IMPACT Festival My IMPACT 19 Festival Scrapbook On September 24 – 29, 2019, MT Space brought 50 powerful performances to Downtown Kitchener. Here are the highlights. MT Space was founded upon the value of centralizing marginalized and racialized artists and stories, filling what seemed to be a great void in a community of many different peoples. MT Space was founded in 2004 by Lebanese-Canadian Majdi Bou-Matar, who was a trained director, actor, and dancer. Majdi relocated to Canada when his wife was accepted to University of Waterloo to pursue a PhD. Thinking that Majdi would continue his career in Canada as a multi-talented artist, he auditioned with various theatre companies in Southern Ontario. After receiving the same criticism over and over, hearing that his accent was too thick or that he “didn’t look the part”, Majdi decided to create a company that would become a platform for all artists that felt marginalized, racialized, and displaced. This is how MT Space was born. For the past fifteen years MT Space has been fulfilling its mandate by creating, producing, touring and presenting artistic work that reflects Canada’s cultural diversity. Since 2004, MT Space has become a conduit for internationally trained immigrants and newcomer professionals across all disciplines. In July 2016, Pam Patel – who had been an artistic associate with MT Space since 2008 and mentored with Majdi – stepped into the role of Artistic Director and looks forward to ushering the organization into its next decade of powerful artistic work, bringing with her a South Asian background and Canadian upbringing. MT Space has grown from being a company that produces one show every year to an organization that brings culturally and socially relevant work from across the country and around the world to our community of Kitchener-Waterloo. We have challenged the preconceptions of theatre to create, produce, and present work that is accessible and affordable to low income families while creating a space for Indigenous, immigrant, refugee, and marginalized voices to be heard. MT Space challenges the definition of theatre to include all disciplines such as dance, music, multimedia, and circus performing arts. As such, MT Space is becoming a presenter of artists and arts organizations across many disciplines. Theatre Is Here #IMPACT19Festival September 24-29, 2019 This IMPACT, we turn a lens on ourselves and call out our own prejudices. We showcase the beauty within a world that might seem hopeless. We demonstrate what it means to survive and resist as mothers, as children, as migrants, as travelers, as the occupied, as artists and as people. TAKE A MOMENT – ACKNOWLEDGE THE LAND... With gratitude and appreciation, MT Space acknowledges that we live, learn, Save the date for and benefit within the boundaries of the Haldimand Tract, which includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. #impact21festival: This is the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral Confederacy), Anishinaabeg (Ojibway, Mississauga, Chippewa, and Algonquin), and September 28-Oct 3, 2021 Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Six Nations including the Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, Oneida, and Tuscarora Nations). MT Space tells stories of displacement, identity, marginalization and immigration. Understanding and appreciating the Indigenous land on which we stand helps us stay grounded when we explore these narratives. We honour that these Nations of people have been living on, working on, and caring for this place from time immemorial and continue to do so today. 1 MESSAGE FROM FROM MARGINS THE DIRECTOR TO THE CENTRE This past year has been quite the journey. We experienced some pretty challenging lows and After ten years and six IMPACT festivals, we received some incredibly meaningful highs. This continue to move slowly and steadily from the past year took us around the world and across the margins to the centre. This year, our sixth biennial country to experience the art that we bring to your IMPACT festival brings you international theatre doorstep, connecting us to like-minded artists companies situated at the centre of their creative who use theatre to instigate societal change. This cultures in their home countries: the National past year brought to light events that continue to Theatre of Tunisia with Fadhel Jaïbi and Jalila shift and change our global political landscape, Baccar, two of the most prominent icons of Arab casting a lens into an unknown and sometimes theatre, the great Wilson Pico with his legendary exciting future. legacy of founding contemporary dance in Ecuador and Alicia Sanchez, one of Mexico’s In my ten years of being with IMPACT, I feel as leading contemporary artists. though I have witnessed an incredible time of growth, both within Waterloo Region and the From Canada you will see this nation’s leading Canadian theatre industry. Conversations are Indigenous dance theatre, Santee Smith’s shifting and artistic leadership is changing to Kaha:wi, Quebec’s veteran African- Canadian finally start reflecting what truly makes up our dancer and choreographer Zab Maboungou society. But there is still a lot more to do, and to