Creative Producers

About

The Creative Producers Program is a meeting place for emerging artist-producers to develop, discuss, and practice methods of producing, administration, and arts leadership as they plan and create a workshop production at the 2025 Paprika Festival.

Whether you identify as a producer first, or a creative first, is up to you! In the Creative Producer program, you will be exercising both of those muscles to bring your project to life.

In this program, two artists will be offered a showcase opportunity (up to one hour in length), with regular workshops with the program facilitator, mentorship with a Paprika staff member, and mentorship with a professional artist leading up to the Festival. Artists will also have the option to attend different forms of live performances throughout the season. Consider them field trips to help inspire your process as you create your show!

You can apply with a project in mind, or identify the type of project you would produce at the festival. What motivates you? What interests you? What kind of stories do you hope to share? If given a stage, an hour of people’s time, and a budget of two thousand bucks, what would you do? If you intend on playing another role in the production (as producer-playwright, director, performer, choreographer, designer etc.), we want to know why Creative Producing is key to your professional development. Successful applicants will be asked to have their project’s basic shape ready for when program sessions begin in January.

This program is designed to uplift and celebrate artists from equity-seeking backgrounds. We are looking to support artists who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Non-binary, Queer, Fat, Disabled, Mad, Neurodivergent, low income, and intersections of those identities.

While we are encouraging people with certain identities to apply, we don’t expect anyone to “represent” their entire community, or to have to make art specifically about your identity. This isn’t the UN!

This Program is for

Artists from equity-seeking backgrounds who are interested in arts leadership, producing, and facilitation
Folks who haven’t had their work produced before, who don’t see a place for themselves or their work in the current performance landscape
Folks who are ready to jump in and use Paprika and the resources we offer as a launch pad to continue developing their ideas and expanding their project budget
 Folks who are excited to be in a festival environment and mentorship program, sharing space and ideas with other emerging artists in a creative space

Facilitator

A Note From the Facilitator

Hi! I’m Fatuma and I’ll be the facilitator for the Creative Producers Program at the 2025 Paprika Festival. Throughout my creative career I’ve often described myself as a reluctant producer. An artist who wanted things to be made but have someone else do all the logistical things because yuck!

Slowly but surely I grew to appreciate the work behind the work. There’s a lot of power in learning how to self produce your own projects. It’s the part of me that protects the artist’s vision – especially when that artist is yourself.

Hopefully throughout this program we can give you an opportunity to create something that not only you’ll be proud of, but gives you the agency to take control of your own artistic practice. With some help from a team of artists who have been where you are now.

Can’t wait to read your project proposals. Looking forward to working with you.

Best wishes,

Fatuma

Commitment

Approximate time commitment: 12-15 hours per month in group sessions and training days, plus additional time spent rehearsing and creating your production for the festival showcase.
Attend online group meetings Monday evenings from 6-8pm ET twice a month between January 13, 2025 and April 28, 2025 along with an additional in-person group outings to be scheduled monthly as a group
Attend agreed-upon meetings with mentors and your facilitator
Must be available for in-person attendance to company-wide training days (January 12, January 26 online session, February 9, February 26, April 6)
Must be available for company headshots (February 9, 2025)
Coordinating and ensuring the in-person attendance of your artistic collaborators to Technical Theatre Workshop (March 2025, exact date TBD)
Must be available during Festival Tech Week (May 5-10, 2025) and for Festival Performances (May 13-18, 2025)
Identify a project to produce, and create a project budget, project timeline, rehearsal schedule, and fundraising plan to realize your goals with Paprika’s support
Identify and engage artist collaborators for your project, including but not limited to actors, designers, and a stage manager
Create promotional materials for your project, including a show description and image, and collecting artist bios and headshots from your creative team
Independently rehearse your project, and share work-in-process during the festival. We provide the performance venue and mentorship, as well as limited access to rehearsal space. While we are unable to provide props/costumes/set, we can assist in sourcing these materials
Create a Tech Rehearsal schedule with support from the festival Production Manager and conduct a Paper Tech with your creative team

Support You Receive

Additional resources for this program are made possible through the Metcalf Foundation Booster Pilot Project

$1,500 honorarium
10 hours with a professional mentor
4 company-wide training days where you will learn from professional artists about topics such as accessibility, marketing and communication, pitching your work, networking, and more
Tech and up to 3 public performances 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
Technical guidance and training for your team before moving into the theatre venue
The support of a Venue Technician, Production Manager, Lighting Designer, Assistant Festival Stage Manager, as well as Box Office, Front of House, and Festival Staff
Up to 25 hours of free rehearsal space, a $2,400 production budget for your collective, and assistance sourcing production materials
Professional archival photography and videography of your Festival presentation
Access to free tickets to theatre productions across the city (and beyond!)

Location

Toronto & Online

COVID-19 Considerations

The health and safety of artists, facilitators, and staff is our greatest priority. We encourage all Paprika artists, staff, facilitators and guest artists to maintain regular vaccinations, including additional doses/boosters. Masking will be required for all full-company meetings, and during group sessions, masking will be discussed and decided upon by each program. No one will be discouraged from wearing masks. Paprika will continue to provide KN95 or N95 face masks (or equivalent) upon request. Masking will be required throughout Paprika’s tech week in May 2025.

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 $1,500 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 access 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 program facilitators and Paprika staff.

For questions and comments about Paprika’s accessibility plan, please reach out to Amanda at amanda@paprikafestival.com.

Application support

We’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions about Paprika programs and answered them here!
We’re happy to arrange an application process that’s best for you. If you have any questions, require additional support or an extension, please email Aaheli (aaheli@paprikafestival.com). We will try our best to respond to emails within 48 hours.

Eligibility

The Creative Producer applications are open to emerging artists who are 18+, and who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Non-binary, Queer, Fat, Disabled, Mad, Neurodivergent, low income, and intersections of those identities. There is no age limit to apply!

APPLY NOW!

Click here to view the application questions in a separate document. Note that this is not the application form, but a way to preview the questions!

Click here to apply NOW

*APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN