Do you sing, dance, act, juggle, play an instrument, or have some other entertaining talent that brings smiles to people’s faces?
If so, the Township of Langley wants to hear from you by Wednesday.
Staff are scheduling performers for this year’s Canada Day activities and summer festival series, and looking to sign people up, said Peter Tulumello, the Township’s director of arts, culture, and community initiatives.
“We are organizing several events in 2018 that will help celebrate the arts and culture of our communities,” Tulumello said.
“A variety of performers and talent is being sought, as we plan to present an eclectic array of musical, theatrical, multicultural, and performing genres.”
One of the local groups that performed at last year’s summer concert series was The Kwerks.
Laura and Ryan Koch, better known around town as the Kwerks, described the summer event as “an amazingly fun concert.”
They’re anxious to participate again, and are also putting their name forward for the Canada Day festivities.
While they’ve submitted their names for the Township performances, they’re also in the running again for the CBC Searchlight contest.
That contest puts the call out to any Canadian musical artists who write original music to submit a single song in hopes of claiming the title of Searchlight winner, a title that wins them both prestige in the Canadian music scene, and a spattering of great prizes including a week-long recording residency at Studio Bell in Calgary, a prestigious placement in the Allan Slaight Juno Master Class, and placements in JunoFest and the CBC Music Festival in Toronto, among other things.
Last year, The Kwerks had quite the run and made it through several rounds of the contest in order to land on the National Top 25 list, awarded by popular vote.
“We really can’t say enough how thankful we felt to our amazing army of voters! People from all over the lower mainland and beyond were just jumping into the fun on our Facebook voting group and rooting for us!” said Laura, noting they count on public voting to help get them through to the finals.
In the meantime, Laura encourages other local entertainers to take “the plunge” and enter to be part of the Township entertainment lineup this year, remembering the deadline is looming.
The Township is looking for performances ranging from 15- to 20-minute sets to staged productions of an hour-and-a-half to two hours long.
Acts will be featured during Canada Day celebrations in Willoughby and Fort Langley on July 1, and spotlighted during the Township’s summer festival series – which runs at the Willoughby Park amphitheatre on Thursday evenings throughout July and August.
Wandering performers including minstrels, clowns, puppeteers, and jugglers are also required.
Performances are for audiences of all ages, so acts must be family-friendly.
Entertainers who would like to be considered by the Township are asked to submit proposals including detailed descriptions of their presentations, publicity photos, videos (or links to them) and CDs, along with a list of references and past experiences.
Those making submissions should also include the dates they have available from June through August, the length of each performance set, and remuneration expectations.
Submissions can be dropped off to Arts, Culture and Community Initiatives, Township of Langley, 20338 – 65 Ave.
Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Proposals will be adjudicated by a panel of volunteer entertainment professionals and while all submissions are appreciated, only those groups or individuals invited to a second stage of consideration will be notified.
For more information or an application checklist, people can contact Tracy Letourneau at tletourneau@tol.ca.
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