Ryga Arts Festival

Last year’s festival showcased a vibrant mix of performers, creators, and experiences inspired by the spirit of George Ryga — an artist whose work shone a light on social inequities and marginalized voices.

We presented events that matchedour themes of Words, Theatre, and Music. These were all genres in which George Ryga created, and our 2025 Festival again features artists and performers whose works support these themes. Please browse our previous events for our tenth anniversary.

2025 poster, created by Tarcila Neves, sets the tone for the tenth year of the Ryga Arts Festival.
Friday, September 12
Please join us for our second annual Harvest Harmony Swing Dance, in partnership with the Summerland Fall Fair and the Summerland Community Centre. This event will start (if chosen) with a beginner lesson at 5:30pm, followed by the dance and the South Okanagan Big Band.
9710 Brown Street - Summerland B.C.
5:30 PM
Purchase Tickets
Tuesday, September 16
Please join us for our annual favourite, Outspoken! This evening of spoken word by local and regional artists and writers will take place at Summergate Winery, with dinner served at 5pm before the show starts at 6pm. Mike will be serving up his delicious food truck food, the service will be available from 5:00 PM and is not included in the ticket price. Please bring your own lawn chair if you do not want to sit at the picnic tables.
11612 Morrow Ave - Summerland B.C.
Dinner at 5:00 PM and show at 6:00 PM
Purchase Tickets

2025 Lineup

📅 September 17–21, 2025
🎭 Words, Theatre, Music
📲 Follow us at @rygafest for updates
Wednesday, September 17
Festival Launch and Opening Night Reception - This opening night reception and variety show reflects the Festival theme of Words, Theatre, Music honouring George Ryga, with performers  representing these themes. Entry is Pay What You Can.
Thursday, September 18
Claire Coupland - Songwriting Sharing Circle - Songs, Melodies, and Words, Wonderful Words!
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This workshop will be led by Victoria Folk Singer Songwriter Claire Coupland in a unique and intimate circle setting, where participants are encouraged to bring a song they are working on to share with the group!  The group (positive and supportive vibes only please), members will take turns performing and listening to each songwriter’s song, give feedback & offer ideas if the writer wishes, discuss lyrics and form, and generally lend new “ears” to the song to help the writer develop and complete their song. Participants can share their work, or just come to listen! We will aim to spend 5-10 minutes on each person’s song, so everybody gets a chance to share.
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Bring:  
‍1) A song you are working on to perform/discuss with the group - you can perform it or share it via voice memo -Small portable instruments are best (guitar, ukulele, portable keyboard, voice), if you plan to bring a keyboard, let us know so we can set up a spot for it.
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2) Paper or digital copies of your song lyrics/chords! Bring a few paper copies (best option), or have it on a computer or iPad for the group to look at
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3) Notebook/pen - take note of tips and feedback for your song
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10:00 AM - 10-15 minutes - Welcome everybody, Claire introduces herself, songwriting experience, tips and tricks, ways to get unstuck, form, talk about songs together, what inspires us
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10:15 AM - begin song share - 5-10 minutes per person
Ryga Arts Festival & Bouche Theatre Collective present: A New Translation Workshop Reading
FACELIFT
By Nathalie Boisvert
Translated by Johanna Nutter
Translated from FACELIFT (Quebec, Canada)

Featuring Dawn Basset

First the foundation, then the eyes and finally the mouth… The activity of daily make-up turns into an examination a woman’s life, questioning the relationship between women and beauty, seduction, ageing and the subject of women’s freedom in the face of social diktats.  A brand new work by award winning Quebec playwright Nathalie Boisvert.

Join us for a Q & A with the playwright and translator after the reading.
Author reading with Joanna Cockerline and Kevin Heslop - Joanna is a CBC Literary Awards prizewinner, Pushcart Prize nominee, and author of Still (Porcupine’s Quill, 2025), a novel set in Kelowna’s street community that explores sex work, the opioid crisis, friendship, and the search for home. Kevin is a multidisciplinary artist and writer whose latest book, The Writing on the Wind’s Wall, presents a series of in-depth dialogues on Medical Assistance in Dying, offering a collective portrait of how a community thinks and feels about death, dying, and what it means to live together now. Tickets are Pay What You Can.
Free Your Voice! Why does it feel so vulnerable to sing? Have you been silenced by someone else’s judgement? Do you secretly love to sing? Do you wish you loved to sing? Would you like a safe space to sing that’s judgement free? Check your judgement at the door and sing freely in community.  Let’s raise our vibrations together! Join Yanti for this special two hour event! Please bring water, comfortable shoes and trust. Tickets are by dontation.
Friday, September 19
Inclusivity in the Arts - a Community Conversation with this year's featured Festival artists Chris Dodd, CE Gatchalian and Claire Coupland.  
St. Stephen's Church - 9311 Prairie Valley Road, Summerland B.C.
10:00 AM
Free Tickets
Brian Thomas Isaac - Author Reading and Q&A  - Join us in welcoming Brian Thomas Isaac for a reading from his new book, Bones of a Giant, followed by Q&A.
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Brian is a celebrated Syilx author whose debut novel All the Quiet Places won the 2022 Indigenous Voices Award and was a finalist for several major literary prizes. A former bricklayer turned award-winning writer, Brian lives in West Kelowna and is currently working on his third book. Tickets are Pay What You Can.
Summerland Library - 9533 Main Street, Summerland B.C.
1:00 PM
Purchase Tickets
Reading and Workshop by C. E. Gatchalian - Double Melancholy: Art, Beauty, and the Making of a Brown Queer Man—a lyrical exploration of race, desire, and artistic identity shaped by literature, film, and family history. At 4pm, Gatchalian will lead Writing the Unraveling Self, a workshop that invites participants to embrace emotional rawness and creative disruption through guided prompts and reflection. The reading is Pay What You Can, and the workshop is $25.
Claire Coupland and Ollie Rankin - Claire Coupland, soulful musician, and Ollie Rankin, spoken word artist, explore themes of healing, justice, and hope.  Enjoy their intimate, thought-provoking performances that speak to hearts and minds. Tickets are $20 to $25.
Saturday, September 20
Isobel Rondeau's Wings of an Angel - A workshopped reading of selected scenes. Funded with gratitude by the Canada Council for the Arts. Tickets by donation!
Theatre Trail - Join us on the "Trail" for this popular annual event featuring original short plays in unusual locations. This year, all groups will be sorted by letter (A, B, C, D and E).  Everyone will arrive between 12:00pm and 12:30pm at the park in front of the museum, find the guide with the letter associated with their ticket purchase (or go ask at the info booth), and then be guided to their starting location. Tickets are live! If  you click on one letter and it is sold out, please try another letter.  Cash and e-transfer purchases available by email request or coming to see us at the market on Sundays.

