Theatre Wakefield announces the launch of the sixth annual TaDa performance arts festival!

Theatre Wakefield, in collaboration with ELAN, the English Language Arts Network, announces the launch of TaDa!, the sixth annual performance arts festival taking place on September 7-8, 2018 at the Centre Wakefield LaPêche, in beautiful Wakefield, Quebec. This year’s Festival will be our fourth collaboration with ELAN through its Arts Alive Québec program, and will feature six mainstage shows over two days, ranging from solo shows – Lesley Parlane’s light hearted yet touching stories as a Sixties Scoop adoptee called Are They Thinking of Me? -- to Michael Burgos’ hilarious theatrical parody, The Eulogy. In between, our audiences will witness a powerful program from classical Indian dance artist Deepti Gupta featuring live tabla and harmonium musicians (The Lion’s Roar); a bilingual piece for young audiences called Beaver Dreams that stars former Wakefielder Rae-Anna Maitland and her long-toothed partner Maggie Winston; and the popular Morro and Jasp, two gentle clowns well-known on the Fringe circuit, in their whimsical rendition of Steinbeck’s classic Of Mice and Men. The Festival will  close at the Black Sheep Inn on Saturday night with Ian Tamblyn and Friends, a dozen musicians performing pieces from Janet Irwin’s recently staged Up to Low, as well as his Gatineau Trilogy. As always, Friday night will feature our Opening Night Gala: as local musicians Alise Marlane and James Stevens play, our revellers can sip wine, meet the artists, and enjoy appetizers donated by local restaurants and caterers. A special treat will be the chocolate cake from Patisserie La Toque, an imaginary (!) reference in The Eulogy. The next day, events will pick up again during the Wakefield Market with more live music from Luther Wright, then afternoon and evening shows inside Gwen Shea Hall, a community art project designed by Stephanie Hill working with mosaic tiles, an afternoon square dance called by Emily Addison and featuring musicians Peter Andrée, Nathan Curry and Brian Sanderson, workshops in various circus arts, and much, much more. The Festival will open with Wakefield’s Poet Emeritus Phil Cohen reading  And Don’t Forget To Go ‘TaDa!,’ the poem that gave the Festival its name. It reminds us to celebrate the special moments in our lives with a flourish and a “TaDa!” -- the way top-hatted, silk-gloved magicians once did when they had successfully completed a trick. “And that’s what we’re trying to get across,” says artistic director Andrea Rowe. “We want to share those “TaDa!” moments collectively through the magic of theatre, dance and music. Every work we’re presenting will have its share of special moments that speak so powerfully to each one of us. Come and experience them for yourselves!” And don’t forget, there’s nowhere more beautiful to be for this kind of experience: located on the fresh waters of the Gatineau River, Wakefield is truly a breath of fresh air on the Festival circuit! Ticket prices vary. Most shows are $15 or 2/$25. Beaver Dreams has an affordable family rate of $25 for two adults, two children. Ian Tamblyn & Friends is $20. For further information, or to arrange interviews, please contact Andrea Rowe or Tina Therien at info@tadafestival.ca or visit www.tadafestival.ca or Facebook page