Revelstoke’s first festival dedicated to Francophone culture is being held this weekend at various locations around town.
Le Rendezvous features a variety of film, music, theatre, and food from Friday, June 10, to Sunday, June 12.
The festival launches on Friday at the community centre when the French-Canadian duo Vazzy will play from 7–9 p.m. Vazzy’s repertoire includes ballads, dance tunes and comedic numbers drawn from French, Celtic, Metis and Canadian traditional music. The evening will also include food. Tickets are $15 for an individual or $30 for a family.
On Saturday morning, Vazzy and Martin Varallo will play at the Farm & Craft Market. Varallo is a comedian, actor, clown, mime, improviser and more. He has performed with Cirque du Soleil and presented shows around the world.
Saturday afternoon, Vazzy will give a workshop at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10.
That evening Alouest, a French group from Mallardville, B.C., will take the stage at RPAC at 7:30 p.m. The string quartet will play a mix of Celtic, bluegrass and old time music, with a hint of Latin and jazz thrown in. Their songs relate stories from various North American Francophone cultures, including Acadian, Quebecois, Metis and Cajun. Tickets are $10.
On Sunday, Will Stroet and Varallo will play a morning show for families at RPAC at 10:30 a.m. Stroet is an award-winning children’s musician who actively engages the audience in his performances. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children, and $20 for families.
Sunday evening, the film My Internship in Canada will be show at RPAC. The movie is a political satire directed by Philippe Falardeau about an independent MP from Northern Quebec who finds himself in the position of casting the deciding vote on whether or not Canada will go to war in the Middle East. As he consults with his constituents, the decision eventually gets foisted on his Haitian immigrant intern. Tickets are $5.
Find out more at the Revelstoke Arts Council website.