Submissions have been extended! They were due Sunday, March 23, 2025!

Weesageechak Begins to Dance is a two-week festival showcasing new works and works-in-development by Indigenous artists across Turtle Island and beyond, hosted in the heart of Regent Park in t’karonto. Every November, Native Earth Performing Arts is proud to welcome new theatrical, dance, music, and multidisciplinary works reflecting Indigenous experiences, offering a peek into Indigenous storytelling today and to come, and reflecting the richness of Indigenous arts. These curated works receive artistic and dramaturgical support, rehearsal time and space with actors, and public sharing. 

More details here.
There was a W38 Info Session on Thursday, March 6 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM.
Recording available here. 
Transcript available here. 

Information:
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We are happy to announce that we are once again accepting applications from Ontario-based emerging and established theatre and multidisciplinary Indigenous* creators, artists, and collectives to develop new work.
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Submission Deadline: January 10, 2025

See more details here

RGTC is supported by the  Ontario Arts Council.

Climate Play is a one-day workshop for writers, artists, and environmentalists who want to explore creating verbatim theatre pieces on the climate crisis.

Facilitated by Yvette Nolan and Joel Bernbaum, under the name of their new larger project: “the wâhkôhtowin project”.

The workshop is free, however participants will be selected on an application basis.

Interested applicants can send their name along with a short bio and why they’re interested to joelle[at]nativeearth.ca .

After the Aug 17th workshop, some participants will be chosen to move on to one-week of specialized training to help bring their theatre pieces to life!

Native Earth is proud to be a partnering organization of the Rising Tides initiative. Rising Tides is a paid, multi-faceted skill development and mentorship platform designed for IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour) performing arts administrators and managers.

Through one-on-one pairings, seven pairs of mentees and mentors will meet online regularly from September 2024 to May 2025, supported by four full-cohort virtual meetings, culminating in an in-person event at PACTcon in May 2025.

This is a paid mentorship opportunity in partnership with Native Earth Performing Arts, Belfry Theatre, Boca del Lupo, Nightwood Theatre, Obsidian Theatre, and Persephone Theatre, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and Metcalf Foundation.

Applications are open now for New Pathways! This project is designed to provide an alternate path of acceptance for Indigenous* candidates to the National Theatre School’s Production Design and Technical Arts Program!

If you an Indigenous creative interested in exploring a career in Production or Design for Theatre, check it out!

For more information on the Production Design and Technical Arts Program, click here.

Be part of Native Earth Performing Art’s Annual Development Festival of Indigenous Work, Weesageechak Begins To Dance. Going into its 37th year, this 2-week festival presents new works and works-in-development by Indigenous artists from across Turtle Island and beyond!

Dynamic and multidisciplinary art forms are highly encouraged, and we are continuing to welcome submissions for digital offerings. Eligible works include (but are not limited to) theatre, dance, opera, musical, standup comedy, burlesque, cabaret, music or spoken word sets, and radio plays. Please note that for a submission to be eligible, the primary artist (or artists) must identify as Indigenous.

Information:
⁣
We are happy to announce that we are once again accepting applications from Ontario-based emerging and established theatre and multidisciplinary Indigenous* creators, artists, and collectives to develop new work.
⁣
Submission Deadline: January 12, 2024 (now closed)

See more details here

RGTC is supported by the  Ontario Arts Council.

Click here for the call for performers for Weesageechak 37!

Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival is a celebration of new works and works-in-development which fosters the development of Indigenous work and artists from across Canada and around the world.

Each November, Native Earth selects theatre, dance, opera and multidisciplinary works reflecting Indigenous performing arts to be presented, or to receive development support and a workshop production or reading during the two-week festival. We encourage national and international Indigenous performing artists of all disciplines and at any stage in their career to apply.

As we begin to plan the 36th annual Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival, we are looking to widen the submissions to include works that can be presented digitally, and are also interested in programming shorter multidisciplinary, experimental works and acts to further showcase the wide range of Indigenous Arts across Turtle Island and beyond.

Working on a new stand-up or spoken word set? Are you a singer, musician, or perhaps a clown? We’d love to hear from you!

Curated by a committee, select pieces receive dramaturgical support, rehearsal time and a public showing in November. In order for a submission to be eligible, the primary artist or artists must identify as Indigenous.*