The GRAND is thrilled to announce the Artist Resiliency Program, funded by Canadian Heritage. Intended to build resilience in the Calgary artistic community, this program will provide local artists with access to free workshops and panel discussions over the month of February, 2023. A strong emphasis will be placed on supporting and connecting with artists from Equity Deserving backgrounds.
Workshop topics include marketing and branding, creating financial stability, basic taxes and self-employment, navigating the granting system, self-led productions and budgets, community wellness and equity in the arts sector, and more
This project has been made possible by the Government of Canada.
Artist Resiliency Program
Week 1 Workshops
Navigating the Arts Sector - February 10-12, 2023
Artist Spotlight Series
Date: Friday February 10, 2023
From: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
This is a unique opportunity to learn from a panel of prominent Calgary-based artists as they share the stories of their own individual artistic journeys. Learn from their experiences, find out what paths they took to become professionals in their disciplines, and ask pertinent questions to help you as you embark on your own artistic career. You will get an opportunity to hear stories from renowned artists: tap dancer, choreographer and director, Lisa La Touche; writer, director, producer and actress, Michelle Thrush; and spoken word artist and Poet Laureate Wakefield Brewster.
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As a proud Canadian and New Yorker, Lisa’s credits are world renowned. She was an original cast member in Broadway’s Shuffle Along, choreographed by Savion Glover and Directed by George C. Wolfe, where she received both the Fred Astaire Award and the Actor’s Equity Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus. She is also currently a multiple Dora Award nominee for her performance, choreography and co-direction of the Tap Dance Legacy Concert with dance Immersion and Canadian Stage. Her TV credits include the 70th Annual Tony Awards and Amazon’s Original “Z, The beginning of everything”. Previous highlights have also included touring with the Savion Glover production, Stepz, dancing at Harlem’s famous Cotton Club with Dormeshia as well as performing with both New York's Off-Broadway and the North American touring casts of STOMP. Since 2010 she has run her own performance and production company Tap Phonics and has been commissioned to present for organizations such as The Brooklyn Museum, 92Y, Gibney Dance, Fluid Fest and Fall For Dance North. As an educator and Professor she has taught for PACE University, NYU, The School of Jacob’s Pillow, University of Calgary, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Rosie’s Theater Kids and member of the creative council for the American Tap Dance Foundation. Her recent endeavor includes co-curating the Tap Dance Legacy Series along with Travis Knights in partnership with Dance Immersion providing the local black community free access to their cultural history. She also has written and directed her debut film TRAX which has streamed worldwide encompassing her journey back to Alberta while discovering important local black history. Above all, her proudest achievement greatest inspiration, is the gift of being a mom. For further info please visit www.lisalatouche.com
IG: lisalatouche
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LLTontaps/
Tap Dance Reel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uryGYMP_-og&t=3s
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Michelle Thrush has worked professionally in film, television and theatre for more than 35 years, with over fifty professional credits in the entertainment industry.
Ms. Thrush is best known for her leading role as Gail Stoney in BLACKSTONE, for which she won the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. Other credits include her regular role Sky Atlantic’s drama TIN STAR, opposite Tim Roth. She also starred in the popular APTN/Showcase series MOCCASIN FLATS and starred as Kate in the comedy hit MIXED BLESSINGS. Michelle was also Sylvie Lebret in the hit CBC series NORTH OF 60 and was recurring on CBC’s ARCTIC AIR. Michelle can soon be seen in Marie Clement’s CBC Mini Series BONES OF CROWS & the Crave series LITTLE BIRD.
Feature film credits include PREY, 20th Century Studios’ latest Predator film. AKA: JIMMY P, opposite Benicio Del Toro, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Other feature films include the award winning UNNATURAL AND ACCIDENTAL, PATHFINDER, DON’T CALL ME TONTO, BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE and DREAMKEEPER. One of Ms. Thrush`s most memorable experiences were working opposite Johnny Depp and Gary Farmer in the feature film DEADMAN directed by Jim Jarmusch.
