deCoste Centre to produce a 14-show Canada 150 Series
In honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary, the deCoste Performing Arts Centre is about to kick off a series of 14 shows that will take place between July and April 2018. “Our aim was to build the largest, performance-based Canada 150 celebration in the region, and we’re pretty sure we succeeded. Our audience will be able to take a voyage across Canada through this broad range of cultural experiences,” states creative director Troy Greencorn. Information on all these shows is available at www.decostecentre.ca. A Canada 150 pass can be purchased for $150 that includes a ticket for all 14 shows. Sobeys, which is celebrating 110 years of business this year, is sponsoring the series. “We are proud to support the deCoste Centre in bringing such a diverse and high-quality roster of shows to Pictou County,” comments Peter Doucette, general manager, Sobeys. “We believe that one of Canada’s greatest qualities is its diversity and the deCoste team has done an excellent job of assembling a series that represents the cultural and ethnic richness of our country.” Many theatres across Atlantic Canada are participating in this initiative, which will feature multi-disciplinary artists from the six Canadian Regions (Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies, British Columbia and the North). “Outreach is a major objective of this series as well,” Greencorn said. “Over the coming year the theatre aims to reach out to new patrons, folks who have never attended a show at the facility, or who haven’t attended for a long time. We are already working with the CCRSB to maximize our engagement with schools and students. We aim to take artists to the schools for performances and discussions. He said they also plan to do outreach to seniors, veterans and other groups as well. “The Canada 150 program is about inclusivity and inviting all Canadians to celebrate our culture, and that’s what we are doing here in Pictou County,” Greencorn said.