MT Space Arts Exchange @ IMPACT21

Access

About

Arts Exchange is back with a special presentation as part of MT Space's IMPACT21 International Theatre Festival!

Over the summer, IBPOC artists from Waterloo Region collaborated together in our second Arts Exchange cohort. Through the help of the OAC and KWCF Spinnaker Fund, 36 artists were able to foster new connections and relationships, and exchange ideas for projects, creative play and experimentation with no pressure to create a final product.

On Monday, October 4th, some of these pairings will gather online to share some of their work they created together, their experiences in the program and celebrate another incredible cohort. Join us at 2:00pm EST to celebrate with us!

This is presented as part of the ancillary events for IMPACT21 happening in Waterloo Region from September 28th - October 9th. Visit impacttheatrefestival.ca for more information on our hybrid International Theatre festival

Links

• IMPACT 21 Information impacttheatrefestival.ca
• Want to Donate? indiegogo.com

Organizer

MT Space

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.