Please note: your ticket may say 12pm-2pm.  Please arrive at the park before 12:30 to be prepared to move to your starting venue at 12:30. The show does not start until 1pm and will likely last for 1-2 hours.
Feature Event -  Deafy The Theatre highlight of our 2025 Festival is Deafy, a play written and performed by Edmonton playwright and actor, Chris Dodd.  It has received rave reviews across Canada and we are delighted to present it at the Festival.
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Dodd, who is Deaf, developed the play and plays the central character, Nathan Jasper. Here is his description: "Deaf public speaker, Nathan Jesper, has arrived at his venue desperately late. As his speech begins, he soon realizes that things are not what they seem."
Deafy is a tragicomedy, combining spoken word, ASL (American Sign Language) and captions. Nathan recounts the tales of his life, navigating relationships with friends and the everyday challenges of deafness, and ultimately leads the audience on an unexpected journey of discovering what it really means to belong.  
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Do not miss this chance to see Deafy, a play that has taken Canada by storm. Tickets $35, $25 Students & Seniors.
The play is recommended for ages 14+ and it's not suitable for children.

We are excited to announce funding from OVAD (Okanagan Valley Association of the Deaf) for 50 free tickets for members of the Deaf community. Please email Trista at gm@rygafest.ca to register!
Sunday, September 21
Lighting, Projections & QLab Creating the World of the Play - With guided instruction by Ryan Grenier and access to real equipment, you’ll experiment with design concepts and technical execution, using QLab as the central hub for multimedia control. Whether you're new to technical theatre or looking to build on existing skills, this workshop offers a solid foundation in visual storytelling.This is a special Telus-funded workshop that is being provided free to youth and young adults aged 17-29.  Participation is FREE but pre-registration is required.

Introduction To the Fine Art of Clowning & Physical Comedy - If you're called an "idiot" in this workshop‚ it's a compliment! Cultivate your funny bone while eliminating the 4th Wall to connect with your audience. Through the exploration of character development, physical comedy, and playing "in the moment", this seriously fun workshop will focus on expanding the actors' comfort zone and the benefits of taking creative risks. Tickets are $40 and $50, sliding scale. 19+
Soundtrack: a poetry karaoke night with Michael V. Smith - What would be the soundtrack for your coming-of-age story? In this karaoke-meets-poetry party, writer Michael V. Smith shares stories about growing up queer in a small town, all inspired by the music albums he listened to growing up. But wait, there's more. Guests at this event are invited to sing karaoke from a handful of the 19 albums in Smith's book. Come hear some old songs from the late 20th century, and Smith's dynamic stories inspired by them. Tickets are Pay What You Can starting at $5.
There are many reasons why Summerland is the ideal location for a festival inspired by George Ryga – it’s a charming town with good venues and amenities, hospitable people, beautiful scenery and a mild climate. But most importantly, it’s where the nationally acclaimed playwright and author lived from 1963 until his death in 1987 and where he wrote most of his major works. Over the last ten years, the Ryga Arts Festival has done more than bring world-class arts and cultural offerings to Summerland; it has allowed for George Ryga’s legacy to finally be recognized by his home community.
- Doug Holmes
Sharing my work at the Ryga Arts Festival was an absolute dream: seamless logistics, a beautiful venue, and a warm & attentive audience made for an unforgettable experience.
- Meghan Fandrich
author of Burning Sage: Poems from the Lytton Fire
You ran a beautiful festival. We felt cared for and the vibe was calm and generative and fun - so good work! And congrats!
- Emelia Symington-Fedy
Writer • Radio Broadcaster • Theatre Maker
 I love the Ryga Fest. Its community-minded focus on justice, equity, and social change make it one of my favourite arts festivals ever. I look forward to returning again and again, and I can't wait to see where the team takes Ryga Fest over the next 10 years.
- Andrea Warner
author of Rise Up and Sing! Power, Protest, and Activism in Music, The Time of My Life: Dirty Dancing and We Oughta Know: How Céline, Shania, Alanis, and Sarah Ruled the '90s and Changed Music.
We felt especially well-hosted by the business owner of Heartspace Yoga Boutique, Celeste, who stepped up to provide her studio as a performance space for our show, and went to extra-lengths to make it feel really cosy and welcoming to audiences. The community in Summerland is spectacular, and we were so grateful to be able to experience it.
Julia Mackey & Dirk Van Stralen
Jake’s Gift • Juno ProductionsRyga Arts Festival 2024