The Salle Alec et Gérard Pelletier venue in Sutton has found new administration in Sutton Encore. Described by director Vanessa Lauzon as a “collective” that celebrates a variety of art forms, Sutton Encore is in the process of switching things up and has prepared a unique program to provide the community with experiences they can’t help but remember. 

“Sutton Encore came together in October as the result of I would say, a cyclone of wonderful opportunities lining up. We had a person named Harry Harm, who ran the Patro Vys and Bily Kun in Montreal for 15 years, that moved to Sutton and Lionel Furonnet who ran Divan Orange. (…) When we came together, with a few other members, we decided to rebrand and revamp,” explained Lauzon. 

Sutton Encore has a mission to provide the cultural experiences that people are looking for in Sutton and its neighbouring villages. 

“We’re focusing quite a bit on music at this point in time because that is where our skillset lies, but we are interested in comedy shows, theatre, even renting the venue space out to locals who want to put on a birthday party. Just making it (the venue) appealing to everyone,” said Lauzon. 

After being shut down for most of the last two years due to the pandemic, Sutton Encore hopes to spread the word about Salle Alec et Gérard Pelletier and to be present and accessible for the community. 

“In this revamping, we need to be more present on social media, we need to be advertising not only in our community, but in adjacent communities, we need to be available in the sense of answering phone calls, answering e-mails. (…) We are extremely enthusiastic and excited,” noted Lauzon. 

More importantly, they want to give Salle Alec et Gérard Pelletier a reputation for being a high quality music venue. 

“What we’re really hoping is that people will try it out whether or not they know who the artist is. We’re not quite there yet,” noted Lauzon. “Ideally, we would be able to come to a point where Sutton Encore will be recognized as a high quality venue presentation so that even if you aren’t familiar with the artist, you feel confident that in buying a ticket and going to a show that you’re going to have a good time.”

With a reggae night and Ontario band Victory Chimes getting people off their feet in the next couple of weeks, Sutton Encore has a large, and varied program lined up, which includes local artists and English programming, for 2022. 

“For two months, July and August, we have theatre. We have two plays; the first one is Un contract and then we have Oleanna. They are Francophone plays put on by two local actors. Then we are going to start up, in the fall, with shows. It’s going to be shows every single weekend,” mentioned Lauzon. 

For more information about Sutton Encore or to view its program, visit its website. 

Listen to the full interview below: