PRISMATIC 2020 FESTIVAL ANNOUNCMENT
The Prismatic Arts Festival is a national, professional arts festival that showcases innovative work by Indigenous Artists and Artists of Colour from across Canada.
Based in K’jipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Prismatic has been bringing audiences vibrant, boundary-pushing new works in theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts, media arts, and spoken word since 2008.
Through engaging performances, workshops, masterclasses, and artist-led talks, the Prismatic Arts Festival brings artists and audiences together for open dialogue. People of all ages and backgrounds are invited to experience Prismatic performances, engage with artists, and learn about new art forms and traditional cultural practices. Prismatic is Art for Everyone.
This year, in the midst of a pandemic, Prismatic is going to look different. But from obstacles, come inventiveness, hard work, and creativity.
We are thrilled to announce some artists for this year’s Festival, an all Atlantic roster
· Dinuk Wijeratne
· Liliona Quarmyne
· Clyde A. Wray
· Eastern Owl
· Owen O’Sound Lee
· Jah’Mila
· Jenelle Duval
· Shauntay Grant and Boca Del Lupo Theatre
Shifting Verse a Prismatic Arts Festival Production Presented by National Arts Centre English Theatre’s Grand Acts of Theatre Marking this Moment As the performing arts sector continues to face unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Arts Centre has responded with Grand Acts of Theatre, an initiative to bring Canadian artists and audiences together. Eleven of Canada’s most innovative theatre companies have been engaged to create and perform large-scale, new works in response to these times, which will be performed outdoors in front of live audiences in various Canadian locations, filmed, and later shared online. For more information on Grand Acts of Theatre and the companies involved please visit NAC’s website. Grand Acts of Theatre is made possible thanks to the support from The Jenepher Hooper Fund for Theatre at the National Arts Centre Foundation, established as a result of a generous gift from the estate of Jenepher Margaret Hooper. ——– The Prismatic Arts Festival will be making the city of Halifax its stage – filling the air with music and poetry while dancers grace the cobblestones with their movement. Join us for a special moment as we bring together artists from across Atlantic Canada to weave together a profound tapestry of art, in unity and response to the present time – Shifting Verse. Shifting Verse is produced by Raeesa Lalani, the Artistic Director of the Prismatic Arts Festival. |
Co-presented with
Prismatic Arts Festival and The Fountain School of Performing Arts are proud to partner once again to continue bringing unique learning opportunities to students, through workshops and masterclasses, with some of Canada’s leading Indigenous artists and artists of colour.
Co-presented with
Earlier this year, Prismatic Arts Festival and Neptune Theatre announced their co-presentation of two theatrical productions for their upcoming seasons, Finding Wolastoq Voice and Huff. Due to the worldwide pandemic, these two productions have been postponed to a future date. Brought together by a drive to empower all voices in our arts community, Prismatic and Neptune are pleased to continue working with one another on a new and exciting project, the expansion of Neptune’s Open Spaces program. Stay tuned for more details! |
Co-presented with
When the pandemic struck, the arts sector was turned upside down. Prismatic and the Atlantic Presenters Association noticed that a crucial voice was missing from the conversations taking place in our industry – the perspectives of artists, particularly Indigenous artists and artists of colour. In response, we created an online version of our TALK series, Voices We Need to Hear: Indigenous Artists and Artists of Colour.
Voices We Need to Hear has provided a space for artists to discuss their successes, challenges, and needs in order to move forward amidst the pandemic. By gathering these important and insightful perspectives, we can begin to think together about how we want to reshape the future of the performing arts in Canada.
If you would like to see any of the previous TALK sessions you can view them on our website:
Prismatic Arts Festival – The TALK 2020
including performances by: Jah’Mila and Owen O’Sound Lee
a night to remember including performances by: Jenelle Duval, Eastern Owl, and Prismatic‘s newest production: Shifting Verse
More details about these performances will be launched soon! Make sure to check out our social media channels for all of the updates.
“This year, our programming was shaped by two guiding principles: sustaining live performance and nurturing relationships with organizations to foster inclusivity within the arts sector. We are pleased to present an all Atlantic performance roster, along with new and innovative industry events to continue Prismatic‘s mission to be a leading Canadian arts festival that engages diverse stakeholders through performance, networking and collaborative learning.” Raeesa Lalani, Artistic Director |
