Working a crowd as a roving artist can be a daunting job. Even more so when you are young, fairly inexperienced and it’s a transient street crowd.
In recognizing the challenges facing up and coming street performers, International Children’s Festival of the Arts is premiering its first Roving Artist Mentorship Program targeted to emerging entertainers from 11 to 25 years old.
Every year festival organizers invite half a dozen professional artists to entertain all ages throughout the festival site bordering the Sturgeon River.
Typically visitors are treated to balloon people, stilt-walkers, musicians, hula hoopers, mascots, storybook characters, acrobats, dancers and assorted circus performers.
But finding new blood is a difficult task. There is no one website that provides an extensive list of roving artists, festival coordinator Stephen Bourdeau explained.
“It’s kind of like a dark art. It works in the shadows.”
Bourdeau added that during a brainstorming session with his team, there was a great deal of discussion on engaging local community artists and nurturing their development.
“There are a lot of young performers and artists who have a passion for the arts and are looking for an opportunity to present themselves. This would be an opportunity to take them under our wing and show them the ropes,” he noted.
Liz Hobbs and Randall Fraser, two regional veteran roving artists, are on board to mentor a dozen young aspiring street performers prior to the festival and throughout the six-day festivities running May 30 to June 4.
Hobbs and Fraser will pass on a few tricks of the trade in how to attract an audience, maintain eye contact and hold the crowd’s attention throughout a 15-minute set.
“They will learn to create a physical space. They will learn to create physical awareness and they’ll learn to become great performers and engage the crowd on different levels.”
To date, applications include among other things an aspiring magician, an impromptu dance party, a chalk art installation and musicians.
There is no application fee. Once accepted into the program, the roving artists are compensated with seed money designed to remove financial barriers for basic costs Bourdeau said.
“This program provides a whole range of possibilities and that’s what excites me.”
Application deadline is Wednesday, May 10. Applications are available at https://stalbert.ca/exp/childfest/get-involved/roving-artist-mentorship-program.
For more information call the Arden Theatre’s professional programming presenter Neil LeGrandeur at 780-459-1541.