Ms. Thrush continues to write, direct, and produce theatre, and has played many leading roles across Canada. She is a founding member, actor and artistic director of MAKING TREATY 7 THEATRE. She tours extensively through North America with her one-woman show INNER ELDER, which has been touring in Canada to sold out audiences and will be a part of the Indigenous Season at The National Arts Centre in Ottawa in 2020. Ms Thrush was awarded the August Schellenburg Award of Excellence in November 2019 at the Imaginative Film Festival for her body of work and involvement in mentorship and community work.She was also presented the Betty Mitchell Award for INNER ELDER in 2018 for Outstanding Actress and was nominated in two other categories including Best Overall Production. In 2018 Ms Thrush also directed Honour Beat at a Theatre Calgary. Her work with youth and children is her greatest passion with characters such as “Majica”, the Aboriginal Healing Clown and “Kookum Martha”, a sprite old Indian Elder. Michelle explains laughter is a natural part of her culture.
The mother of two wonderful daughters, Michelle and her family are currently residing in Calgary, Alberta.
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In January 1999, Wakefield Brewster stepped onto his first stage as a Poet and Spoken Word Artist. Today, he is known as one of Canada’s most powerful Professional Performance Poets.
A BlackMan raised in Toronto by parents from Barbados, he has resided in Calgary since 2016, and it is in the New West where Wakefield has been able to truly flourish as a Poet and as a Person.
Wakefield is currently a:
• Professional Poet & Spoken Word Artist
• Professional Poetic Interpreter™
• 3-Time Calgary Poetry Slam Champion & Team Captain; 2006, 2008, 2009
• Inaugural Poet Of Honour, People’s Poetry Festival, 2011
• Calgary Poet Laureate Shortlist/Finalist 2012, 2020
• Inaugural Resident Poet & Spoken Word Artist of The Grand Theatre 2019 – 2021
• Inaugural TD ARTIST INCUBATOR at Arts Commons, Poet-In-Residence, 2021-2022
• Canadian League Of Poets Member
• Elephant Artist’s Relief Society Board Member
• Peter Gzowski Foundation For Literacy Calgary Poet Laureate, 2021
• Registered Massage Therapist and owner of WakeFull Wellness Registered Massage Therapy & HealingSpace
• Community Builder by engaging in Volunteering, Leadership and Mentorship for Youth and through The Arts
• Advocate for Literacy and The Humanities; Healing Arts & Alternative Medicine; Alcoholism & Addictions; Mental Wellness & Recovery
In 2019, he was appointed as the very First Resident Poet & Spoken Word Artist of The Grand Theatre House in Calgary, Alberta.
In 2021, Wakefield joined The League Of Canadian Poets in order to become a more integral part of Canada’s Literary scene, while representing the standards of Diversity and Representation.
Also in 2021, Wakefield joined the Board of Directors of the E.A.R. Society – Emergency Artist’s Relief Society, providing emergency relief funding and affordable Health Care for Artists.
After all that the stage has given him, he has discovered other ways that he may repay his beloved Poetry and Arts Communities by performing silently, backstage, for them.
Wakefield finds that underneath the many hats and the many hoodies he wears, resides a wonderful life.
He would like to sincerely Thank You all for being a part of it.
Building Community Panel
Date: Friday February 10, 2023
From: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
Do you have a passion for community building? Do you value a healthy and vibrant arts community? Do you want to learn how community building affects you as an artist or arts patron? This workshop will showcase some of the community builders at the forefront of change in our arts community. Learn about the different stakeholders in community building, the current needs of artists, and what tangible actions can strengthen the arts community. Stick around for the panel discussion, followed by a Q&A. The panel features arts professionals from Foreignerz, Ethnik Fest, Elephant Artists Relief, Alcove Centre for the Arts, One Big Jam, and Madhuban Performing Arts.
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Contra is a multidisciplinary artist who navigates the Canadian arts and culture landscape as a musician, filmmaker, creative director & co-founder of FOREIGNERZ. Her most prominent project to date is through her work in Cartel Madras, an expansive and experimental music project now signed under Sub Pop Records.
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Eman Safadi is a co-founder of FOREIGNERZ, where she serves as its talent manager, and production manager. Her professional experience spans continents and sectors, including corporate business development, nonprofit management and fund development.
