Nextfest showcases talents of next generation

Tomorrow night, the 16th edition of Nextfest kicks off in Edmonton igniting the talent of a new generation of young artists.

For the following 11 days until June 12, this multi-disciplinary showcase will be devoted to breaking new ground and presenting edgy works.

The variety seems limitless. Check out an experimental theatre piece where a famous painting brings people to life. Or a musical series featuring everything from jazz to electronica. See the contemporary dance of birds affected by an oil spill. Or a film where a young woman is the unwitting subject of a sinister experiment.

Curator Steve Pirot has programmed theatre, music, dance, a film fest and a visual arts exhibition. For fun there’s the Nextfest NiteClubs, a series of evening performance parties where no two are alike.

What makes this offering so vibrant is that budding artists, some of whom are still in high school, run many aspects of the festival. The end result is a series of works that broach subjects ranging from gender issues and environmentalism to the cult of materialism and people’s relationships to material things.

When all is said and done, more than 500 young artists from their teens to early 30s will participate in Edmonton’s largest youth culture festival.

Even the St. Albert area has a few ambassadors. Former St. Albert Children’s Theatre alumna Sarah Van Tassel directs Gone, a tale about a small-town disappearance while Legal’s Joelle Prefontaine stars in Guernica, the story of Picasso’s famous painting.

“Erika Luckert (the playwright for Guernica) was part of the high school students mentorship program last year and she returns as part of the main stage. That makes me feel good. It’s about developing ongoing works rather than each festival is an entity in itself,” says Pirot.

St. Albert resident Alex Patalas uses his behind-the-scenes talent to stage-manage Pushed, a look at two women that contemplate what mothers will do for their children. Sisters Brittany and Jenesse Graling, two former Visionary College students, belt it out in the CBC music series while St. Albert dance instructor Cheryl Fontaine has programmed 18 contemporary dances.

This year for the first time, Pirot has geographically expanded the festival to include two Alberta Avenue venues on 118th Avenue — the Avenue Theatre and the Old Cycle Building.

“I see an opportunity for artists to take platforms not controlled by established producers and I want to help develop habits of going down there for the first time.”

But for most people, it’s just a whole lot of fun. For a complete list of events visit www.nextfest.ca