Bulkley Valley artist returns home with cardboard boxes and other ways to travel
Published 12:30 pm Thursday, September 11, 2025
The Bulkley Valley Concert Association (BVCA) is starting a new season and is bringing us one of our own.
Ethan DeHoog will be performing at the Old Church, in Smithers, September 19 at 7 p.m., September 20 at 2 and 7 p.m.
“Ethan’s return is more than just a homecoming – it's a celebration of the creative spirit that thrives in small towns and the journeys that begin here," the concert association said.
Now, a Vancouver-based artist, Ethan is returning to his northern roots to perform his solo show: Cardboard Boxes and Other Ways to Travel.
"Ethan’s journey from Smithers to the vibrant arts scene of Vancouver has been marked by resilience, creativity and a deep love for storytelling,” the BVCA continued.
Ethan was raised, he said, "through his awkward teenage years on Van Gaalen Rd.”
Both his parents were storytellers. With a creative spirit filling his home. He was naturally inclined to pursue life in the arts.
That pursuit took him to Studio 58, a theatre and school associated with Langara College in Vancouver. After graduating in 2023, Ethan quickly made a name for himself in the city’s theatre community, performing in productions such as Blue Stocking, Metamorphases, and A Chorus Line.
His career has also taken him behind the stage as a lighting designer and programmer on shows including Everybody by Branden Jacobs Jenkins.
Cardboard Boxes and Other Ways to Travel, which debuted at the Vancouver Fringe Festival in 2024, is a deeply personal exploration that showcases Ethan's passion for life.
“When I was diagnosed with Leukemia, the people of the Bulkley Valley rallied around our family," he said.
"We desperately missed home, so they continued to send it to us. From letters and videos, to care packages filled with food. They managed to send the love of an entire community in cardboard boxes. This show wouldn’t exist without them, and I am so grateful to get to bring it home, just like they brought home to me.”
Ethan’s performance doesn’t dwell on illness. It is an exploration of isolation, imagination and the healing power of human connection. It celebrates the way we move through life even when stuck.
As he moves forward, Ethan hopes to pursue and create work that shares his love of life and the gift of experiencing it with others.
Coming as well to our valley, Brown Bag Lunch Health Topic talks will start on September 15th with the first speaker being Clara Donnelly. She will talk about Mental Illness: Three different stories, three different views, at the Healthy Living Centre from noon to 1 p.m. This is a free event.
For more information contact Clara at 250.917.8337 or bulkleyvalley@bcss.org.