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Lanre Ajayi is a Professional Artist, Content Creator, and Actor who has received multiple awards and recognitions from Civic and International Organizations. As the Founder /Artistic and Creative director of Ethnik Festivals, the community organization behind Alberta’s premier Black History Month Festival (Ethnik Festival of Arts and Culture), his goal is to curate, perform and promote artistic forms of expression in Calgary and Internationally. Ethnik Festivals provides a platform to showcase and celebrate the vibrant and beautiful cultures of the Afro-Canadian and the Caribbean. Some of the awards include; Calgary Community Advocate Winner - 2022, Top 25 DEI - 2021, Top 25 Canadian Immigrant - 2021, Alberta Government Northern Lights Award - 2020, and Mayor’s Art Champions Legacy Award - 2018.
Instagram - @lanreajayi1 @mycityspeakstome
Twitter - @lanreajayii
Facebook – Ajayi Olanrewaju Olabode
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Bethel Afework is a local artist and entrepreneur. She graduated with a combined degree in Communications & Media and Energy Science from the University of Calgary. Passionate about making Calgary a more vibrant city for all, Bethel founded Raw Voices in 2016. The show is an eclectic mix of spoken word, comedy and music with open mic and feature performers that ran every month from July 2016 - February 2022. Currently, Bethel is the Executive Director and Co-founder of The Alcove Centre for the Arts. The Alcove is a non-profit recreational art space with the mission to make arts more accessible by creating welcoming spaces where everyone can foster their creativity. The non-profit runs a variety of workshops, artistic showcases, collaborative/social art spaces all year-long. The Alcove’s goal is to open a full-time recreational facility (like the YMCA) centred around artistic practices. The Alcove will be a community hub in Calgary to make art more accessible and provide a platform to support local artists and engage individuals in their creativity!
Bethel is an educator, poet, musician, and nature-lover who is passionate about making cities more vibrant and livable. She is also part of a duo BASK with Siddharth Kataria which blends poetry and music!
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Karen Begg has over 20+ years of experience supporting and contributing to Alberta's arts and culture community. A community advocate, Karen has organized community events, created neighbourhood food pantry’s, developed communal/community gardens, and has served on many boards and committees. A passionate volunteer, Karen has dedicated time to multiple organizations over the years and is currently the President of Elephant Artist Relief Society, serving artists of all disciplines in the Calgary region. A lifelong learner, she regularly attends international lectures and conferences on placemaking, policy development and community engagement. Karen is a recipient of the Queens Platinum Jubliee Award, as well as multiple community builder and volunteer awards for her service to the arts community.
Website:
https://elephantartistrelief.com/
https://elephantartistrelief.com/umbrella-talks/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElephantArtistReliefSociety/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earisforartists/
@earisforartists
https://www.instagram.com/earisforartists/
Audio/ Video Clips:
https://youtu.be/eDRjc7FyglU (Embracing Uncertainty)
https://youtu.be/yDoeWrgsSB0 (Grant Writing 101)
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Chris Maric is a multi-instrumentalist known for his unique and energetic musical style. As a performer, composer, producer, and teacher, he has worked with a vast array of artists and organizations. His music stylings persistently flirts with genius, yet somehow always recklessly stumble back into depths of unbridled passion.
Maric is also the founder/director of One Big JAM, a Calgary-based artist platform that curates fully-improvised concert experiences and workshops, by bringing various cultures, communities, and age groups together. Best known for their “radically inclusive” concerts, where the lines between the stage and crowd are blurred, One Big JAM has earned a reputation for doing things differently. The group’s events draw in dancers, poets, visual artists and organizations from diverse corners of the city. Through all their endeavours, One Big JAM pursues a bold vision for putting Calgary on the map by creating a new and unique world-class music culture.
One Big JAM Holiday Special:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VLIn0QNijXk
Original Jazz Music : Live and Alone from BuckingJam Palace
https://vimeo.com/mindofmaric
Original Classical Music : To The Amusement of Shadows I, II, III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYnsB8-VjyM
One Big JAM Vignettes : Featuring Kate Stevens (Keyboards / Producer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6jvzylEzgo
KTheChosen : Live at Sled Island (Keyboards / Theremin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD6rOD72d7Q
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Ishita Singla, Founder and Artistic Director of Madhuban Performing Arts, is a passionate, self-taught artist who has been performing in the community for more than 14 years.
