Awaken i am members series#

In that spirit I have invited Patti Flather, Leonard Linklater (the company founders), and 2 young artists working with the company, to attend a discussion about looking forward and back. As we approach the mid point of my tenure as Artistic Director at Gwaandak, I am looking back to the beginning, and ahead to the end.

Awaken i am members series#

This year we are also proud to present a new industry series where we will host 3 discussions, followed by opportunities for artists and audiences to discuss amongst themselves and with panellists. As drag and gender based performance faces criminalisation across Turtle Island, we continue to create meaningful connections for drag artists across great distances. This year we were able to support 14 artists in the QnD training program, which I am proud to say is the only drag training program in the north that pays artists to participate.

We also have a large suite of workshops, and my festival favourite, The Quick N Dirty Cabaret. This year, with the generous support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, we are able to present 2 productions from across Canada, as well as our first international presentation from Greenland. Watching our small but mighty team grow this festival has been an honour, and I am so proud of Sara, Rebecca, Cherie, Norah, and the whole festival team. We were amazed then what we did with a shoestring budget and minimal festival running experience, and the feedback from rural artists who don't often have access to in person training in their communities inspired us to lock in the digital aspects of the festival. Welcome to Awaken Festival 2023! This is the 4th year of the festival, which started in March 2020 as a dynamic digital pivot as lockdowns swept the country.