Huge TaDa! Festival presents a cultural feast of theatre, dance and music

August 16, 2017 The schedule for the 5th Annual TaDa! Performing Arts Festival was announced today.  Partnered with Arts Alive! Québec, the event will take place in Wakefield, Qc from September 8th to 10th, and feature performances from eight theatre companies, nine musical acts and two dance groups, workshops and a market.  It all takes place at the Gwen Shea Hall and outside on the grounds of Centre Wakefield La Pêche, and at Kaffe 1870. The Festival is the largest in the region and, with weekend passes priced at only $40, many plan to take in the entire three days of entertainment.  The atmosphere buzzes as audiences share experiences, grab a bite to eat and socialize between shows.  People are encouraged to partake in the bounty of our outdoor market of local food and crafts, as well as a series of workshops on movement, table, voice and singing, and dance. From Toronto on Friday, September 8th laugh with Couks the dishwasher, Bliss the side cook and Mike the server as they debate which one is truly BLIND TO HAPPINESS.  See one of two performances of Pea Green Theatre’s funny, award-winning production of THREE MEN IN A BOAT or HOME CHILD, the cabaret-style theatre piece EIN TANZTEE MIT ANITA BERGER or the Eastern Township’s show about the little known children shipped alone to Canada in 1894.  Catch Ian Tamblyn’s latest musical revue, the third in his trilogy.   A SUMMER...A FAIR, produced by Theatre Wakefield, has toured to 14 communities in South Western Quebec this summer.   Bring the kids to see WAKE UP SLEEPING BEAUTY, a play which takes the classic fairy tale and invites the audience to give it a new ending.  Stay for presentations of a new play from Theatre Wakefield’s New Works project, the imaginative summer theatre camp show or any one of 6 fantastic workshops. Music is a major element in the lineup.  Saturday night, fresh from the festival circuit (Jazzfest, Bluesfest, Marvest), Mindy Amelotte’s Dynamite Motel performs at Kaffe 1870.  Or hear the amazing voices of Sweet Kate, a five-piece a capella vocal ensemble singing polyphonic madrigal choral music from the 1600’s in the Gwen Shea Hall.  Sunday afternoon catch Eniid Goodman presenting songs from her debut album, A Celebration of Joni Mitchell with a mix of original and cover songs.  Plus Ray Montford’s haunting and beautiful imagery; Michel-André Vallière’s folk songs; Lyre Bird’s eclectic, folksy, four-piece band; Luce Bélanger’s mix of Métis–Algonquin roots and the local fiddlers, Angus Burger and the Fiddlin’ Fries. The performers have been drawn from Montréal, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa and our Gatineau region.  In describing the overall event, Artistic Director Kerstin Petersson said, “This year the program has really grown both in terms of the number of shows but also the quality of the performances.  The 2017 TaDa! Arts Alive! Quebec Festival will be teeming with performing arts, food, and the most exciting lineup of new and established playwrights, productions, concerts and dance that we could find.”  She was joined by Arts Alive! founder and ELAN Executive Director Guy Rogers who said that, “Wakefield is one of six English speaking communities that the English Language Arts Network, has been working with over the past three years.  We are thrilled with the growth of the TaDa! Festival since partnering with Arts Alive! and the significant increase in programming and opportunities for English speaking artists in Quebec.” A full Festival Pass is $40 and single tickets (single shows and workshops) are $12 (tax included).  Rental of Silent Disco headphones are $10.  For kids shows, an adult gets in free if accompanied by a child with a ticket.  All of the events, the market info, shows and activities are on the website at www.TaDaFestival.ca