Ishita has worked tirelessly to promote South Asian art and heritage through the means of dancing by collaborating with various charitable and not-for-profit initiatives. Madhuban Performing Arts’ core team currently consists of dancers, musicians and singers. Since its conception in April of 2016, Madhuban has volunteered performances for more than 75+ different cultural organizations, charitable and not-for-profit initiatives.
Most recently, Ishita received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. In January of 2020, she was honored as a finalist for the Immigrants of Distinction Award in the Arts and Culture Category. She has also been awarded the South Asian Excellence Award for being an inspiration to the youth and a Top 50 contender from 18,000 auditions in Dance India Dance North America. Ishita has spearheaded a promotional campaign with a Bollywood Feature Film as part of their worldwide release and has also been featured on CBC Calgary. She recently choreographed the opening act for University of Calgary's Dance Montage and worked with 21 professional dancers to create a visual masterpiece. Amidst COVID-19, Ishita has been continually teaching virtual dance classes, and coordinated live streamed performances for various initiatives including Calgary Pride, TedxYYC, Arts Commons, etc.
Socials:
Instagram: @ishitasingla @madhubanperformingarts
Website is currently under construction but the domain is madhubanperformingarts.com
Marketing “The Self” as an Artist
Date: Saturday February 11, 2023
From: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
The creative endeavors of artists contribute to the reshaping of the world around them. Even though artists play an important role in society, they are also required to market and brand themselves to further their careers and art. In this workshop, FOREIGNERZ will share their insight on how to strategically build a framework to help artists establish their own personal brand and position their artistic practice as a business. FOREIGNERZ will look at the guiding principles of aesthetics, brand strategy and the complicated nature of marketing “the self” in 2023.
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Contra is a multidisciplinary artist who navigates the Canadian arts and culture landscape as a musician, filmmaker, creative director & co-founder of FOREIGNERZ. Her most prominent project to date is through her work in Cartel Madras, an expansive and experimental music project now signed under Sub Pop Records.
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Eman Safadi is a co-founder of FOREIGNERZ, where she serves as its talent manager, and production manager. Her professional experience spans continents and sectors, including corporate business development, nonprofit management and fund development.
FOREIGNERZ is an art and production house focused on pushing boundaries in film, music, art and culture. The team is composed of multidisciplinary artists who are working to create visionary films, creative campaigns, installations, visuals and music video productions with a focus on uncovering new narratives in Canada and beyond. Their work and vision amplifies bold stories, uncompromising artistry and seeks to re-imagine the future.
Since its inception, FOREIGNERZ has gone from creating music videos, to curating exhibitions, designing creative campaigns, documentary film making, advertising and most recently full film production. FOREIGNERZ is set to release two fully produced in house short films in 2023, IN THE DARKNESS I PURSUE ONLY YOU and JINN JULIAN. FOREIGNERZ also tells the stories of important organisations and institutions, with notable clients that include Sled Island, Sub Pop Records, Trellis Society, Beakerhead, Patron, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Arts Commons and more. FOREIGNERZ has offices in Calgary & Toronto.
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Shone Thistle (she/they) is a Queer poet and multidisciplinary artist. Once described as a “feminist folk poet,” Shone’s poetry credits range from radio to jazz concerts, festivals to conferences. Poetic highlights include representing Calgary at the 2007 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, competing to receive perfect scores at the world-famous Nuyorican Poets Café, and performing with jazz quartet Red Line Trio+1 during the 2019 Brightside Festival.
Shone’s poetry can be found in several anthologies including Mic Check: An Anthology of Canadian Spoken Word Poetry and more recently in YYC POP: Poetic Portraits of the People.
Shone played an integral role in brokering Calgary’s first permanent Pride and Trans crosswalks. She also mobilized sector wide leaders in the establishment of Canada’s strongest municipal bylaw against conversion therapy. Shone currently sits on the board for Calgary Spoken Word Society. Her superpower is taking disparate content and weaving it into a cohesive story.
Shone was born on the unceded ancestral Coast Salish lands of the Lekwungen peoples, colonially known as Victoria, BC. Her father’s family first immigrated to Canada in the 1600’s from Guernsey between France and England at the mouth of the Celtic Sea. Her mother’s family first immigrated to the Americas from Norway. Shone is the daughter of a west coast visual artist and an east coast naval boatswain, multigenerational descendent of authors, artists and storytellers.
