Phoenix Tour

Phoenix Tour Project

Phoenix Tour Project

The Phoenix Tour covered 2,500km with performances in nine communities: Wells, Prince George, Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Valemount and Ashcroft. The tour not only promoted Barkerville Historic Town and Park and the Cariboo as a visitor destination, it gave hope to communities hard-hit by back-to-back, record-setting fire seasons. The Wright-Newman Theatre Company troupe performed “Mrs. McGinley’s Gold Rush Variety Show” to full houses and standing ovations.

The performances energized audiences, giving them a sense of hope and optimism that the challenges posed by devastating fire seasons could be overcome, as they had been in the past by previous generations of Cariboo residents, including First Nations and the rich, multicultural, diverse populations that made the Cariboo home during and after the Gold Rush.

Funded in part by NPTGS, other tour sponsors include the Community Resilience Through Arts and Culture program (Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture), Barkerville Gold Mines, the Friends of Barkerville Cariboo Goldfields Historical Society, Barkerville Historic Town & Park and Frog on the Bog/Mountain Thyme/St. George Hotel. The project partners gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia.