IMPACT 23 theatre festival launches lineup
Posted May 31, 2023 06:00:48 AM.
Last Updated May 31, 2023 06:09:45 AM.
IMPACT 23 is back in person for the first time since 2019.
The six-day international threatre festival launched their lineup on Tuesday at Kitchener City Hall.
“This year it’s really exciting because we’re able to bring back international threatre companies to physically be here in the region,” MT Space Artistic Director Pam Patel told the Mike Farwell Show.
The festival is operated by MT Space, a local theatre company that brings together diverse communities and centralizes marginalized and racialized artists.
IMPACT 23 runs from September 26 to October 1 and involves productions from Australia, Chile, Cuba, Tunisia, and cities across Canada, including Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, Edmonton, Vancouver and here in Waterloo Region.
Headlining the event will be Karul Projects and their new production, Kuramanunya. Choreographed and performed by the company’s artistic director, Thomas E. S. Kelly, the piece recognizes people who did not survive colonization.
MT Space founder Majdi Bou-Matar will be honoured at this year’s event. A statement from IMPACT 23 says, “His legacy will be present in every aspect of this year’s event,” including Kuramanunya.
Patel said the venues will be within walking distance of each other in Downtown Kitchener to make the festival easier to navigate for those not from Waterloo Region. Some venues have yet to be announced.
“We’re struggling to find the spaces that can not only house these incredible artists and work that we’re presenting, but can also work with us on maintaining an anti-oppressive framework,” she said. “A lot of this work is really political, it’s intercultural.”
More information on IMPACT 23 Festival can be found HERE.
