La Slague, Sudbury’s producer of French-language live music and comedy events, has unveiled its 16th season.
In the spirit of its theme, “All in good time,” the season’s hallmarks are flexibility and caution as it steers through an uncertain environment.
Much has changed since La Slague’s last concert in February 2020. After such a long hiatus, the organization is very eager to welcome live audiences once again. Its 2021-2022 season will adapt to many new realities.
The most exciting new reality is La Slague’s upcoming move to the new Place des Arts building on Elgin Street.
It will have brand new performance halls to learn to work with. La Slague will also need to keep dealing with the challenges of the pandemic.
Its upcoming season will therefore be a sort of break-in period.
“Your attendance will greatly help to make this brand-new building feel like Sudbury’s home for top-notch Francophone arts and entertainment,” said a press release
Les Hay Babies
Boîte aux lettres (Mailbox)
Saturday, Nov. 6
Caruso Club
These three laid-back and amiable Acadian ladies started out in a folk and country vein and gradually morphed into subtly cinematic pop rock. Fine voices and great grooves keep it all real. After years of touring, they really know what they’re doing. Now, in a new twist, they’ve come up with a concept show, meticulously crafted and totally true to life.
Louis-Jean Cormier
Quand la nuit tombe (When the night falls)
Wednesday, Nov. 17
Caruso Club
Producer and arranger, radio and TV host, high-profile singer songwriter all the while, Louis-Jean Cormier has worn many hats in his solo career since his band Karkwa hit it big. This June, for the third time in his career, he won the Juno award for Best Francophone Album. Tackling topical themes, his show is rich with sonic texture and visual atmosphere.
Céleste Lévis - Christmas show
Noël tout autour (Christmas all around)
Friday, Dec. 17
Salle Trisac, Collège Boréal
Always the proud Northern Ontario girl from Timmins, Céleste Lévis invites one and all to a heartwarming holiday gathering. Her powerful, yet tender voice has garnered awards, cross-Canada tours and high-profile concerts. Now, it summons up the spirit of Noël, both in the season’s standards and original compositions from Céleste’s Christmas album. Families will feel right at home, like back when her own family gathered round her grandfather’s piano.
La veillée des éveillés - Big Franco-Ontarian Comedy Night
Saturday, March 5, 2022
Grande Salle, Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury
Franco-Ontarian comedy is a hot trend these days as many up-and-coming stand-up comics and improv artists are making their mark. La Slague will showcase several of these rising stars in an exciting festival-style event spread across various performance spaces within the Place des Arts building. Jonathan Dion and Evelyne Roy-Molgat, both from the Ottawa area, are first on the roster and many more will be joining them.
Mauvaise baleine
Le gros never ending show (The big never ending show)
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Grande Salle, Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury
This new Northern Ontario supergroup brings together Christian Berthiaume (Konflit), Cindy Doire (Scarlett Jane), Simon Jutras (Mclean) and Antoine Tremblay Beaulieu (Varge). Mauvaise baleine means “bad whale” and rhymes with “bad breath.” So, they have heft and huff to stand up to hard knocks, like Laurentian’s carnage, French Canada’s downward demographics and social injustice galore in the news. They’re loud and unbowed and they’re right there with you.
The 9th edition of La Nuit émergente with P’tit Belliveau
Friday, March 25, 2022
Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury
A dozen performers on several stages in one exciting evening. Audiences wander freely, exploring an eclectic array of up-and-coming talents in a festival atmosphere. That’s the vibe at La Nuit émergente, an innovative event that really hits the spot with Sudbury audiences. Now, for the first time, it’s happening at Place des Arts. Here are the headliners for this year’s roster:
As they say in Baie-Sainte-Marie, this guy is wellment bon. English words often pop up in Acadjonne French, so you might get the gist of P’tit Belliveau’s down-to- earth views on life: get gas for the Ford Focus to get to work; be okay on the quay watching boats in the bay. He’s a simple man’s musician as well, with a very catchy minimalist country-folk sound that has a good old cassette player vibe. He’s Everyman, yet he’s like nobody you’ve ever heard.
Diane Tell - presented by Club Richelieu de Sudbury
Haïku
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Grande Salle, Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury
Since the days when she won six Félix music industry awards before her 25th birthday, Diane Tell has had a long and successful international career spanning four decades. Her work includes megahits that live on in memories. And now, her latest album entitled Haïku beats a new musical path: it’s practically a new genre, where rock has jazz-like freedom and inventiveness.
Natalie Choquette - Children’s show - Copresented by Le Salon du livre du
Grand Sudbury
La boîte à chanson (The Music Box)
Sunday, May 8, 2022
Grande Salle, Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury
She’s a soprano like no other who brings her wonderful sense of humour to opera, making it more accessible. In this children’s production, she shows kids how cool opera can be. Along with her young audience, she discovers the contents of her brand new music box. It contains all kinds of music: jazz, rock, blues, pop, folk, rap. Could we use all of that to make opera? Let’s give it a try!!
Nikamu Mamuitun / Chansons rassembleuses (Togetherness Songs)
Friday May 20, 2022
Grande Salle, Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury
A show from the annual series Truth and Songs, from La Slague A big boreal celebration brings together four Indigenous musical artists, Matui from Côte-Nord, Karen Pinette-Fontaine from Mani-Utenam, Scott Pien-Picard from Uashat, Ivan Boivin-Flamand from Manawan in Atikamekw country, alongside four non-Indigenous artists, Cédrick St-Onge, Chloé Lacasse, Joëlle St-Pierre and Marcie. Solid back-up band members and artistic mentorship from the likes of Florent Vollant make this indie-indigenous folk rock shine brightly in the spirit of togetherness.
CAGE with Dan Bédard
Saturday, March 11, 2022
Boîte noire, Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury
CAGE is a cyberloop band. An algorithmic composer interacts with five musicians live on stage. The software, named M, improvises grooves and controls the band’s shared space according to predetermined probabilities. In turn, the musicians improvise with what they’re given, thus closing the loop. The band’s name is a nod to the experimental composer John Cage. Welcome to the crossroads of musicality and technology.
In solidarity during these trying times and to ensure that everyone has access to the arts and the new Place des Arts, La Slague has instituted a “pay what you can” policy for its 2021-2022 season. Financially challenged patrons are welcome to pay less or nothing at all, while more fortunate patrons can choose to add a bit more to their ticket price to support the policy.
Subscriptions are flexible too. An À la carte option gives you access to a 15 per cent discount on the purchase of 5 or more events. See laslague.ca/billetterie.
During this season, La Slague will be moving to the new Place des Arts building on Elgin Street in downtown Sudbury. In this new shared space, the organization will be testing and adjusting our new equipment and facilities. To ensure the best experience, La Slague will be inviting patrons to take part in the breaking-in period by providing input after each event.
As the pandemic wears on, La Slague continues to prioritize public health and safety. All security measures recommended by public health authorities at the time of every event will be stringently followed.
La Slague said it takes everyone’s health and safety very seriously. Always following the recommendations of Public Health in place, La Slague offers shows at reduced capacity and following safety protocols.
Government of Ontario vaccine passport policies require all customers wishing to attend events in indoor performance venues to present proof of identification and proof of full COVID-19 vaccination before they can enter the premises, with limited exceptions.
