GVPTA's annual Making A Scene programming cultivates care and community in Vancouver's theatre industry

Three webinars with industry professionals unpack contemporary concerns faced by artists, from climate-crisis advocacy to navigating onstage boundaries

SPONSORED POST BY Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance

Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance. Photo by Alisha Weng

The Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA) is a non-profit organization offering programs and services to strengthen the local theatre industry and build community. Paramount to its work and programming is fostering impactful conversations between live-performance communities, sharing resources, and making sure arts workers have a place to voice their experiences.

This year as part of GVPTA’s annual Making A Scene programming, it hosted three webinars focused on the contemporary issues faced by artists and performers in an ever-changing economic landscape. Important topics revolving around mental health, the current political climate, and difficult material were discussed in the context of local theatre today.

First off, four artistic directors gathered virtually to discuss “Cultivating Joy & Care In Our Practice” and how to balance professional pursuits with the joy of their creative processes. Maiko Yamamoto (Theatre Replacement), Derek Chan (Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre), Fay Nass (the frank theatre), and Shawn Macdonald (Realwheels Theatre) shared their thoughts on the structures of their artistry within the material-development stage.

There were common themes of collaboration, playing, and surrounding oneself with others who can feed a joyful process of making theatre. The artistic directors also spoke of getting back to the basics of communication by building context within onstage storytelling.

Next, four directors took on the tricky topic of “Care & Creation in the Face of the Climate Crisis” and the role theatre can play in the environment as Vicki Stroich (Caravan Farm Theatre), David Geary, Jodi Lammiman, and Pedro Chamale (rice & beans theatre) talked over climate concerns in relation to their art.

Foremost, the artists advocated for using their power of gathering people together to warn them of the increasing dangers of the fast-changing climate, including B.C. wildfires, and how to keep safe. A key thought brought up involved the importance of communal circles in gatherings to share in climate grief.

Last, three theatre artists chatted about the “Practices of Care When Working with Challenging & Provocative Material” and navigating safety when exploring personal boundaries onstage. Omari Newton, intimacy coordinator Aryn Mott, and producer Paige Louter (ITSAZOO Productions) discussed how artists can best treat each other with care when tackling challenging artistic material.

It can be hard to maintain the magic of theatre while also affirming content and avoiding actual trauma. Tools like content warnings, intimacy direction, and proper training can make sure performers avoid negative emotions or experiences while continuing to produce high-quality work. Most importantly, trauma onstage should stay on the stage—and everyone needs to feel safe, cared for, and protected while still being able to process acts of trauma and violence with clear boundaries on what people are comfortable doing artistically.

These are the kinds of discussions members of the theatre community are having. Metro Vancouver’s theatre industry is rich, complex, and changing as artists gather to share their own experiences on and off the stage.

Stay tuned to GVPTA’s website for more on its 2024-25 programming that aims to foster opportunities by supporting Vancouver’s thriving theatre community and the artists within it.

Post sponsored by Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance.