« We are living in a world where white supremacy is the “norm” – where Black and Indigenous lives are stolen from their families due to violence, racial injustice and systemic racism. We won’t and can’t continue to let this happen.

As a company that is devoted to commissioning and developing new Canadian plays, musical works and dance, we believe that stories, and the artists who tell them, can change the world. We recognize and are committed to changing the systems of oppression that obstruct access for and impede the advancement of Black, Indigenous and people of colour.

This is why we’ve chosen to commission a Black and/or Indigenous artist to create a full-length work.

We invite proposals for the creation of a new performance work. Nightswimming will work with the commissioned artist to design a process to develop it in full collaboration and with a focus on ensuring that the commissioned artist is empowered to work how they wish, with whom they want, and in the ways that are essential to its creation. Because Nightswimming does not self-produce the works we commission, we devote all of our time and resources to supporting the unique creation process of each new work. We commit to establishing, in consultation with each artist, partnerships with producers to ensure each work reaches the audiences you want to impact.

What Nightswimming can offer

• A custom designed creation and development process from inception to premiere, free from the pressure of production deadlines
• An interdisciplinary environment in which we welcome projects in theatre, dance, music and forms that cross over and integrate those disciplines
• On-going dramaturgical support designed for and in collaboration with the creator
• A commitment to long-term creative relationships
• Access to a community of artists whose work we support dramaturgically on every level
• Opportunities for readings, workshops and/or studio sessions to develop your work with other artistic collaborators including but not limited to performers, designers, or musicians
• $20,000 commission fee

Who can apply?

• Creators who self-identity as Black or Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis)
• Artists creating in any performance discipline including but not limited to: music, dance, and theatre
• Emerging, mid-career, and established creators
• Artists who are currently a Canadian resident

What we’re looking for in your proposal

• Ideas that embrace exploration and aim to achieve something you’ve never attempted before
• Projects that could not happen in any other scenario; it might be a dream project that you never thought someone would support; or a large scale piece that is generally considered beyond the means of most organizations; or content that other organizations would not stand behind; or a piece that you don’t know how to make but are driven to create
• Exploration of dramatic forms and interdisciplinary approaches that stretch dramaturgical boundaries; we are particularly interested in ideas that integrate performance and music, including vocal music, and acknowledge the audience as an active participant in the event
• A commitment to long-term creation processes and collaboration
• We are asking for the idea you’ve always wanted to explore but never had the opportunity to pursue. Rather than seeking works-in-progress and drafts of existing projects, we are seeking ideas for a new work that you can develop from the very beginning of the process.

We strongly encourage applications from Black and Indigenous folx who also identify as LGBTQ2S+ or persons with a disability. »

For more information, please read the full Call for Proposals here: https://linktr.ee/nightswimmingth

-from Nightswimming Theatre