Shone’s early creative work focused primarily on multimedia visual art, painting and murals, often inspired by pop culture, current events, Queer body politic and nature.
Today Shone works on her creative practice from her Bowness studio in Mohkinstsis, Calgary. Current projects include a Soundscape installation that will run at Arts Commons from March to June, and a live adaptation of the project performed on April 21-22 as part of Earth: Mothership a cabaret curated by Sargeant X Comrade, as part of the TD Amplify Cabaret series.
Social Handles/Website:
o www.shonethistle.ca
o @shonethistle
WEEK 2 WORKSHOPS
Financial Resiliency - February 17-22, 2023
Creative Money
Date: Friday February 17, 2023
From: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
Are your finances a major source of stress? In this workshop, we’ll talk about the fundamentals of finance and how to start building a financial technique. We’ll work with tools that help connect your money to what really matters, manage money when your income is variable, and strategies to pay off debt/save for the big things you’re working towards.
Facilitated by Chris Enns.
Financial Tools & How to Use Them
Date: Saturday February 18, 2023
From: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
In this workshop, we'll look at the core financial tools out there, how they work, and when you might want to use them. That includes investment accounts (RRSP, TFSA, etc) and insurance types (life, disability, critical illness). We'll also look at some of the financial questions and costs around major life events like career shifts, buying a home, and starting a family.
Facilitated by Chris Enns.
One on Ones
Sign up’s will be done in person after the “Creative Money” and “Financial Tools & How to Use Them” workshops.
For participants of the “Creative Money” and “Financial Tools and How to Use Them” workshops led by Chris Enns. This is your chance to talk privately about the main concerns in your financial life, get advice, and learn techniques from an arts finance professional! You can discuss material from the previous workshops or talk through areas that weren't covered.
Facilitated by Chris Enns.
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Chris Enns is a certified financial planner (CFP) and opera singer. He has spent the last 10 years as a performing artist and learned the hard way that ignoring money doesn’t really work. He is the founder of Rags to Reasonable - an advice only financial planning firm that specializes in working with creatives and people with other non-traditional financial situations.
https://ragstoreasonable.com/
EAR’s Umbrella Talk: Grant Writing 101 (Online)
Date:
Wednesday February 15, 2023
Wednesday February 22, 2023
From: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location: Online
Join EAR for their virtual two part Grant Writing workshop, free of charge!
February 15, 7:00PM: Grant Writing 101 Pt. 1: AFA, CADA, CARFAC
Learn about upcoming grants, and grant writing tips, to help you write winning proposals with representatives from the Alberta Foundation of the Arts, Canadian Artists’ Representation, and Calgary Arts Development!
Guest presenters include:
Kari Mcqueen – Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA)
Chris Carson – Canadian Artists’ Representation (CARFAC)
Taylor Poitras – Calgary Arts Development (CADA)
February 22, 7:00PM: Grant Writing 101 Pt. 2: Canada Council for the Arts
Learn how to put together a grant application for the Canada Council for the Arts.
Guest presenter Michael Peterson is a Program Officer in Explore and Create at the the Canada Council for the Arts.
The workshop will walk you through:
How to create an artist profile on the Council’s portal,
What types of grants are available,
What to expect through the application process, and
How to put your best foot forward
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We envision a healthy arts community that ensures a rich cultural landscape for our city.
Elephant Artist Relief Society (EAR) is a registered charity that offers practical resources to creative professionals in the Calgary region. The society provides financial and career supports that emphasize community wellbeing and promotes artists’ livelihoods.
https://elephantartistrelief.com/
WEEK 3 WORKSHOPS
Production In’s and Out’s - February 24-26 2023
The Art of Producing
Date: Saturday February 25, 2023
From: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
Meg Farhall, artistic producer at Handsome Alice Theatre, takes us through an area of art-making that is often overlooked: Producing! How do you take your art and connect it with an audience?
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Meg Farhall is a Canadian performer, dramaturge and theatre maker. She is artistic Producer at Handsome Alice Theatre, a company dedicated to women’s narratives. She served as Artistic Director of Alberta High School of Fine Arts and is Co-founder and ensemble member of The Late, Late Breakfast Show; a company committed to developing provocative and inclusive sketch comedy.
