Celebrating the Art of Business and the Business of Art at Student Showcase

ShowBiz pathway preparing students to build meaningful careers, businesses, non-profits, and artistic collaborations

Corpus Christi College at UBC is proud to present the annual SHOWBIZ SHOWCASE—an inspiring evening celebrating student creativity, innovation, and interdisciplinary excellence. Held at the UBC Performance Theatre on April 28, this dynamic event showcases a diverse selection of student work and culminates in a live one-act play performed by student actors.

Short presentations will be grouped by discipline, including Creative Writing, Business, Media Arts, and Theatre, and students will share their original work ranging from poetry and pitch decks to short films and performance art.

This reflects the unique academic model of Corpus Christi-St. Mark’s College at UBC where learners are encouraged to explore both core business subjects and their creative passions. The result is confident, well-rounded individuals ready to build meaningful careers or launch their own enterprises, non-profits, and artistic collaborations.

Many of the student presenters are continuing creative pursuits that began in high school and have since evolved into professional ambitions, polished portfolios, and emerging ventures. The idea for ShowBiz was conceived by President and Principal Dr. Gerry Turcotte to support precisely this kind of student — one who hopes to nurture their creative passions while also preparing for pre-professional programs or exploring new academic pathways. The initiative grew out of conversations with students and parents eager to find ways to keep the arts in their lives, even as their studies took them in other directions.

For example, Showcase participants are already achieving early successes in the film industry. Nathan Hayward – who is also returning as this year’s Master of Ceremonies – is now a working voice actor, and has also appeared in a number of student films. Michael Purkiss just wrapped a role in a short film that will be touring the festival circuit next year, and Mikayla Walrond starred in a short that won the “Best Overall Short Film” at the Rise Film Festival.

SPECIAL GUESTS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Guests include faculty, students, and community supporters, along with Anita Wittenberg, board member and Artistic Advisor of Vancouver’s Pacific Theatre, an award-winning Vancouver theatre company exploring future collaborations with Corpus Christi College. The evening will also acknowledge the presence of Corpus Christi Board Member Bruce Comeau and his wife, Mary, Senior Talent Agent Berkley O’Sullivan, from The Character’s Talent Agency, (the largest talent agency in Canada), as well as actress Lucia Walters of Netflix’s hit series “Virgin River” in attendance.

This is not just a student showcase—it’s a celebration of their future. This event honours students bold enough to chase their passions while building the skills to turn those passions into careers, projects, and businesses. It’s a reminder that the next generation of leaders won’t be choosing between business or the arts — they’ll be doing both, and doing it brilliantly.

ABOUT CREATIVE ARTS AND BUSINESS PROGRAMS

Corpus Christi-St. Mark’s College at UBC is showcasing a flexible and innovative academic pathway affectionately called “ShowBiz,” where students study Marketing, Economics, Organizational Behaviour, Social Media Strategy, Theatre, Acting, Creative Writing, Film Production, and more.

Have a question? Please contact [email protected].

Download poster here.

Download program here.

Download press release here.

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Photos by Jacob Mallari.