Donor Spotlight: Deena Chochinov & Eric Posen
October 22, 2018
Our donors transform the performing arts in our city through their generosity. Leading up to #GivingTuesday on November 27, we are sharing a few of their stories!
We spoke with Deena Chochinov and Eric Posen, longtime donors (currently Advocate-level) and passholders who are as passionate about each other as they are about the arts. As a matter of fact, one of their early dates as a couple was attending a PuSh show. Deena joined the Board of Directors in 2017, bringing her skills as a strategic thinker and leader to the organization.
Like many of our donors, Deena and Eric have a near encyclopedic knowledge of PuSh programming over the years. We’re constantly surprised and delighted to hear about the PuSh experiences that stay with our supporters—this is such an important part of our organizational memory and history.
What first attracted you to PuSh?
I was starving for culture after moving to Vancouver from Montreal. Eric was looking for a wild date night early in our relationship. So, to impress me, he suggested we check out a PuSh show. We’ve never looked back.
In your opinion, what is the most important work that this organization does?
PuSh makes winter in Vancouver bearable and gives us something to regale others with at cocktail parties for the rest of the year.
What performance works inspire you most?
When an artist takes a simple idea and turns it into something so surprising and transformative that we leave the performance inspired, excited and hopeful—especially in these dark, desperate and disappointing times.
What is your favourite memory at PuSh?
There are so many. By Heart (2017), where one Shakespearean sonnet illuminated an elderly blind woman’s last years and had us weeping in our seats. City of Dreams (2011), where the history of human habitation in the Lower Mainland manifested before our very eyes in a quiet ballet of moving twigs and boxes. Haptic (2013), where a Japanese dancer’s body became every light visible and invisible in the spectrum. Joseph Keckler (2018), where one man’s virtuosic twisting of the operatic repertoire reframed the whole medium as a cabaret of invention. Le Grand Continental (2015), where every wannabe dancer’s dream came true. Still Standing You (2013), where a man’s foreskin became the fulcrum of a torrid tug of war—we’re still screaming about that one. 100% Vancouver (2011), where boring statistics took on a fascinating human face. We could go on…
What do you wish people knew about PuSh?
That PuSh is the perfect antidote to screens, drugs and political despair. It is in fact a heart-, soul- and mind-opening delight.
What would you tell someone who’s thinking of donating to PuSh?
Hurry up! You don’t want to miss this opportunity to make a difference in your own life and in the lives of artists and audience members. PuSh matters.
If Deena & Eric’s story has inspired you, join our PuSh Patrons Circle today or make a gift on Giving Tuesday!