Prismatic Arts Festival 2017 Program

HALIFAX | SEPTEMBER 14-23 | 2017

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On behalf of the Province of Nova Scotia, I am pleased to welcome you to the 2017 Prismatic Arts Festival.

The Prismatic Arts Festival brings together Canada’s leading Indigenous and culturally diverse artists to showcase and celebrate the world of performing, visual and literary arts. This annual event plays a key role in exposing Nova Scotians, and visitors, to new and traditional art.

Thank you to the organizers, volunteers and utmost talented artists for bringing such diverse perspectives, experiences and visuals to Nova Scotia.

I wish you a productive and successful event.

Sincerely,

Honourable Stephen McNeil, M.L.A. Premier of Nova Scotia

mayor’s message As Mayor of Halifax and on behalf of Regional Council, it is my distinct pleasure to extend a warm welcome to the 2017 Prismatic Arts Festival taking place in various venues in Downtown Halifax.

As one of Canada’s only multi-arts festivals, Prismatic 2017 will feature amazing performances in music, dance, theatre, spoken word, visual, and media arts to captivate the entire family. With professional performing and visual artists from across the country, the festival celebrates the achievements of leading Indigenous and culturally diverse artists and supports professional development through workshops and industry events.

Arts and culture are among this region’s most valuable resources. I want to acknowledge, with gratitude, the festival organizers, volunteers, sponsors, partners and public funders for their commitment and dedication to our arts community and the continued celebration of diversity in our region.

Enjoy the spectacular display of creativity, talent, and art in all its forms!

Kindest regards,

Mike Savage Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality

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premier’s message

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minister’s message

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I am delighted to welcome you all to Halifax, Nova Scotia for the 2017 Prismatic Arts Festival.

Since 2008, Prismatic has produced a diverse arts festival that showcases the works of Canada’s leading Indigenous and cultural artists. Each year, the festival continues to grow and flourish for more than 25,000 audience members from across Canada and around the world.

To the organizers, volunteers and talented artists, thank you for your dedication and exceptional work. Each and every one of you bring such vibrancy to our province.

I wish you the best with your event.

Sincerly,

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minister’s message Welcome to the 2017 Prismatic Arts Festival!

Canada’s greatest strength lies in its diversity, which is reflected in the arts and culture that define and unite us.

This year, as we celebrate Canada 150, our arts and culture also help remind us about everything that makes our country a great place to live. The Government of Canada is proud to support the Prismatic Arts Festival, which offers audiences an eclectic blend of performing, visual and literary arts that showcase the talent of Indigenous and culturally diverse creators.

As Minister of Canadian Heritage, I would like to thank all the organizers, performers and volunteers who helped bring this festival to life. Thank you for your contribution to Halifax’s cultural landscape.

Hon. Leo Glavine Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage Nova Scotia The Honourable Mélanie Joly Minister of Canadian Heritage

Contents Opening Gala ������������������������������������������������������ 6-7 Reeny Smith

The arts and culture have a powerful capacity to bring together people and communities, to reconcile and to bridge distances.

When we put the arts at the heart of our communities, the aspirations of young people, and our daily lives, we invite new perspectives, raise issues that matter, initiate conversations and re-imagine together a shared future.

That’s why the Canada Council for the Arts has committed to increasing its support for the arts by encouraging ever more diverse audiences to engage with the arts and by expanding the reach of Canadian art locally, nationally and internationally.

The Canada Council for the Arts is proud to support the Prismatic Arts Festival in the vital work it is doing to shape a new future through the arts.

Rebecca Thomas The Wabanaki Confederacy Singers Hubert Francis Orchestral Powwow (Cris Derksen) ������������������������� 8 Kaha:wi Dance Theatre ������������������������������������������� 9 Dinuk Wijeratne. ��������������������������������������������������� 10 Keonté Beals ��������������������������������������������������������� 11 The Raft (MT Space Theatre). ��������������������������������� 12 Paul Wong ������������������������������������������������������������ 14 The Mariachi Ghost. ���������������������������������������������� 15 Music Liberatory ��������������������������������������������������� 16 Liliona Quarmyne ������������������������������������������������� 16 Devprayag Collective �������������������������������������������� 17 Asheq: Ritual Music to Cure a Lover (Onelight Theatre) ������������������������������������������������� 17 Studio Black ���������������������������������������������������������� 18

Simon Brault, O.C., O.Q. Director and CEO Canada Council for the Arts

Stephanie Yee ������������������������������������������������������� 19 Mohsen Sharifian & Habib Meftah Boushehri ������ 19 eTALK Conference ��������������������������������������������20-21

prismatic artsfestival 2017

CEO/Director of Canada Council for the Arts

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Prismatic Team Message Welcome to K’jipuktuk-Halifax to the 2017 Prismatic Arts Festival. We acknowledge that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People.

