Building on the success of the 2015 edition, the Association des services de réhabilitation sociale du Québec (ASRSQ) presented the sold-out second edition of the Cabaret de la Seconde Chance, on October 14, at Montreal’s Gesù theatre. 425 people were in attendance for this artistic event.

This second edition once again had Guylaine Tremblay as its spokesperson and was hosting workers of the field, artists supporting the initiative and other talented individuals who all share the particularity of, at one point in their lives, having had trouble with the law. This event is first and foremost designed to raise awareness, break prejudices and reaffirm the importance of social and community reintegration of offenders, and the participation of the community in that process.

The Cabaret de la Seconde Chance aims to present in a positive light, beyond the “offender” label, people who do not enjoy such visibility very often. We have to remember that an offender is more than only that. They can be a father or mother, they have parents, brothers or sisters, can be a bus driver, teacher, nurse, librarian, etc.

The 2016 edition was another opportunity to showcase their artistic abilities. Whether it is through drawing, photography, painting, or other, it is overall talent that we want to promote. Art can express itself in many different ways, but remains with one universal value of uniting people through emotions. We want to (re) create this feeling of unity.

The event

As the first edition, the second one was also twofold.

First, at around 6:30 pm, doors opened to allow spectators to discover the sculptures, photography and paintings of our visual artists. This first part was free entry.

Then, at 8 pm, everyone with a ticket was invited inside the theatre to enjoy a show hosted by Daniel Benson and actor Tony Conte. Performances were diverse, from singing to text reading and a few informative capsules. Amélie Grenier, Chloé Sainte-Marie, Danielle Proulx, Florence K, Fred-Éric Salvail, Ima, Joséphine Bacon and Salomé Corbo were amongst the artists present.