As a creative Meg has brought her art skills to: Alberta Theatre Projects, Ghost River Theatre Handsome Alice, Downstage Theatre, Vertigo Theatre, The Shakespeare Company, Sage Theatre, Theatre Yes, One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo, Major Matt Mason, Lunch Box Theatre and more.
As an arts educator and administrator, Meg has worked with: Pumphouse Theatre, Alberta Jr. High Drama Festival, Calgary One-Act Play Festival (Festival Director), Sage Theatre: Ignite Festival, and Company of Rogues Actors’ Studio (Director of Teen Programming).
Select film and TV credits: Operation: Clean Slate (Green Productions), Circle of Steel (KinoSum), TinStar (Prime), Jann (CTV), Heartland (CBC),Wynona Earp (SciFi), Faultline (QuirkGirl), Young Drunk Punk (CBC), Word of Mouth (Green Productions).
Meg holds a Theatre Arts Diploma in Performance from Mount Royal University, a B.FA performance and a B.Ed. Drama Education from The University of Lethbridge."
Website: handsomealice.com
Insta: @handsome_alice
Production Q & A Panel
Date: Sunday February 26, 2023
From: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
Are you an independent artist wanting to learn more about what goes into self-producing a show? Are you interested in the ins and outs of artistic production, and bringing your show to an audience? Would you like to learn more about everything from technical requirements to venue agreements? Join us for this panel Q&A with industry leaders in our community. Hear from Jenna Rogers, Meg Farhall of Handsome Alice, Mark Hopkins of Swallow a Bicycle, and Bianca Miranda from Downstage Theatre and Handsome Alice.
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Jenna (she/her) is a mixed-race Director and Dramaturg who gratefully resides on land called Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary), on Treaty 7 Territory. She is the founding Artistic Director of Chromatic Theatre – a company dedicated to producing and developing work by and for racialized artists. Jenna is also the Dramaturg for the Playwrights Lab at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Board Co-Chair of LMDA, and the Artstrek Director for Theatre Alberta. She is a passionate arts equity advocate, a graduate of the NTS Artistic Leadership Residency (2020), the Banff Centre’s Cultural Leadership Program (2019), and a member of the artEquity National Facilitator Training cohort (2018). She is the most recent recipient of Canada Council’s John Hirsch Prize, and of the 2018 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta’s Award for Emerging Artists. She holds a MA in International Performance Research from the universities of Amsterdam and Tampere.
Up next: Jenna will be directing Teenage Dick at Alberta Theatre Projects. Recent directing credits include Little Women at Theatre Calgary, Hookman and The Green Line for Chromatic Theatre, Undressed at Alberta Theatre Projects, and Mary’s Wedding at the Citadel Theatre.
Instagram: @karissamah
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Mark Hopkins is the Artistic Director of Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre, which generates productive discomfort through art-making, and an Associate with Human Venture Leadership, which seeks to build our collective capacities to reduce ignorance, error, waste, suffering and injustice. He also works as an Audio Describer for blind and low-vision people with Inside Out Theatre's Good Host program. Mark volunteers with Kawalease Arab Canadian Theatre and the Centre for Newcomers, is a Fellow with the Energy Futures Lab, and founded We Should Know Each Other, a community-bridging initiative.
www.swallowabicycle.com
@swallowabicycle
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Born and raised in the Philippines, Bianca Miranda is a fat, queer, Filipino performer, playwright, and producer, grateful to be living and working in Moh’kins’tsis, Treaty 7 Territory. She is the Associate Producer at Downstage, ‘theatre that creates conversation’ and also the Artistic Associate at Handsome Alice, ‘theatre that uplifts women’s perspectives through creative narratives’. STAY TUNED for the world premiere of “The F Word”, a play about being fat and so much more that she is co-writing, developing, and will be performing with her art partner, Keshia Cheesman - coming very soon. Stay in touch: @TheBiancanator & @TheFWord_Show.