Prismatic exists to showcase and celebrate the work of leading Indigenous and culturally diverse artists.

Engaging with these artists and their work allows audiences to learn about the art forms, lived experiences and perspectives of people in Canada who have had their languages, cultures, and traditions marginalized (if not outright banned). An ongoing exchange of ideas and perspectives through dialogue and culture is key to breaking down the historic barriers that have oppressed members of our communities for generations.

Prismatic supports Indigenous and culturally diverse artists at all stages of professional development.

Prismatic showcases emerging artists and connects them to the wider community of Canadian culture.

Prismatic contributes to the development and creation of new works through commissioning, hosting workshops and facilitating staged play readings.  @prismaticarts

Prismatic supports the long-term development of artists and the circulation of their work through industry events and by connecting artists to producers and presenters from across Canada and around the world.

Through the Level Up project, funded by Canada Council for the Arts New Chapter Grant, Prismatic has commissioned four artists and organizations to develop new work or expand existing works which will debut at Prismatic 2017 and 2018: Mariachi Ghost (Rencor Vivo), Cris Derksen (The Orchestral Powwow Project), Santee Smith (Sewatonhna Ren) and Signal Theatre.

The Prismatic team works very hard throughout the year to put together an outstanding line up of artists and events and to make them as accessible as possible to everyone. There are free and ticketed events throughout downtown Halifax. We invite you to get out of your comfort zone, see something that you might not usually choose. Bring your kids, your parents, your neighbours. Now is the time to show that you support these artists, that their lives, their voices and their truths matter.

Welcome to Prismatic 2017.

Shahin Sayadi - Artistic Director Maggie Stewart - Managing Director Raeesa Lalani - Producer

|  facebook.com/prismaticfestival |  prismaticartsfest |  www.prismaticfestival.com | #Prismatic2017

2017 FESTIVAL SCH

For ticketed events go to: www.prismaticfestival.com/tickets

Saturday September 16th  3:00 pm

Thursday September 14th  6:00 pm

Opening Gala: Reeny Smith, Rebecca Thomas, Hubert Francis, The Wabanaki Confederacy Singers HALIFAX CENTRAL LIBRARY – PAUL O’REGAN HALL FREE

 September 14-23

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Paul Wong - Patti and Lawrence (Media Art Installation) Co-presented with the SMU Art Gallery SMU ART GALLERY FREE

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Friday September 15th  7:00 pm

Music Liberatory – Tamar Dina BUS STOP THEATRE FREE

Paul Wong – Artist Talk/Reception Co-presented with SMU Art Gallery SMU ART GALLERY FREE

 7:00 pm

MT Space Theatre – The Raft Co-presented with Onelight Theatre DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE – DUNN THEATRE

 9:30 pm

Broken English Karaoke Stephanie Yee BUS STOP THEATRE

Sunday September 17th  4:00 pm

MT Space Theatre – The Raft Co-presented with Onelight Theatre DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE – DUNN THEATRE

 7:00 pm

Cris Derksen – Orchestral Powwow & Rebecca Thomas DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE – REBECCA COHN AUDITORIUM

 9:30 pm

Broken English Karaoke Stephanie Yee BUS STOP THEATRE

Monday September 18th  9:30 am

Conference #1 - As the World Turns DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE - ROOM 401

 1:45 pm

Conference #2 – Outer Limits DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE - ROOM 401

 5:30 pm

Liliona Quarmyne DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE – DUNN THEATRE FREE

 7:00 pm

Dinuk Wijeratne & Keonté Beals HALIFAX CENTRAL LIBRARY – PAUL O’REGAN HALL

 9:30 pm

Broken English Karaoke Stephanie Yee BUS STOP THEATRE

Tuesday September 19th  9:30 am

Conference #3 – Are you being Served?

DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE - ROOM 401

 1:00 pm

Conference #4 – Arrested Development DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE - ROOM 401

 5:30 pm

Onelight Theatre Workshop Presentation Asheq: Ritual Music to Cure a Lover DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE FREE

 7:00 pm

Mohsen Sharifian & Habib Meftah Boushehri DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE – DUNN THEATRE

 9:30 pm

Broken English Karaoke Stephanie Yee BUS STOP THEATRE

Wednesday September 20th  9:30 am

Conference #5 – A Different World DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE ROOM 401

 1:00 pm

Conference #6 – Dragon’s Den DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE ROOM 401

 4:00 pm

Devprayag Collective BUS STOP THEATRE FREE

 7:00 pm

Studio Black!

