Cole Foundation Awards $171,000 in Grants for Intercultural Theatre in Montreal

Now in its 15th year, with diversity at the core of the Cole Foundation’s Intercultural Conversations-Conversations Interculturelles (IC-CI) program, Foundation President and Chairman Barry Cole has awarded the latest round of grant winners. Intercultural Conversations-Conversations Interculturelles was created to motivate the production of professional theatre that features intercultural dialogue and introduces Montrealers to other cultural heritages; the program has succeeded in every facet. For this recent spring competition, eleven companies were given vital grants to share diverse and inclusive theatrical stories in Greater Montreal for a total of $171,000 for the 2023-24 season, as well as added funding for post-show audience talkbacks to continue the conversation initiated in the play. Intercultural Conversations-Conversations Interculturellesincludes commissioning, producing and translating plays.

“Companies are eager to offer specific stories that have not been told before in a theatrical version,” said Cole. “It is rewarding to regularly have theatres, both English and French, apply for first-time grants and have them be successful, as well as see artistic directors embrace intercultural dialogue as a central part of their mandate. There is also an ever-increasing number of Indigenous work being done, evidencing reconciliation is taken seriously.”

This cycle of winning plays offers a wide range of theatrical styles and themes including historical drama, comedy, theatrical cabaret and rap music. They encompass numerous heritages and identities, embracing Indigenous, Jewish, Black, Iranian, Colombian, Tamil from Sri Lanka and Sinhalese cultures, among others.

Recipients of the latest competition

The Cole Foundation has encouraged intercultural conversation for three new productions for Teesri Duniya Theatre. “The new grants make possible three unique stories including a young Iranian-Canadian woman who wants nothing short of freedom; Indigenous siblings’ fight against environmental racism protecting their land, air and water; and developing new BIPOC talent writing politically challenging plays that push boundaries. We thank the Cole Foundation for supporting plays that move Canada forward,” said Artistic Director Rahul Varma. “We couldn’t do either of our projects without this important and necessary program and the Foundation’s ongoing support over the course of its fifteen years,” said Krista Jackson, Imago Theatre’s artistic & executive director. “This season we will bring a vital conversation about incarcerated, racialized women in Canada to Montreal audiences, and commission a new work that focuses on the Black Canadian experience, juxtaposing the story of the historic African Nova Scotian community of Africville with the current housing crisis in Montreal.” The Cole Foundation is a long-time supporter of Théâtre Aux Écuries and is a significant part of their upcoming ground breaking show. “It is rare that eight Latino artists can work on the same project as there are few roles written for Latin American Canadians. This is the first production in French with a 100% Latino cast on a Montreal stage,” said Pauline Louër, Théâtre aux Écuries.

COMMISSIONING grants include: La Messe Basse- Sur les traces by Gurshad Shaheman and Dany Boudreault; Imago Theatre- One Spectacular Moment by Adjani Poirier; Geordie Productions- Fresh Kix by Amy Lee Lavoie and Omari Newton; and Teesri Duniya Theatre- White Lion, Brown Bear by Vinesh Abyratnam.

PRODUCTION grant awards go to: Imago Theatre- The Flood by Leah Simone Bowen; MAYDAY- Cabaret Noir by various artists; Centaur Theatre Company- alterNatives by Drew Hayden Taylor; Théâtre aux Écuries- Providencia by Mariana Tayler; Productions Menuentakuan- Autochtoneries by Maro Colin and Omer St-Onge; Teesri Duniya Theatre- Azadi by Meharnaz Mohammadi and Chemical Valley by Julia Howman and Kevin Matthew Wong.

There are two annual Intercultural Conversations-Conversations Interculturelles grants, in October and April. The deadline for the next competition for the award is Friday, September 29, 2023 at 5:00pm. Theatre companies interested in applying for a grant can download the necessary application forms and information from the Cole Foundation's web site at: www.colefoundation.ca/en/programmes/intercultural-conversations/