Kimberley-born artist Clara MacLeod is in the final stretch of fundraising for her debut album and short film ‘The Woods,’ collaborating with over 20 creatives from around B.C.

Clara MacLeod is a singer-songwriter who grew up in Kimberley, and currently lives in New Westminster. She’s been singing, performing, and writing for nearly her whole life, and spent her childhood and teenage years in McKim and Selkirk’s concert band and choir, jazz choir, drama program, and musical theatre productions.

She also took dance classes at Liela Cooper’s School of Highland Dance, and Stages School of Dance (in Cranbrook). In addition to performing, she also went on to direct and choreograph several shows, including McKim Middle School’s ‘Willy Wonka Jr.’ and plays for the Selkirk drama department before her graduation.

Since graduating in 2015, she pursued her love of musical theatre by attending the performing arts program at St. Clair College, and attaining her Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from Capilano University and Douglas College.

She also loves to perform and connect with the local arts community when she visits home, including performing with local theatre companies (like Kimberley’s ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect’ with Turner & Adler in 2016 and Cranbrook’s ‘Spamalot!’ in 2017), her recent holiday performance at the Stemwinder in December of 2023, and running some vocal classes for the cast of Selkirk’s ‘Be More Chill.’

Now, she’s blending her love for music, writing, and acting in her latest project, and it’s her biggest undertaking yet.

“The Woods” is being dubbed as a visual album. Eight songs written and performed by MacLeod with eight corresponding music videos that, when put together, create a short film with a storyline inspired by Greek mythology.

Although MacLeod is acting as performer, writer, and producer, the heart of this project lies in its collaboration.

To bring this vision to life, MacLeod worked with a team of creatives consisting of five different B.C.-based music producers and seven different B.C.-based directors/cinematographers, along with designers, actors, photographers, and more.

It’s been over a year in the making, and currently all of the songs have been recorded, two of the music videos are in post-production, two more shoot dates are scheduled, and the remaining creatives are all on deck and ready to go. Her ties to Kimberley are showcased in the work too, with one of the completed music videos being done in collaboration with local cinematographer, Lukas Nemeth, and being shot at McGinty Lake (a very cold, but very joyous -22 day that no one on the crew will ever forget!)

The project is the biggest MacLeod has worked on to date and, as an independent artist, the financial constraints have made it challenging. The process so far has been made easier by the kindness of both the creatives involved and those who have donated to “The Woods” fundraiser.

Now that the final stretch of the project has begun in preparation for the fall/winter release, MacLeod and the team behind “The Woods” have a fundraising goal of $5,000. This money would safely cover the remaining shoot costs, paying off music production, and mastering the songs.

“The Woods” is a project celebrating the artists of B.C. and showcasing them in a mosaic of sound, song, cinematography, and more. Now that the project is so close to its finish line, the fundraising is crucial in bringing this collaborative piece to fruition.

Lead image: Lukas Nemeth and Clara MacLeod shooting the music video for “The Archer” at McGinty Lake in February, 2023.  Photos submitted

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