When the B.C. Buds Festival happens from Thursday to Sunday (May 7 to 11), the Firehall Arts Centre comes alive with site-specific live performances and new play readings. Spread into every nook, cranny, and outdoor space of the atmospheric 107-year-old heritage buildingare almost 30 different theatre, dance, and music micro-performances and staged readings. The theme this year? Longing and belonging. Among the highlights are a reading of Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s one-man show Empire of the Son, by former CBC broadcaster Tetsuro Shigematsu; When you would rather sit alone, a dance trio by Meredith Kalaman set to live music by Sarah Wheeler; Mindy Parfitt (of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades theatre) directing Marisa Smith (of Alley Theatre) in Hannah Moskovitz’s short play USSR; and Jazz trombonist Brad Muirhead's spoken word and live music collaboration exploring the idea of belonging in the DTES. The festival is free-to-the-public and runs Thursday, night from, 7 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday nights from 7 to11 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 3:30 p.m.