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Melissa Monteros is Artistic Director and co-founder of W&M Physical Theatre and WM2, Board President of W&M Dance Projects, and Co-Founder/Executive Director of the Wilddogs International Screendance Festival. She was a Fulbright Award recipient to Poland and Artistic Advisor to Silesian Dance Theatre, the first professional contemporary dance company in Poland. She is named in the Report on Contemporary Dance for the Congress on Polish Culture (2009) for her contributions to contemporary dance in Poland and has received honorary awards from two institutions in Gdansk for her contributions to dance in that city. As a choreographer, her work has been presented in Austria, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, as well as in North America. Monteros is Professor Emerita, University of Calgary, where she continues to teach senior choreography and guest lecture in Production and Design for Dance. She is the recipient of grants from the Canada Council, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Calgary Arts Development, International Collaborations from the University of Calgary, and from other international organizations as well as serving as jury member for these and other international organizations.
www.wmdance.com www.wilddogs.ca
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Meg Farhall is a Canadian performer, dramaturge and theatre maker. She is artistic Producer at Handsome Alice Theatre, a company dedicated to women’s narratives. She served as Artistic Director of Alberta High School of Fine Arts and is Co-founder and ensemble member of The Late, Late Breakfast Show; a company committed to developing provocative and inclusive sketch comedy.
As a creative Meg has brought her art skills to: Alberta Theatre Projects, Ghost River Theatre Handsome Alice, Downstage Theatre, Vertigo Theatre, The Shakespeare Company, Sage Theatre, Theatre Yes, One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo, Major Matt Mason, Lunch Box Theatre and more.
As an arts educator and administrator, Meg has worked with: Pumphouse Theatre, Alberta Jr. High Drama Festival, Calgary One-Act Play Festival (Festival Director), Sage Theatre: Ignite Festival, and Company of Rogues Actors’ Studio (Director of Teen Programming).
Select film and TV credits: Operation: Clean Slate (Green Productions), Circle of Steel (KinoSum), TinStar (Prime), Jann (CTV), Heartland (CBC),Wynona Earp (SciFi), Faultline (QuirkGirl), Young Drunk Punk (CBC), Word of Mouth (Green Productions).
Meg holds a Theatre Arts Diploma in Performance from Mount Royal University, a B.FA performance and a B.Ed. Drama Education from The University of Lethbridge."
Website: handsomealice.com
Insta: @handsome_alice
WEEK 4 WORKSHOPS
Community Care - March 3-5 2023
sensing, being, holding choice
Date: Saturday March 4, 2023
From: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
A workshop focused on resourcing artists with language and practices for cultivating one’s inner sense of consent. Inviting a spirit of curiosity and the wisdom of our individual and collective bodies, we will explore useful concepts and exercise ways of consentfully relating with oneself and others.
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Pam Tzeng 曾小桐 (she/her) is a second-generation Taiwanese-Canadian choreographer, performer, arts worker based in Mohkínstsis, Treaty 7 Territory.
At the age of five Pam made her stage debut wearing a snug pink body suit, baggy at the knee tights, a questionably adorable crochet hair bun cover and the number 88 (how auspicious!) safety pinned onto her chest. She danced in both puzzlement and delight cradling a blonde cabbage patch baby doll. Thirty plus years later, Pam is a commitment to holding space for her own and others healing from white body supremacy. She does this through the magic of performance, teaching therapeutic movement, grassroots community organizing and change work consulting in arts and cultural sector. Pam brings a trauma-informed, anti-oppression and transformative justice lens to all that she does.
Landscape Watercolour Workshop
Date: Saturday March 4, 2023
From: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
Are you ready to be amazed at what you can create with some watercolours?
Create beautiful, dreamy, quick and easy landscapes. We'll look into the basic watercolour techniques, wet on wet, wet on dry and lifting, so that you can paint two unique landscapes by the end of the class.
Learn how to create sky washes, mountains, water and all the essential watercolour techniques you can apply to any other painting!
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The Alcove presents a Landscape Watercolour Workshop with Maya Corona!
Maya Corona was born and raised in Mexico City. She now lives in Calgary, AB, where she rediscovered her passion for art. Maya likes to explore different techniques like watercolours, acrylics and mixed media on any scale. Her paintings are bold and vibrant; she is always looking to add a feeling of freedom to her art.
Her work has been exhibited in a variety of galleries and spaces such as with SpanicArts & Art Commons at the +15 galleries, the Consulate of Mexico in Calgary, the McDougall Centre Art Exhibit, cSPACE King Edward, Kiyooka Ohe Arts Center and more.
