The Sechelt Arts Festival, from Oct. 11 to 21, in partnership with the District of Sechelt, is offering a smorgasbord of free family entertainment and art and music workshops for all ages.

On Sunday, Oct. 21 at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre, a series of three performances will unfold.

Theatrical Mystery, Magic and Music will feature Sunshine Coast’s own Green Man (John Conway) and Graham Ord collaborating together to create frolicking interactive fun. Next, Lowry Olafson, songwriter, violin and guitar player, will perform a concert that will leave the audience with a renewed sense of optimism. Not to miss is the third act, The Class Clown, with Gerardo Avila and Luke Lukaszek, where physical education, chemistry and exam time take on a new twist.

The Sechelt Arts Festival also announces eight free art and music workshops sponsored by the RBC Foundation.

The Complaints Choir Workshops, given by Steve Weave, are for those who have an urge to sing.

Nadina Tandy and Rodin Columb offer a hands-on exploration of the relationship between shapes, colours and visual sound in their workshops (the) Sound of Shape, part one and part two.

Do you have an iPhone and want to see the range of music to be made, recorded and shared on it? Then join Weave in his workshop App-it-tight.

Poetry Aloud Allowed, given by Richard Austin Borthwick, is a workshop for reciting poetry and unleashing the power of the written word with breath.

Come and explore recorders with musician Valerie-Anne Rutter in her Recorder Workshop.

Children will be shown the basic principles of puppet making in Creating Puppets and Masks out of Recycled Materials given by Sandy Buck, puppeteer.

Mime, Magic and Movement is a workshop by Gerardo Avila that creates a place where mime, magic and theatre exercises will be explored.

More information regarding the festival will be released in the coming weeks.

— Submitted