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Waterloo Region's first and only multicultural theatre company continues to fulfill its mandate by creating, producing and presenting high quality artistic performances and cultural events reflective of the people who live in the area. The MT Space strives to develop forms and practices that speak to, draw upon, reflect, and constitute Canadian contemporary community. The MT Space was founded in 2004 by Artistic Director Majdi Bou-Matar. The company has toured to Hamilton, London, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal QC, Saint John and Fredericton NB, Victoria and Vancouver BC, within Canada and to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon internationally. The company has garnered several awards and rave reviews. The MT Space also offers educational programs and professional development workshops, and provides mentoring and assistance to local artists. The MT Space continues to promote the cultural richness of our community by providing a space for meaningful interaction.

This application is for “IMPACT 23: A Better, More Inclusive Return to Live Arts”, taking place in various venues in Kitchener-Waterloo September 26 to October 1, 2023. MT Space will make a full return to in-person performances while focusing on specific accessibility measures, including programming by Deaf artists as well as ASL interpretation and captioning throughout the Festival. Programming details include:

(1) Two mainstage productions at The Registry Theatre in Kitchener: (i) “Deafy”, by Chris Dodd (who also hosts a festival called “Sound Off!” which is dedicated to works by and for deaf artists and audiences). “Deafy” is an autobiographical piece that shares his journey as a deaf artist navigating through this landscape, and will be presented as mainstage production at The Registry Theatre in Kitchener; and (ii) the Canadian premiere of “The Last Time from Tunisia” featuring an artist who is actively working at centralizing deaf and disabled communities in North Africa through dance;

(2) Additional programming for the festival includes: (i) Maori dance company Karul Projects from Aotearoa; (ii) theatre artist Alejandro Moreno from Chile; (iii) Page1 Theatre from Halifax,; (iv) Indigenous choreographer Daina Ashbee; (v) Tottering Biped Theatre from Hamilton; (vi) new work from Vancouver playwright Meghna Hardar; and (vii) commissioned pieces specifically for the festival by DiverseWorks Dance, Esie Mensah, and the local LandBack Movement; and

(3) a national industry conference for theatre professionals to discuss pressing issues relevant to racial equity and centralizing Indigenous voices.