Chutzpah! Festival
For more than 20 years, The Chutzpah! Festival—The Lisa Nemetz Festival of International Jewish Performing Arts has earned a reputation for presenting high-quality local, national, and international performing artists representing the breadth and depth of eclectic, multicultural Jewish experience from across the globe.
Over three weeks in November, the festival presents music, theatre, and comedic storytelling, and dance, outreach activities, and aids in the development of new work through creative residencies, including Canadian and world premieres. The festival also programs the work of non-Jewish artists in dialogue with the Jewish community to foster inter-community understanding of common values and experiences. It is more important now than ever to promote intercultural understanding and celebrate our communal spirit.
Over the years, Chutzpah! has brought in such important international acts as Italy's Spellbound Contemporary Ballet and L.A.’s BodyTraffic, musical sensations the Klezmatics and Yemen Blues, and comedians Sandra Bernhard and Iris Bahr. It’s also championed the local work of talent like Shay Kuebler’s Radical System Art and Idan Cohen’s Ne.Sans Opera & Dance.
The fest’s mandate is to enhance the cultural life of both the Jewish and general communities, and Chutzpah! is committed to presenting, producing, and promoting professional and innovative community-based programming that supports both established and emerging artists; entertains, inspires, educates, and enriches its audiences; and promotes communication and understanding between Jewish and non-Jewish communities.
Chutzpah!’s home, The Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre, is a professionally-equipped 318 seat performance venue located in Vancouver’s rapidly developing Oakridge neighbourhood. This classic proscenium theatre fills an important niche in the metro Vancouver theatre ecology, providing a rare mid-size venue appropriate for professional theatre, dance, music, film, festivals, and other cultural events. Committed to presenting, producing and promoting professional and innovative community-based programming, the theatre has a large and diverse multicultural rental clientele, with clients ranging from cultural and school-based organizations to professional for-profit and non-profit organizations.