Feature Film and Artist Panel Discussion Co-presented with FIN (Atlantic International Film Festival) CINEPLEX CINEMAS PARK LANE THEATRE 5

 8:00 pm

The Mariachi Ghost: Rencor Vivo BUS STOP THEATRE

 9:30 pm

Broken English Karaoke Stephanie Yee BUS STOP THEATRE

Thursday September 21st  8:00 pm

Kaha:wi Dance Theatre featuring Santee Smith Re-Quickening Co-presented with Live Art Dance DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE

Friday September 22nd  8:00 pm

Kaha:wi Dance Theatre featuring Santee Smith Re-Quickening Co-presented with Live Art Dance DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE

Saturday September 23rd  8:00 pm

Kaha:wi Dance Theatre featuring Santee Smith Re-Quickening Co-presented with Live Art Dance DALHOUSIE ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE

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HEDULE

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Shahin Sayadi Artistic Director Maggie Stewart Managing Director

Bodies in Translation: Age and Creativity 9 September – 12 November 2017 An exhibition exploring various facets of aging, age-related disability and art-making.

Mount Saint Vincent University 902.457.6160 www.msvuart.ca

Raeesa Lalani Producer/Marketing & Communications Manager Prismatic Arts Society Board Rhia Perkins, Jeff Overmars, Kate Hamilton, Jeff Ward, Sarah Douglas, and Miya Turnbull

NOW LEASING 902.431.2400 902.431.3400

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Composition and Improvisation Involving Non-Western Influences Friday, September 22 9:30-11:30 am | Arts Centre 409

The Fountain School of Performing Arts and Prismatic Arts Festival are pleased to present 2 Masterclasses to all community r tD t S and student an auditors at Dalhousie University. For more s e i a ilv information P le please contact performingarts@dal.ca or Og int Po 902.494.3772

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Reeny Smith

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Rebecca Thomas

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Rebecca Thomas is a Mi’kmaw woman living in Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia). She is the daughter of a residential school survivor whose family is rooted in Lennox Island First Nation, Prince Edward Island.

Rebecca is outspoken when it comes to confronting Indigenous stereotypes, as well as educating her colleagues and the general public about cultural safety and integrity.

Most of her work focuses on the relationships between Canada’s First Peoples, their relationship with the federal government, and how First Nations’ people are perceived publicly.

Rebecca is on a life long journey to promote understanding and empathy for Indigenous people and marginalized communities.

Rebecca, Halifax’s current Poet Laureate, will be performing her Spoken Word poetry that tackles issues of colonization and Indigenous worldview from the point of view rarely heard, a Mi’kmaw woman.

Photo Credit: Paul Vienneau

Reeny Smith is a talented, 25 year-old R&B/Pop artist from North Preston, Nova Scotia who has been singing and playing the piano since the age of five. She credits her inspiration for music from time spent with family and friends at her local church, Saint Thomas Baptist, where she plays the piano and is a member and director of three choirs.

In February of 2015, she opened for Grammy Award Winner Lisa Fischer at The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax and received a standing ovation at the sold out concert.

Reeny won Artist of the Year at the 2015 ANSMA Awards and followed that up by being selected to attend a songwriters camp put on by Grammy Award winner Gordie Sampson where her single “Last Call” was created. She then went on to win the 2015 Casino Nova Scotia Artist in Residence competition and followed that up with the Music Nova Scotia 2015 African Nova Scotian Artist of The Year.

In November 2015, Reeny was chosen to perform a tribute to both Portia White and Rita MacNeil for their induction into the Nova Scotia Music Hall of Fame where she once again blew the audience away and received three standing ovations!

Reeny’s big powerful voice and contemporary R&B/Pop leave audiences wanting more after they experience seeing and hearing her. In the fall of 2017, she will be releasing a new single to radio followed by the release of her second EP.

OPENING GALA | SEPT 14TH| 6PM | HALIFAX CENTRAL LIBRARY - PAUL O’REGAN HALL | FREE

opening

Gala

The Wabanaki Confederacy Singers

Hubert Francis J. Hubert Francis hails from the band Eaglefeather from Elsipogtog Reserve. Eaglefeather’s last cd “Message From A Drum” received Juno, East Coast Music, and American Music Award nominations. Their International award winning rock group has been led by Hubert since 1990, combining a unique sound of traditional chants and contemporary rock.