with her company Nyata Nyata, and Daina unlearn. This IMPACT, we turn a lens to ourselves Ashbee who is considered to be Montreal’s “most and call out our own prejudices. We present work promising choreographer of the next generation.” that makes us question how and why we see the We do this in an attempt to centralize the voices "other". We remind ourselves of our colonial past of the Indigenous, racialized and marginalized and present by occupying theatres, streets, and artists of Waterloo region and southwestern buses with stories of residential schools, reserves, Ontario. Like every IMPACT, we bring together and migrants crossing the border. We look into a the international, the national and the local future that is hopeful by celebrating the female to witness work that is less Eurocentric and body, paying homage to motherhood, and passing more intercultural. We invite you to engage on story to a younger generation. in conversations about decolonization and This IMPACT, I invite you to engage in these centralizing the marginalized as we work conversations with us as we reflect on our past and together to generate collective intelligence that contemplate where we stand now. This IMPACT, I will put us at the centre of our nation’s history, invite you to celebrate our tenth anniversary as we identity and performance culture. continue to dream big for the next decade. Meegwetch - Nya:wen - Merci - Shukriya - with Gratitude, Majdi Bou-Matar Pam Patel Artistic Director, IMPACT Festival Artistic Director, MT Space 2 3 CITY OF KITCHENER Office of Mayor and Council 200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118 Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7 Phone: 519.741.2300 Fax: 519.741.2800 MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR Welcome to everyone attending IMPACT 19 Theatre Festival, brought to you by MT Space. On behalf of my council colleagues, Kitchener citizens, MT Space presenters and their partners, it is my pleasure to invite everyone to experience theatre arts September 24 through 29, 2019 in downtown Kitchener @DTKitchener. CITY OF KITCHENER Office of Mayor and Council This six day theatre festival and conference will feature world class200 local, King national Street West,and P.O. Box 1118 Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7 international performers, presenting their best works of physicalPhone: theatre. 519.741.2300 Bringing Fax: 519.741.2800 additional excitement and innovation to our city centre, IMPACT 19 will feature a three MESSAGE FROM THE day conference titledMESSAGE #Erasing_the_Margin FROM s. Over the course of the festival there will be something for every theatre enthusiast, as well as opportunities for those less familiar REGIONAL CHAIR, with these forms toTHE experience MAYOR, live performances. REGION OF WATERLOO CITY OF KITCHENER Thank you to the dedicated artists,MESSAGE performers, volunteers, FROM family THE members MAYOR and friends for supporting MT Space and its partners in making IMPACT 19 a reality in our community. YourWelcome commitment to everyone to artsattending and culture IMPACT is commendable, 19 Theatre Festival, and has brought a very to you by MT positive impactSpace. on our On city! behalf of my council colleagues, Kitchener citizens, MT Space presenters and theirWelcome partners,to everyone attending it is IMPACTmy 19pleasure Theatre Festival, to invite everyone to experience theatre arts Enjoy the festival!Septemberbrought to 2 you4 bythrough MT Space. On29 behalf, 201 of my9 in council downtown colleagues, Kitchener @DTKitchener. Kitchener citizens, MT Space presenters and their partners, it is my pleasure to invite everyone to experience theatre arts September Sincerely, This 24six through day 29, theatre 2019 in downtown festival Kitchener@DTKitchener. and conference will feature world class local, national and I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the internationalThis six day theatre performers, festival and conference presenting will feature worldtheir class best works of physical theatre. Bringing organizers and a warm welcome to the artists involved in additionallocal, national excitement and international and performers, innovation presenting to their ou r city centre, IMPACT 19 will feature a three IMPACT 19, the sixth biennial international theatre festival best works of physical theatre. Bringing additional excitement presented by MT Space in Waterloo Region. day conferenceand innovation to titledour city centre, #Erasing_the_Margin IMPACT 19 will feature a three s. Over the course of the festival there will As you celebrate 10 years of bringing world-class local, be somethingday conference for titled every #Erasing_the_Margins. theatre enthusiast, Over the course asof well as opportunities for those less familiar national and international performers to our community, I the festival there will be something for every theatre enthusiast, with these forms to experience live performances. know that the impact of arts and culture in our daily lives as well as opportunities for those less familiar with these forms to cannot be measured but undoubtedly enriches our mutual Berry Vrbanovic experience live performances.