The Theatrix Youtheatre Society is teaming up with a handful of leadership students from Simon Fraser University to host a fundraiser in Port Moody this weekend.

The Heart & Soul benefit goes Sunday from 6: 30 to 9: 30 p.m. and will feature an art show by SFU students and local youth, live musical and theatrical performances, live and silent auctions, and door prizes to help the local nonprofit theatre group rebound from cuts to grant opportunities in recent years.

"It's been difficult with all the cuts and we are looking to find ways to sustain our programming," said Deb Solberg, the society's founder and artistic director. "I love this project. It's been an incredibly collaborative effort and a labour of love for all of us. That's why we called it Heart & Soul."

Some of the items being auctioned include original art, jewelry by Joye Designs, a dinner at Rockwells, a fantasy hotel and breakfast package from PoCo Inn and Suites, tickets for Ballet BC and Vancouver Bach Choir, as well as a horse and carriage ride through the countryside courtesy of Hazelnut Grove Clydesdales.

Tickets for Heart & Soul cost $35 and can be purchased online at www.theatrixyoutheatre.com.

PLACE DES ARTS HOSTS VARIED EXHIBITS

The three exhibits currently housed at Coquitlam's Place des Arts weave between themes of abstract spaces and experimentation.

Robert Baliello's exhibit, Motion Un-Controlled, is housed in the upper atrium gallery and focuses on the artist's ability to manipulate art using motion control and film equipment.

Baliello's works start with basic graphic lines before they are transferred to film and moved using a variety of programmed motor-control options. The pieces are then transferred into a digital camera before printing.

"My technique is a hybrid system, which combines old and new processes," he said in a press release. "The images in Motion Un-Controlled represent years of restoration and modifications to bring them to where they are today."

The paintings in Iryna Nikitinska's exhibition, There is Life in the Stone, aim to depict the unity of two opposites: stone and life. Nikitinska's exhibit is being shown in the mezzanine gallery and represents her effort to portray stones as objects that contain life.

Maryam Mohseni's untitled exhibit consists of paintings that depict the local artist's passion for colour and exploring unknown spaces. She uses her works to navigate between the realms of abstract, chaos, order and the factual to provide contrasts between structure and focus.

All of the exhibits run through Saturday, Feb. 25. For more info, visit www. placedesarts.ca or call 604664-1636.

CENTENNIAL STAGES SPELLING BEE

Students at Centennial Secondary will be winding down their production of Spelling Bee this week, with the final two performances slated for today (Friday) and Saturday.

The show was conceived by Rebecca Feldman and features music and lyrics by William Finn and a book by Rachel Sheinken.

Tickets cost $12 for students and $15 for adults, and are available at the school office.

PORT MOODY ACTOR GETS SAUCY

Port Moody's Allison Fligg will be a part of a "neoburlesque" production in Vancouver that kicks off Friday, Feb. 17.

Entitled Lost Girls of Neverland, the show follows the story of a dance troupe working at a gentleman's club in New Orleans called Neverland, with Fligg playing the part of Jane Doe.

The show is intended for audience members over 19, and will be held at the Anza Club, which is located at 3 West Eighth Ave. in Vancouver. For tickets or show information, see www. brownpapertickets.com/ event/222801.

HERITAGE SOCIETY WOOS WINE LOVERS

The Port Coquitlam Heritage Society will play host to its fourth annual wine-tasting event on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Dubbed A Taste of PoCo Spirit, the event will feature dozens of wines - including Rieslings, Chardonnays, Sauvignons and more - being offered up at six different tasting stations.

NOW wine columnist and sommelier John Gerum will also be in attendance offering his two cents on the products being offered.

"Here is a sommelier who has personally served Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, several prime ministers and presidents and he will be joining our tasting to showcase premium wines from environmentally sustainable wineries," said Michael Thomas, the society's fundraising chair, in a press release.

A Taste of PoCo Spirit kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Gathering Place in Leigh Square.

Tickets cost $45 and are available at the Outlet in Leigh Square or online at www.pocoheritage.org.