Summer is beginning to ebb into fall, and while rental scooters are being packed away and out-of-town buskers are scurrying off with the sun-seeking tourists, Victoria’s arts community is practically bursting to let everyone know what excitement it has for the upcoming season.

At a special preview last week that brought most of our local art czars under one roof, the delicate layers of each event was dropped on an eager audience with all the delicious anticipation of a Cheesecake Girls’ burlesque show.

And while Monday will deliver the full scoop in our annual you’ll-burst-into-big-soppy-tears-if-you-miss-it Fall Guide next week, there were several nuggets that jumped out as mark-it-on-the-calendar-now events.

First up is National Ballet of Canada (Sept. 27 and 28) complete with a red-carpet gala at the Empress on opening night with Karen Kain in attendance. And if you’ve always wondered what the fuss is and want to experience dance at its finest, Dance Victoria has a block of 50 seats for each performance that it is selling for only $25 each. Now that’s a deal.

Not to be outdone, Ballet Victoria has a great lineup planned, too, but the one that sticks out for me is Ballet Rocks – From Bach to Pink Floyd (Oct. 7, 8 and 9). With a live orchestra, this definitely looks like one not to miss.

Theatre lovers are in for a treat as Belfry Theatre kicks off its season with the English language premiere of the hit French Canadian play And Slowly Beauty … (Sept. 20 to Oct. 23). That is followed by one of my favourite backstage comedies, Jitters (Nov. 15 to Dec. 18). And leaping ahead to March, poet Shane Koyczen is sure to heat up the annual SPARK festival.

Langham Court, at 83 years young, goes for tenderly funny with The Melville Boys (Sept. 29 to Oct. 15) followed by dramatic suspense in The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Nov. 17 to Dec. 3).

Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, which blew us away over the summer with its powerful but too-short season, is sadly sliding It’s A Wonderful Life back into the wings to make way for the original Lux Radio version of the Christmas classic Miracle On 34th Street. But before that ol’ chestnut warmer hits, Blue Bridge is bringing back the multi-talented Zachary Stevenson (Fire) for Buddy – the Buddy Holly Story (Nov. 15 and 16).

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Book out of my head

Just a quick note to say that I’ve released my latest novel K.A.R.M.A. as an ebook exclusive on the Kindle. Bestselling author Stephen Leather devoured it and said: “Lots of violence, snappy prose and dialogue that jumps off the page. I was gripped from page one.”