The Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre partners with performing art companies on Arts Leadership Training Program.

We all have something to share, We all have something to learn.

The Arts Leadership Training Program, co-led by The Belfry Theatre, Persephone Theatre and the Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre.

A partnership with performing arts groups and educational institutions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. The program is designed to provide access and training for artists and arts administrators who identify as Indigenous, Black and/or People of Colour (IBPoC). This stream will focus solely on arts administration.

The program is delivered in two parts:

1. ZOOM Seminars once a week for twelve weeks.
2. Three months of paid Internships. Dates to be determined with Intern and Artistic organization.

For the first time, applicants may choose to participate in one of two ways:

1. Seminars Only

OR

2. Both Seminars and Internship

A maximum of 5 participants are accepted into the internship stream of the program, and up to 20 participants are accepted into the Seminars with no age limitations.

The program is designed collaboratively, assembling the program components based on the stated interests of those participating, with a focus on arts administration.

The program is a collaboration between the following organizations:

Arts Club Theatre Company (Vancouver, BC); Belfry Theatre (Victoria, BC); Electric Company Theatre (Vancouver, BC); Globe Theatre (Regina, SK); Green Thumb Theatre (Vancouver, BC); National Arts Centre (NAC) (Ottawa, ON); Neworld Theatre (Vancouver, BC); Pacific Opera Victoria (Victoria, BC); Persephone Theatre (Saskatoon, SK); Prairie Theatre Exchange (Winnipeg, MB); Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre, University of Regina (Regina, SK); Theatre Calgary (Calgary, AB); Vancouver Opera (Vancouver, BC); and Victoria Symphony (Victoria, BC).

As arts organizations and educational institutions, we acknowledge the colonial and oppressive system that we have inherited and continue to perpetuate. We constantly question ourselves: How can we presume to teach IBPoC participants when we have inherited a colonial legacy, and are trying to put down old tools and pick up new ones?

We opened the doors of our institutions, with humility and ethical intentions, to create a safe and healthy environment in which to share institutional knowledge, together with the wisdom and experience of leading members of the national IBPoC arts community.

By inviting recognized arts leaders from IBPoC communities to share their wisdom and experience, we were able to create a safe and informative program that spoke directly to the participant’s needs.

“As an IBPOC artist, I find this collaboration genuine and meaningful. The senior management of these organizations have come to the table to ask difficult questions about the current state of the art. They are hoping to develop a path towards an arts and culture sector that is deliberately inclusive,” says Taiwo Afolabi, Assistant Professor at the University of Regina, and Co-Coordinator of this project with the Belfry Theatre and Persephone Theatre.

For more information, please email nida@belfry.bc.ca