About
The 23/34 Design Lab provides hands-on experience and mentorship in Costume Design for live performance. This digital-hybrid program is for emerging and aspiring designers looking to develop their craft and collaborate with other emerging artists. Three participants will build their ideation and creation skills with support from professional designers, receive 1-on-1 mentorship, and collaborate with emerging directors and actors to create and execute designs shared at the festival. Workshops and labs will be designed around the participants’ interests, and include time for design approaches and processes, experimentation with equipment, and connect with Costume Shops in professional theatre companies in the GTA. Sewing skills are not required to participate in this program.
We encourage newly graduated design or production students, artists with a tech or production background that want to expand their design skills, or artists with a background or interest in fashion looking to develop their skills in theatre and narrative-driven design to apply.
This program was designed for artists under 30. We encourage self-identified emerging artists and young artists to apply.
Facilitator
Joyce Padua
Design Lab Facilitator 2023/24
Joyce Padua is a Toronto-based set and costume designer. A BFA graduate of York University, her work as a designer and assistant has been featured in several productions including shows with the Shaw Festival, the Stratford Festival, and Factory Theatre. In 2021, Joyce was nominated as a Siminovitch Prize Protegée under designer Gillian Gallow. Previous theatre credits include: Prison Dancer (Citadel Theatre), Intimate Apparel (Thousand Islands Playhouse), Fall Your Knees (Canadian Stage), Too True to Be Good (Shaw Festival), Year of the Rat (Factory Theatre), Desire Under the Elms (Shaw Festival).
Training Days + Company-Wide Meetings
We bring together all program participants for monthly Training Day sessions, starting with a Company-wide Orientation in November 2023 and finishing with a Post-Festival Debrief in May 2024.
Workshop topics ranging from accessibility design, to how to plan your festival tech, a Technical Theatre Workshop with an introduction to stage management and theatre design, and building a career in the arts. These workshops are held online and in-person, and are a chance for participants to meet and work with one another (and find future collaborators!).
Commitment
- Attend Design Workshops twice monthly on Mondays between December 2023 and May 2024 and additional scheduled meetings with program facilitator as scheduled
- Must be available for in-person attendance to monthly company-wide training sessions (November 26, December 10, January 28, February 25, March 18, April 14, May 21)
- Must be available for company headshots January 21, 2024
- Must be available during Festival Tech Week (May 6-12, 2024) and for Festival Performances (May 13-19, 2024)
- Attend agreed-upon meetings with professional mentor
- Work with participants, your program facilitator and cohort to create and execute designs for the Paprika Festival — including conducting fittings, altering garments, meeting with directors, and attending rehearsals
Support You Receive
- $1,200 honorarium
- Guidance and support designing festival productions
- 2+ hours with a professional mentor
- $500 design budget
- Limited access to a professional costume shop and sewing equipment
- Tech and Performance time in a professional theatre venue
- Promotion of your project on Paprika’s social media and marketing materials
- A section in the Festival Program and a professional headshot
- The support of a Venue Technician, Production Manager, Assistant Festival Stage Manager, as well as Box Office, Front of House, and Festival Staff
- Professional archival photography and videography of your Festival presentation
- Access to free tickets to theatre productions across the city (and beyond!)
- The opportunity to sit in on tech week for a professional theatre production
Location
Toronto & Online
COVID-19 Considerations
The health and safety of participants, facilitators, and staff is our greatest priority. We encourage all Paprika participants, staff, facilitators and guest artists to maintain regular vaccinations, including additional doses/boosters. Masking during group sessions will be discussed and decided upon by each program. Masking will be optional for all company meetings, and no one will be discouraged from wearing masks. Paprika will continue to provide KN95 or N95 face masks (or equivalent) upon request. Masking and rapid testing of all artists and staff will be required throughout Paprika’s tech week in May 2024.
Accessibility
Paprika seeks to lower barriers for all its programs. This year, we are offering transportation support when requested, food and snacks at program events, as well as a $1,200 participant honorarium.
Company-wide Training Days take place in venues accessible to folks using mobility devices.The Paprika Festival tech and performances will take place at Native Earth Performing Arts’ Aki Studio, which is fully accessible for artists and audiences.
Paprika advocates for gender inclusive washrooms, and will negotiate for gender inclusive washroom signage whenever possible. We use and respect people’s pronouns. Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, LGBTQ2SIA+, Women, Trans, Non-Binary, Newcomer, Immigrant, Fat, Mad and Neurodiverse people are welcome.
Internet and a smartphone, tablet and/or computer are required for participation in Paprika’s programs. Our programs are not accessible to Deaf or Blind artists at this time. Group meetings can be recorded and shared internally to accommodate schedule conflicts and emergencies with prior notice to the program facilitator and Paprika staff.
Programming space for the Design Lab has not been confirmed, but we endeavor to secure accessible space whenever possible.