Hubert is currently recording a single titled “Voices, Idle No More”, which will be released soon. He will be performing one of his songs and leading a prayer at the Prismatic 2017 Opening Gala.

OPENING GALA | SEPT 14TH| 6PM | HALIFAX CENTRAL LIBRARY - PAUL O’REGAN HALL | FREE

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Wabanaki Confederacy are a Northern Powwow styled singing group based out of Eastern Canada. This group strives to blend a traditional style of Mi’kmaq singing with a more current style of Northern Powwow. Wabanaki translated roughly means “People of the First Light.” The name of their group was chosen out of respect for their ancestors who suffered and strived to fight for their existence and life as they know it today.

Wabanaki Confederacy is a group made up of family men who take pride in promoting their eastern tribe cultural teachings, while learning and sharing other teachings from tribes throughout the globe. Their goal: creating more cultural awareness of their teachings while still maintaining an inspiring and fun atmosphere through song and dance.

Although they are a newer singing group, their singers have over 15 years of experience singing powwow throughout Canada and the United States.

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Cris Derksen

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Powwow Project

In a world where almost everything — people, music, cultures — get labelled and slotted into simple categories, Cris Derksen represents a challenge. Originally from Northern Alberta, she comes from a line of chiefs from North Tall Cree Reserve on her father’s side and a line of strong Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s side. She’s a classically trained cellist and composer whose music braids the traditional and contemporary. Derksen weaves her classical background and her Indigenous ancestry together with new school electronics to create genre-defying music.

For her third studio album, Orchestral Powwow, Cris paired up with Tribal Spirit music and traveled, researched, worked and collaborated with powwow groups to create a cinematically symphonic and truly Indigenous album. In her words, “what excites me most about this project is bringing our Indigenous music to the centre of the European model and we as Indigenous artists lead the way with our drums and our heart beat to create new forms of music.” The album was nominated for 2016 Instrumental Juno Album of the Year.

Cris creates music that challenges, enlightens and is uniquely powerful. She is thrilled to be back at Prismatic for the second year in a row with her drummer Jesse Baird and dancer Nimkii Osawamick.

The Orchestral Powwow Project will feature Jesse Baird (drummer), Nimkii Osawamick (dancer), members of The Chippewa Travellers and members from Symphony Nova Scotia: Mark Lee (Violin), Jennifer Jones (Violin), Susan Sayle (Viola), Richard Simoneau (Trumpet), David Parker (French Horn), Eric Mathis (Trombone).

SEPT 17TH | 7PM | DAL ARTS CENTRE - REBECCA COHN AUDITORIUM | TICKETED

Santee Smith Her name is Tekaronhiáhkhwa Santee Smith and she is an Onkwehon:we woman from the Mohawk Nation Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River.

Co-presented by:

As beautiful as it is arresting, Santee Smith’s ground breaking piece Re-Quickening explores the intersection of Indigenous and new dance performance. Created through a process unique to her culture, Santee Smith’s Re-Quickening is a spiritual resurgence – a piecing together of shards of knowledge that tip colonialism on its head. Provoking, conceptual and visceral, this work is a timely call for re awakening. Kaha:wi Dance Theatre is one of Canada’s leading contemporary dance companies renowned for its artistry, creative excellence and collaboration, this is a chance to experience the best of the contemporary indigenous dance movement now taking the world by storm.

Artistic Direction/Choreography/Concept/Writer: Santee Smith Performers: Santee Smith, Monique Mojica, Marina Acevedo Video Performers: Nancy Wijohn, Bianca Hyslop Music Co-producer/Score Arrangement: Cris Derksen General Management: Cynthia Lickers-Sage Production: Kaha:wi Dance Theatre SEPT 21, 22, 23 | 8PM | DAL ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE | TICKETED

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Re-Quickening

by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre

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prismatic artsfestival 2017

Dinuk Wijeratne

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Sri Lankan-born Dinuk Wijeratne is a JUNO, SOCAN, and EMCA-winning composer, conductor and pianist. Described as ‘exuberantly creative’ by the New York Times, his boundary-crossing work sees him equally at home in collaborations with symphony orchestras and string quartets, Tabla players and DJs, and takes him to international venues. Dinuk has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Opera Bastille, Teatro Colón, and across Sri Lanka, Japan, the UK, and the Middle East.

