Local Talent Invited To Perform at Derby Festé Milestone

Derbyshire-based performers are being invited to apply to be part of the tenth annual Derby Festé which will return to the city centre on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 September with a packed programme of spectacular family entertainment.

On the Saturday the Cathedral Quarter, St Peters Quarter and Intu Derby shopping centre will be a bustling hub of street entertainment featuring more than 20 different acts including dance, aerial performance, theatre, comedy and contemporary circus. Derby-based arts organisation Furthest from the Sea (FFTS) will organise the entertainment at St Peter’s Cross between 12 noon and 5pm – bringing together a wide range of local and regional performers who will entertain the crowds with live music, dance, street theatre, comedy and poetry.

Matt McGuinness from FFTS explained: “We’re thrilled to be working with St Peters Quarter BID again on this year’s Derby Festé.  Last year’s event at St Peter’s Cross drew in huge crowds who were very supportive and appreciative of the local performers. It’s always great to see the area so busy and animated. “At Furthest from the Sea, we’re passionate about nurturing and supporting homegrown talent and Derby Festé is another example of a fantastic event in the city centre. “We are looking for polished performers who are perhaps at the start of their careers and who would welcome this unique opportunity to raise their profile.

Derby based organiser, Baby People, will also be presenting a programme of local and national entertainment which will be called The People’s Stage in the Market Place -  featuring live music performances, an urban choir made up of local school children and dancers from Derby’s Caribbean Carnival.

A special Derby Festé commission of Tarzanna by Ilkeston-born aerial artist Ria Ashcroft and The Gramophones Theatre Company will make its debut performance at Derby Riverlights St Peters Quarter. Acts across the city centre will range from juggling act Gandini and aerial performers Highly Sprung to musical comedy artists Stop Gap Dance Company and contemporary dancers Company Chameleon. There will also be a wide range of stunning walkabout street artist, from all over the UK and internationally, moving around the area, from giant butterflies to majestic slinkies.

Derby Festé first came to the city centre streets in September 2007 to mark the opening of the Westfield Derby shopping centre (now Intu Derby) and then, the following year, the opening of QUAD arts centre. The annual festival is produced and presented by Derby LIVE, Déda, QUAD and Derby Theatre in association with the Without Walls Associate Touring Network. It is funded by Arts Council England and Derby City Council, with sponsorship from St Peters Quarter, Cathedral Quarter, Intu Derby, Derby Riverlights and Park Farm Shopping Centre.

The fun starts on the evening of Friday September 23 with a performance of Carousel by the Southpaw Dance Company on Cathedral Green.  The headline act on Friday evening will be the return of the stunning giant fire-breathing Sarruga Dragons that took the city by storm at the first Festé in 2007. The breathtaking parade will start at Derby Riverlights and wind its way through St Peters Quarter and the Cathedral Quarter before making a spectacular entrance to the Market Place. From 9.45pm, the Market Place will then be transformed into a party space with The New York Brass Band and Alex Blood & The Diggers performing live on stage. Throughout the evening, the popular Night Market by Sheena Holland which has become a regular calendar date in the Cathedral Quarter will also be set up in the Market Place.

The climax of Derby Festé on Saturday evening will see Derby’s Bass’ Recreation Ground transformed into a magical underwater spectacle by French company Transe Express who will bring its brand new outdoor performance MÚ, only its second performance in the UK.

Local performers keen to be part of Derby Festé should contact Dan Webber: dan@furthestfromthesea.co.uk
MÚ is Derby Festé’s only ticket event.  Prices are £7 each and will be available to purchase online or via the Derby LIVE Box Office www.derbylive.co.uk
All the other performances are free of charge and the full programme is available to see at www.derbyfeste.com

 

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