent and extend a heartfelt “thank you” to its publisher, editor and staff for their kindness and continued support. I also wish them much success in the future.
Perry Ehrlich is a Richmond business lawyer, recently honored by the Canadian Bar Association for his community involvement. He received an Ovation Award from APPLAUSE! Musicals Society for his significant contribution to the musical theatre community. He has been married to his wife, Marilyn, for almost 33 years and has two daughters, Lisa and Mandy.
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