Dinuk was recently featured as a main character in ‘What would Beethoven do?’ - the recent documentary about innovation in Classical music featuring Eric Whitacre, Bobby McFerrin and Ben Zander. Dinuk grew up in Dubai and took up initial composition studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (UK), later studying with Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano at the Juilliard School.

Joining him on stage at Prismatic is bassist, composer, and educator Tom Easley. Tom has earned a reputation as one of Eastern Canada’s finest jazz bassists. Over the past 25 years, Tom has performed with a number of internationally recognized artists including Mike Murley, Juan Martin, Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, John Abercrombie and much more. Tom is originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick with a degree from St. Francis Xavier University with a B.A. Honours in Jazz Performance. Currently, he is a faculty member at the Nova Scotia Community College’s Music Arts Program and part time faculty for the St. FX Jazz Degree Program.

Nick Halley - a drummer/percussionist, keyboardist, composer and conductor - is the last piece of the trio at Prismatic 2017. Nick has performed and recorded internationally with a wide range of musicians including American icon James Taylor, the late and truly great Oscar Castro-Neves, Maucha Adnet, Dinuk Wijeratne and much more. Nick is the founder and Artistic Director of the Capella Regalis Men and Boys Choir in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is the founder and Director of The King’s Chorus, a choir for members of the King’s and Dalhousie University communities in Halifax. Nick was the Host of CBC’s Choral Concert for the 2013-14 season.

SEPT 18TH | 7PM | HALIFAX CENTRAL LIBRARY - PAUL O’REGAN HALL | TICKETED

Keonté Beals, born and raised in North Preston, Nova Scotia, is a talented, local singer whose passion for music started at age 7. Keonté dazzled audience members with his first solo performance, at 16 years old, in his home church, Saint Thomas Baptist Church in North Preston.

This event opened up many opportunities to sing at other churches and events around Halifax – a buzz was created!

In 2014, Keonté released a cover version of the song “I’m Here” from the popular movie soundtrack The Color Purple. The cover spread and generated even more talk about the singer. He then released his debut single #ManDown which created great media attention for its passionate lyrical value. In May 2017, Keonté released his self-titled debut EP/CD and through performances and events, he continues to bring forth incredible vocals, introducing a new sound to the Halifax music scene.

In recent years, these recordings have brought Keonté numerous nominations and awards, including: 3 Music Nova Scotia Award Nominations, the African Nova Scotian Music Association (ANSMA) Rising Star, and Emerging Artist of the Year Award and ESSO Festival Fan Choice Award.

Keonté performed on the mainstage at the 2015 Prismatic Arts Festival and Prismatic is pleased to have this rising star grace the stage again at Prismatic 2017.

SEPT 18TH | 7PM | HALIFAX CENTRAL LIBRARY - PAUL O’REGAN HALL | TICKETED

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Keonté Beals

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Arabic and French, with English Subtitles

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MT Space – The Raft

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Waterloo Region’s first and only multicultural theatre company MT Space Theatre and Tunisia’s El Hamra Theatre present international co-production, The Raft.

The Raft: They are illegal immigrants crammed onto a small raft. They came together to share an escape and a dream.

They escape countries that are torn apart by wars and politics. They escape injustice, oppression and poverty.

They escape discrimination based on their gender identities, sexual orientations, religious practices and political views.

They also share a dream. They dream of a new life in a different land - a land where they can rest their exhausted souls and bodies.

MT Space Theatre creates, produces and presents high quality artistic performances and cultural events reflective of the people who live in the area. MT Space strives to develop forms and practices that speak to, draw upon, reflect, and constitute Canadian contemporary community.

Actors: Bahri Rahali – Tunis Nada Humsi – Syria/Canada Sophia Moussa – Lebanon Abdelmonuem Chouyat - Tunis Oussama Chochkar – Tunis Rim Hamrouni – Tunis Guy Essonosseé - Benin Mariame Darra - Benin Conceived by Ezzeddine Gannoun Co-directors: Cyrine Gannoun – Tunis and Majdi Bou-Matar – Canada Dramaturgy: Souad Ben Sleiman - Tunis

Co-presented by:

Set, Lighting and Video Design: Andy Moro – Canada Music Design and Vocals: Alia Salami – Tunis Sound Operator: Mohammad Hadi Belkheir – Tunis Costumes: Jalila Madani – Tunis Makeup: Malik Sdiri – Tunis Technical Director: Murad Mabkhout – Tunis Assistant Director: Marwa Guader - Tunis General Coordination: Besma Eleuchi – Tunis

El Hamra Theatre is one of the signature venues in Tunis’ cultural scene and was founded, along with the Afro Arab Centre for Training and Theatre Research by Ezzeddine Gannoun.

