Soulpepper Theater Company recently introduced the public domain, an initiative that aims to redefine what a theater can be and to create connections in an increasingly disconnected world. With a complete list of free programs that range from workshops and performance courses, the company hopes to become a neighborhood center where anyone feels welcome and engages in the same way as he would like – as a spectator or participant.
The historic theater of Soulpepper is located in the distillery district, a district that has developed vertically with the rise of condos surrounding the historic area. It is an urban environment which is not, in itself, designed to promote connections.
“Soulpepper reinvents what an artistic institution can be – an open and welcoming space where creativity and connection thrive.” said Gideon ArthursExecutive director of Soulpepper Theater in a declaration. “At a time when loneliness in Toronto is at a record level, we think that the arts have a crucial role to play to bring people together. This initiative consists in breaking the barriers, promoting a feeling of belonging and to ensure that everyone in Toronto has access to the transformative power of artistic expression. We look forward to seeing the community come together and make the public domain their own. ”
What is the public domain of Soulpepper?
This is a free access initiative, and the concept of its foundation is that participation in the Arts Construction Community. To this end, the public domain offers a range of free programs that can include everything, practical workshops at the cinema evening.
This is part of the company Stories for a stronger city Platform, an approach that says we can connect through shared stories. Programming includes music, both a classic artisanal repertoire and works by emerging artists, and as a member of the public, you can always choose to simply seek and appreciate, or to opt for a more active role.
There are three programming categories.
- Discover: Artistic activations that include artistic installations in the Atrium, the Summer Songs Concerts series, narrative events in the courtyard, seasonal and culturally specific markets (for example, Black Love Market, African Market, Equinox Market), among others.
- Gather: Events and workshops that immerse themselves in a variety of genres and art forms. Participants can acquire new skills when they connect with artists and other learners, and include everything, free school workshops with Bollywood dance with uber-popular cinema evenings, yoga mornings and themed celebrations, all designed to bring people together.
- Practical: A space where emerging artists can acquire and develop their skills and their creative voice. Award -winning artists from Soulpepper offer training for performance opportunities and potential collaborations with other emerging artists. Dramatic writing workshops, the Creator bootcamp and the queer cabaret for young people are only some of the available programs.
- For young people: Specific programming to feed new artists and creative thinkers, including theater, dramatic writing, movement and other related workshops. The offers include City Youth Academy, the summer mixtape and curtain programs, the program of learners in English and theater workshops in schools, and much more.
Rohan Kulkarni, director of the social impact of Soulpepper
We spoke to Rohan Kulkarni, director of the Soulpepper social impact, on the initiative, which was launched in March.
“It's going well,” said Kulkarni on the first weekend, which took place on March 29 and 30.
The public domain is the result of years of consultation, by working with the Metcalf Foundation, an organization which provides investment funding for various projects for social purposes. A review of the public role that Soulpepper plays in the city and the district aligned with the objectives of the Foundation.
“We thought of future orientations,” explains Rohan. “One of the things that came out was to try to make our space here really porous and accessible to the community around us.”
In a district of Condos, at the center of a historic friendly district for tourists, how could a theater company connect with its main audience?
“I thought in a way of the future sustainability of the company.” This meant reaching outside the usual community of theater lovers. “Unlock the bubble of theater,” he says. “How can we interest people in the arts, but also in our space?”
Free programming with several flows means that people are not necessarily linked to a specific schedule. It can really be a list every time you like experience. The programming of young people, in order to give young people to explore their own creativity, is a strong accent.
“There are so many ways to get involved with the business,” says Rohan.
The offers were carefully chosen and cultivated. “We have spent the past two years really piloting part of this programming,” he explains. His own role has also gone from a specific task to play a leading role with the development of the public domain, and he is passionate about his objectives. “To really make a public invitation.”
Public reactions
Until now, thanks to the pilot programs and the recent launch, the reactions have tended to prove the idea that community building is necessary. It is not uncommon for participants in a workshop or the adoption of a performance to discover that they lived in the same building and have never met before.
“We have all those people who have no sense of the place,” says Kulkarni about the environment. “It can be their place of belonging. They can watch a film, have a drink,” he adds. “We offer a lot of art commitments with low issues for them.”
It is probably unrealistic to expect theater lovers for the first or rarities to walk and get engaged with a three -hour play, as Rohan points out. “It's about meeting people where they are.”
The launch weekend included the projection of popular monthly films, a party called Night School which offered what he calls workshops “the size of a bite” of theater artists, as well as the social gathering, a complete atrium market, visits to the establishment, a Bollywood Zoomba course and a children's workshop on Sunday morning in dance and the classic
“(There are) a lot of activities that we pilot and test last year,” he said. “We have something for everyone.”
Part of the programming will be inspired by the set games of the main scene to Soulpepper, while others will simply count to meet demand. “We have done a lot of conversations, surveys.” This includes participation in association meetings of residents and developer management groups. “We have all these ears on the ground in the neighborhood. We present ourselves during resident meetings. This is the kind of basic work that really happens here, ”says Rohan.
“We answer this while having our own programming mandate.”
The program will respond to its audience by offering a variety of entry points. After establishing the program as a regular functionality, the next step is to reach further.
“Our next phase is the scaling component,” he explains. “We are really delighted to continue the momentum.”
- Find the programming of the public domain (HERE).
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Anya Wassenberg is editor -in -chief of the city of Toronto at Ludwig Van. She is an experienced independent writer, blogger and writing instructor.
