To each his own tale
Named in homage to Jos Violon, a legendary character that Louis Fréchette heard many times in his youth, the festival, in its current version, offers a daring program. Urban and contemporary stories sit alongside more traditional stories, echoing across several generations.
For several years, the festival has also let the next generation shine, offering a stage to young talents who perpetuate this ancestral tradition through the ages. “We have very urban and current tales, while others are more traditional. It is important to have a mix between generations. The way of storytelling is renewed, but whatever the subject, the tale has a scope that reaches out to the viewer, arouses their imagination and makes them experience emotions,” shares Mélissa Simard, general and artistic director.
The meeting of several artistic mediums
Although the fundamental vector remains speech, other forms of art come to meet it, allowing words to resonate differently, mixing circus art, music and even the arts of puppetry. “In the case of music, for example, it brings the tale to life and is an integral part of the storyteller’s creation. She is not only a support to the story, but becomes a character participating in establishing the universe of the story,” she continues.
Intimate and enchanting places
The Louis Fréchette birthplace, a veritable fortified castle of the festival, hosts the majority of shows, but other emblematic places, such as the Old Post Office, the libraries and the Îlot des Palais in Quebec, also bring the tales to life through their walls. “We want to preserve this intimate atmosphere which is established thanks to the proximity between the spectators and the voice of the storyteller. We try to keep this communion and this feeling of osmosis, giving the impression of being part of a whole, like a big family gathering. »
The Franck Sylvestre show, The Flight of Solibowhich will be presented in the vaults of the Îlot des Palais on Saturday October 26, is a good example of this. Lit by candlelight, the Martinican storyteller transports listeners into the world of the imagination, in a most mysterious and frightening atmosphere. An experience not to be missed!
In order to ensure accessibility and discovery, the festival also plans three performances aimed at young people as well as adolescents, with Manolo the penguin, la Damophone et Baya and the goat. With family or friends, each tale creates a magical space-time that brings people together.
To let yourself be carried away and moved through stories that all have a love of words as a common vector, reserve your places right now!