About
The 21/22 Creators Unit is for individual artists interested in collective creation and performance. This program is composed of poets, musicians, dancers, actors, directors, playwrights, designers and anyone who is interested in being part of a tight-knit creative team. The piece made by the Creators Unit can take any form the group envisions; this is a place to take artistic risks, experiment with ideas, and try things you’ve been imagining. This year, there is a specific provocation to think about how theatre can be experienced by small audiences and/or in a physically distanced world. Two facilitators will guide a group of four in the creation of the entire project, from first ideas to opening night. A workshop presentation of this collective creation is shared at the annual Paprika Festival.
We encourage new artists and artists in the first few years of their practice to apply.
* Indigenous artists who are interested in participating in the Indigenous Arts Program along with the Creators Unit will receive full support through both programs, and will have the option to return for a second year of project development through IAP. You will only need to submit one application – please check the box to let us know you are interested in IAP when applying.
If you have any questions about the Indigenous Arts Program, please feel free to email Jay Northcott, the Indigenous Arts Program Producer at jay@paprikafestival.com.
Facilitators
xLq
Creators Unit Facilitators 2021/22
xLq is a POP ART performance duo comprised of Jordan Campbell and Maddie Bautista. Dedicated to radical performance forms, xLq combines ritual, fashion, dance, music, and queer pop aesthetics to create complicit audience experiences.
Their original performance creation 4inXchange received Nightswimming’s 5×25 Commission and won the NOW Magazine Audience Choice Award at the 2018 SummerWorks Festival, then proceeded to tour to the rEvolver Festival 2019 (Vancouver, BC), FEM FEST 2019 (Winnipeg, MB), the Grand Theatre (Fergus, ON), Registry Theatre (Kitchener, ON), and Waterford Old Town Hall (Waterford, ON).
They are currently in residence with Nightswimming Theatre, where they are developing All for One for All, which premiered at CAMINOS 2019, and was created while in residence with lemonTree creations.
Follow @xLqpopart on Instagram.
Training Days
In addition to being part of this program, all participants gather for five virtual Training Day Labs led by professional artists, with workshop topics ranging from physical theatre, to pitching your show, to re-Indigenizing artistic practices, and building a career in the arts. These days are a chance for participants to meet and work with one another (and find future collaborators!)
Commitment
- Attend weekly group meetings on Tuesday evenings between December 2021 – May 2022
- Attend five program-wide Training Days and a company-wide virtual Meet & Greet (November 21, December 5, January 16, February 27, April 24)
- Attend a Technical Theatre Workshop with your Creators Unit collaborators (Date TBC)
- Must be available during Festival Tech Week (May 9 – 15, 2022) and for Festival Performances (May 16 – 22, 2022)
Location
Toronto & Online
COVID-19 Considerations
In consideration of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this program will be offered online with the intent to transition to in-person program delivery in Spring 2022 where possible and when sensible, and in accordance with public health directives. Paprika Training Days and the company-wide meet & greet will take place digitally. The health and safety of participants, facilitators, and staff is our greatest priority. This year, Paprika encourages artists exploring work that can be encountered digitally, one-on-one, by small audiences, or through multiple mediums. Paprika will work with participants to create a learning and action plan that meets their objectives, capacity, and access needs.