Location: Studio 2, Dalhousie Arts Centre 

Hybrid Session

Panelists: Taiwo Afolabi, Christine Brubaker, Yvette Nolan, Heather Russet, Jessica Thornton

Strategic Foresight and the Future of Prairie Theatre

Future Prairie Theatre (FPT) is a team of theatre researchers and practitioners taking a multi-pronged and multi-year approach to engaging theatre artists and theatre institutions about the sector’s future on the Canadian prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba). Anchored in relationality, responsibility, and accountability, and with a place-based commitment, FPT is dedicated to working with diverse stakeholders to help the sector meet current challenges and envision and collectively create a preferred future. Building upon the first stream of activities, Re-imagine & Re-build Prairie Theatre (R&R), the Future Scenarios for Prairie-based Theatre (FSPT) furthers and deepens this sector-driven work by engaging invited participants to tackle specific issues through different modalities. FSTP involved conversations and workshops with independent theatre artists, companies, funding organizations and governing bodies to strengthen interprovincial connections and forge a regional identity. In this panel, the research team— Professor Christine Brubaker (UCalgary), Dr. Taiwo Afolabi (URegina), artist/scholar Yvette Nolan and Heather and Jessica shared some of the research findings from FSPT. The research team works within both the academy and the profession. It invests deeply in facilitating collaboration within the sector for a healthy, equitable and thriving prairie-theatre ecosystem.

Panelists/Research Team

  • Christine Brubaker is an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary
  • Taiwo Afolabi is an Assistant Professor at the University of Regina
  • Yvette Nolan is a playwright, director and an MA candidate at the University of Regina
  • Heather Russet and Jessica Thornton are the founders of Creative Futures
  • Cali Sproule is an MFA candidate at the University of Calgary
  • Ibukun Fasunhan is Ph.D. student at the University of Regina
  • Steven Condo is an MFA student at the University of Calgary