(Wakefield, QC) Artistic Director Kerstin Petersson is delighted to announce today the confirmed lineup and program for Festival Ta Da! 2016. The fest will take place September 9 through 11 – and it continues to blossom in its fourth iteration. It's a weekend-long celebration that serves up an eclectic mix of performances,
with artists from as far away as Halifax, and as close as Wakefield. For the second year, Ta Da! is part of the Arts Alive! Quebec network of six arts festivals, funded by Canadian Heritage. Festival Ta Da! will take place at the Centre Wakefield La Pêche in Wakefield, QC.
As always, Ta Da! will have both new works and established productions, serious theatre as well as funny stuff. Being Hank and Patsy, from Knowlton, Quebec's Path Productions, and The Auden Test from Toronto's Theatre of the Beat, will both have their World Premieres at Ta Da! – but they're only two of nine theatre or dance productions you can take in over the weekend, alongside music from Wakefield's vibrant local scene. There's dance and children's theatre from Montreal, scripted theatre and improv from Montreal, the Eastern Townships, Halifax, Toronto and Ottawa – and you'll get a chance to stretch your own artistic muscles, too. We invite you, our audience, to participate.
From improv movement with the Wakefield Dance Collective's Owen Tuf to contributing to the 'live' community visual art project, Playing With Words, with Oliver Walter Greenhorn, to a Sunday Morning Sing! session with Chris Knight, there's lots for you to DO as well as to SEE. And the return of the outdoor market with great food, arts and crafts, children's activities and strolling performers, will turn the Centre Wakefield La Pêche grounds into a vibrant meeting place.
Here are the performances, at a glance:
Something's Laughing (dance) – Wakefield Dance Collective, Wakefield, QC
The Auden Test (theatre) – Theatre of the Beat, Toronto, ON
Lavinia (theatre) – SurrealSoReal, Montreal, QC
Entrelacs (dance) – Alt-Shift Explorations, Montreal, QC
The Paperbag Queen (theatre) – The Orange Eyes Company, Montreal, QC
How Often Do I Dream (theatre) – Transitus, Halifax, NS
Wake Up Sleeping Beauty! (children's theatre) – Live Action Theatre, Montreal, QC
Love With Leila (theatre) – Laugh With Leila Productions, Toronto, ON
Being Hank & Patsy (musical) – Path Productions, Knowlton, QC
Bob Webb & Phil Jenkins from Chelsea and Ray Harris from Shawville & Ottawa perform Friday and Saturday
evenings respectively at the Kaffe 1870.
"An important thing our festival provides is opportunities for artists to meet and network. It has in past years resulted in artistic collaborations by artists who had never met previously," said Petersson, "I personally find that very exciting and gratifying."
The best thing to do is to head to the Ta Da! website, www.tadafestival.ca, wade in, and plan for a busy weekend, immersed in performing arts and fun. Ta Da! happens September 9 – 11 at the Centre Wakefield La Pêche, 38 Valley Drive, Wakefield, QC. Tickets range in price – please see the website for details. For more information, photos, or to arrange an interview, please contact Melanie Willis at artzenjammer@gmail.com
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