Inaugural STAND Festival celebrates immigrant and refugee theatre artists
Blackout Art Society and Presentation House Theatre launch Strength Through Art Network Diversity
Jivesh Parasram, founding artistic producer of Pandemic Theatre and artistic director of Rumble Theatre.
Blackout Art Society artistic director Amir Hosseini.
Blackout Art Society and Presentation House Theatre in partnership with Neworld Theatre and North Vancouver Recreation & Culture Commission present STAND Festival at PHT and via livestream from November 2 to 7.
PERFORMANCES, WORKSHOPS, PANEL discussions, and more celebrate immigrant and refugee theatre artists at the inaugural STAND Festival.
The goal of fest is to support newcomer voices while addressing social issues concerning race, class, and gender.
Performances include Phantom Pain, written and performed by Lennora Esi (recently awarded the Edinburgh Fringe 2021 Derek Award – Best Overseas) and Made in Canada: an agricultural song cycle, a musical journey composed by Mishelle Cuttler that blends mariachi influences with lyrics sourced from the words of seasonal temporary foreign workers. INHUMAN/E is a haunting interactive drama by Ava Maria Safai, Syd Castle, Wesley Frank, Nicco Graham, Thomas Reynolds, and Lois Warwick. Other productions include Suitcase Stories, written and performed by Maki Yi, and a work from Arisun Yue Opera.
The six-day event also features several free panels and workshops, including: A life path panel with Soheil Parsa, Carmen Aguirre, and Beatriz Pizano; grant writing with Chelsea Haberlin, artistic director of Neworld Theatre; storytelling with playwright Tetsuro Shigematsu; and a multi-day Director’s Lab with Rumble Theatre's Jivesh Parasram.
“It is time for immigrant and refugee artists to come together and help each other,” Blackout Art Society artistic director Amir Hosseini says in a release. “We are stronger together. We honour diversity, inclusion, and equity while rejecting racism and sexism. We stand together to celebrate community.”
More information is at PHT and Blackout Theater.
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