4 Edmonton venues hosting Nextfest 2017 events

By Gene Kosowan

Any post-secondary graduate can certainly relate to the Catch-22 experience of not being able to get work because of lack of experience while being unable to get experience without getting that first job. That was the central motivation for Theatre Network’s signature 11-day event Nextfest, which since 1994 has given young actors, directors, musicians, filmmakers, dancers and visual artists a leg up by helping them nab that all-important first gig. This year’s iteration is scheduled to run from June 1 to 11. [Photo credit: Nextfest Arts Company]

Nextfest events are spread across the neighbourhood, almost all of them within walking distance of each other. And while they have more than a half-dozen venues, the bulk of the schedule has attractions scheduled in four major venues.

Theatre Network had to abandon its cozy digs on 124th Street when the venerable Roxy Theatre was obliterated by a fire back in 2015. And until a new structure is built, the theatre company now is housed in the C-103 complex, the former home of the Catalyst Theatre. Nextfest has certainly benefited from its relocation to Old Strathcona – Edmonton’s ground zero for partying – and is a few blocks away from other theatrical centres like the Varscona and Walterdale.

It’s also event headquarters for Nextfest, which showcases almost all the theatrical events as well as its opening night shindig. Six mainstage productions (Garnish, Charred, Nest, No Allegiances, The Jackal and Her Reflection and Everyone We Know Will Be There: A House Party In One Act) run throughout the 11-day festival, with other slots dedicated to bashes like The Trash Gala and Futuresmut. Adding to the busy Roxy itinerary will be a poetry reading night, a standup comedy evening, film screenings and a series of workshops.

Since the 1950s, the Yardbird has been Edmonton’s ultimate destination for jazz, having hosted shows by such legends as Nat King Cole, Wynton Marsalis and Keith Jarrett. It’s also one of the oldest jazz institutions in Canada and one that has remained vibrant, thanks to a plethora of local world-class players and the involvement of former senator Tommy Banks, who’s no slouch at jazz piano and has been a major figure in the national genre for decades.

This year, the Yardbird opens its doors to house three emerging musicians – classical violinist Alissa Cheung, country-oriented singer-songwriter Lucette and blues-roots guitarist Billie Zizi. For those with a taste for something more unusual, experimental musician and impresario Mustafa Rafiq has assembled a roster of emerging acts that include the likes of analog beatmaker Bobbitopickes, fusion trio Preston and performance artist Kitsune.

This multipurpose visual arts stop is a combination gallery and supply store for visual arts fans and artists alike, so it’s little wonder why Nextfest chose The Paint Spot to be a primary destination for exhibits. During the festival, it’s also where patrons can check out works by Borys Tarasenko and Guilliano Palladino.

On top of all that, The Paint Spot is the starting point for the Nextfest arts tour on June 8 at 7 p.m., which will take participants to Roots on Whyte to highlight works by Matthew Cardinal and Laura Grier, and then the Strathcona Public Library to peruse projects by Rachel Rozanski, Marzieh Mosavarzadeh, Sora Park Kaitlyn Dirk, Jana Brodkin and Kelsey Vaughan. The final stop on the tour will be one at Roxy on Gateway for an exhibition by Tim Makula.

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The only venue not in Old Strathcona is La Cite Francophone, although a jaunt across the Mill Creek Bridge to 91st Street will take you to the venue in neighbouring Bonnie Doon. A cultural hub for Edmonton’s French-speaking community, La Cite willingly opens its doors to artists of all languages and ethnicities and has become a vital facility in Edmonton’s cultural scene.

The L’Unitheatre facility within the complex is the home of everything dance, with no less than half a dozen works curated by the Good Women Dance Collective, getting the footlight treatment here. Also taking place will be Opera Nuova’s Ladies of the Night, the Fool Spectrum clown presentation and five high school theatrical productions.

This year, Nextfest has nearly 100 performances and attractions designed to showcase emerging talent in this city, with names that may be obscure to those in the know, but could become better-known to the local cultural insider. For show dates and times, grab a program on the June 1 opening night celebrations at the Roxy on Gateway or online.