The Alcove is a non-profit recreational art space with the mission to make arts more accessible by creating welcoming spaces where everyone can foster their creativity. The non-profit runs a variety of workshops, artistic showcases, collaborative/social art spaces all year-long.
Miyo Pimadisiwin (the good life) in creative spaces
Date: Saturday March 4, 2023
From: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
Join Sandra Lamouche, champion hoop dancer, award-winning Indigenous education leader, two time TEDx Speaker, writer, and choreographer, to explore practices that can be used to promote holistic wellness in creative spaces. You will partake in light movement, hands-on activities, and discussion around decolonization, self determination, and looking at Indigenous models and practices that can contribute to community care in creative spaces.
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Sandra Lamouche is a Nehiyaw Iskwew (Cree Woman) from the Bigstone Cree Nation in Northern Alberta and lives in Southern Alberta with her husband and two sons from the Piikani Nation. She is a champion hoop dancer, an award-winning Indigenous education leader and a two time TEDx Speaker, writer, and choreographer. She received her B.A. in Native American Studies from the University of Lethbridge in 2007. Currently she is completing a M.A. Thesis at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario in Indigenous Studies titled “Nitona Miyo Pimadisiwin (Seeking a Good Life) Through Indigenous Dance” which examines Indigenous Dance as a Social Determinant of Health and Well Being.
She has over fifteen years of experience in ten international styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, hip hop and powwow styles, and the hoop dance. She has gained most recognition as a Hoop Dancer and has been showcased and performed internationally.
http://www.sandralamouche.com/
Access 101
Date: Sunday March 5, 2023
From: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: The GRAND - Studio
A comprehensive introductory workshop on achieving accessibility in your artistic work. Rethink your artistic practice and current understanding of “Accessibility” and “Inclusion.” This workshop will challenge participants to redefine their personal understanding of access by breaking down one’s experience, social location, and relationship to accessibility. Following this, the group will be able to imagine what access can look like in solo and collaborative work, and what steps are necessary to achieve it. Through introspection, group discussions, and thought-provoking exercises, Artists will leave this workshop with a greater understanding and action plan to better their commitment to achieving and providing accessibility and furthering their inclusion practices.
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Ashley King is a Mexican-Canadian visually impaired actor, playwright, and accessibility consultant based in Mohkinstsis. She is a graduate of Company of Rogues Actors’ Studio, having completed their Master Class actor training program. As the Artistic Associate at Inside Out Theatre, a Deaf and Disability theatre company, she works to educate and improve patron and artist accessibility within Canadian theatre. Through her artistic consulting, board work and artistic practices, she strives to advocate and to center her work around equal representation, accessibility, and inclusion. Using her lived-experiences, she has consulted on accessibility with artists, theatre companies within the city, and organizations nationally. Ashley is also a consultant for Audio Description and described Video for both stage and television, and has worked to improve and train those who describe media to the blind and low sighted community.
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Molly JF Caldwell is a yonsei visual artist and cultural worker based within Mohkinstis (“Calgary, AB”) She graduated from the Alberta University of the Arts in 2017 with a bachelor of fine arts. Since graduating, she has been a highly active community member within the arts, including chairing committees on boards, and recently being hired as Artistic Director of The Bows gallery. She has been working with Inside Out Theatre and the Good Host program since 2021. Through her work with Inside Out Theatre and her own artistic practice, Molly seeks to prioritize equity within the arts.
About Inside Out Theatre
We are a Deaf and disability theatre company in Calgary Alberta who are invested in artistic excellence, community development, and deepening our cultures’ accessibility.
Theatre for Every Body
To nurture belonging, cultural vibrancy, and agency through Deaf, Disability, and Mad arts and culture.
To produce and present plays that showcase the vibrancy of Deaf, Disability, and Mad culture.
To host community-based drama programs that nurture a sense of belonging and provide an antidote to social isolation.
To deepen cultural accessibility for audience members and to ensure their agency and dignity.
OPEN CALL FOR THE CAPACITY BUILDING RESIDENCY
Please find application here
Further details here
STAY TUNED for more information on scheduling and registration. Additionally, we will be offering training and capacity building for Stage Technicians in conjunction with the Artist Resiliency Workshop Program, so please check back soon!