STORIES OF NOW: The River Clyde Pageant

“STORIES OF NOW” is part of a project ArtBridges is working on with Judith Marcuse Projects’ ASCN (Arts for Social Change Network) and ICASC. It is about gathering and sharing stories emanating from the field now and about what issues and areas of focus matter.

STORIES OF NOW: The River Clyde Pageant (PEI)
As told by: Megan Stewart, Artistic Director & Producer, The River Clyde Pageant, October 22nd, 2021 to Seanna Connell (ArtBridges).

Excerpt:

"If you could tell a story about your community-engaged arts initiative now, this year, what would the story be about? What are the main themes?

MS: Within the arts and theatre communities on PEI, the pandemic reoriented a lot of priorities about what kinds of stories are told, whom our work is for, and where it happens. Covid-19 forced the closure of indoor theatre and prevented audiences coming from out of province to consume culture. On PEI, I witnessed a lot of companies reorienting their work towards who is actually here on the Island, instead of catering to tourists, and exploring different models, especially when it came to using outdoor and unconventional spaces/venues to share art and theatre. There was a collective realization, without the tourists around, that telling stories that are relevant for local communities is incredibly important.

The River Clyde Pageant had been working with these values already – our productions happen outside, and our audiences and ensembles are made up primarily of Islanders. The stories we tell are inspired by the land and the people who call the rural and urban communities around the River Clyde home. Other companies and organizations started looking to us, and there has been a wealth of partnership opportunities that have emerged since then. Our 2020 production still had to be cancelled, but many new projects sprang up within the space of that cancellation. We had the chance to work with new organizations and support artists in different ways. It expanded our offerings into the ‘shoulder season’, so now, we present programming from early summer through the winter."

For the full Story, click the Download link or follow the link here: http://artbridgesblog.ca/en/2022/01/stories-of-now-the-river-clyde-pageant/

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