Gannoun’s vision included bringing together outstanding graduates of the Afro-Arab Centre – including Majdi BouMatar – to devise this timely piece. Majdi Bou-Matar is a theatre director and performer who immigrated to Canada from Lebanon in 2003. With a MA degree in Drama and BA Honours in Theatre Studies he is currently the Artistic Director at IMPACT Festival in Waterloo, ON. Joining him in the presentation of the Raft is Andy Moro – a multi-award winning mixed-Euro/Omushkego Cree production designer, co-creating and designaturging with companies across the nation.

Prismatic is proud to have MT Space and The Raft take the stage at Prismatic 2017. *This project was made possible through the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Tunisia’s Ministry of Culture, Journée Théâtrales de Carthage, and Al Mawred.

SEPT 16TH @ 7:00 PM / SEPT 17TH @ 4:00 PM | DAL ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE | TICKETED

t s o m s ’ HalifaxHENSIVE COMPRE

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Live Music • Bar Listings • Movie Times • Galleries + Museums

Live Music • Bar Listings • Movie Times • Galleries + Museums Cresco-ad-PrisFest-fall-12-FINALOUT_June2717.pdf

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9:59 AM

Co-presented by:

Patti & Lawrence

Artist Talk: prismatic artsfestival 2017

Paul Wong

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Free artist talk and reception at 3pm on Sept. 16

Paul Wong is a media-maestro hailing from Prince Rupert, BC. He is an award winning artist, curator and organizer of public interventions and is known for pioneering early visual and media art in Canada since the mid-1970s. His work varies from conceptual performance to narratives, meshing video, photography, installation, and performance with Chinese-Canadian cultural perspectives and is known to explore issues of race, sex, and death.

SEPT 14-23 | SMU ART GALLERY | FREE

Patti & Lawrence is a mash-up of seemingly disparate parts.

This video work is constructed from original and found 35mm slides, original video and sourced YouTube television moments and presented as split screen montages.

The sequences feature punk singer/songwriter Patti Smith and her life over 2 days in Vancouver in 1978. The 150 original slides were taken by Wong. This includes hanging out on the streets, eating, shopping and coverage of her concert. Layered on top of this is Smith’s 1976 SNL (Saturday Night Live) performing ‘GLORIA’ and moments from her 2016 concert in Seattle.

The 250 images of Lawrence Waturi Iwasaki (1933-2003) are found on 35mm slides, most can be dated between 1959-1964. The snapshots of Lawrence, colleagues and friends are stylish and glamorous at home, play, travel and work as an award winning hairstylist. He was the owner of Maison Lawrence a leading hair salon in Vancouver, Canada in the 1960s -1990s.

Lawrence was the oldest child of the Iwasaki family; his family was displaced and relocated into Japanese Internment Camps during WWII. These photographs are juxtaposed with two versions of Leslie Gore’s feminist hit “You Don’t Own Me”. The original 1966 live television performance of the original with the 2015 version by Grace featuring G-Eazy.

Winnipeg-based music sensation, The Mariachi Ghost, has been commissioned by the Prismatic Arts Festival to develop a new theatre / music hybrid performance: Rencor Vivo. From driving rhythms and soaring melodies to brooding synths and dreamy vocal breaks, The Mariachi Ghost is known in Canada and United States, for fusing traditional Mexican songs, progressive rock and a flair for the dramatic.

In Rencor Vivo, The Mariachi Ghost brings to life Juan Rulfo’s novel, Pedro Paramo in a spectacle of theatre, music, dance, and video projection. Inspired by magical realist literature, Rencor Vivo is a visceral story told using the local lowbrow slang of Rulfo’s homeland. The style is a perfect mix of tradition and modernity.

The Mariachi Ghost are coming to Halifax to develop Rencor Vivo. They will perform excerpts from the production and a concert of their unique music. The full production of Rencor Vivo will debut at Prismatic 2018!

SEPT 20TH | 8PM | BUS STOP THEATRE | TICKETED

prismatic artsfestival 2017

The Mariachi Ghost

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Liliona Quarmyne

prismatic artsfestival 2017

Music Liberatory – Tamar Dina

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Music Liberatory aims to dramatically increase the number of female instrumentalists by providing vision and alliance. With emphasis on maintaining and developing the leadership of women of colour, Music Liberatory offers free music programs to women and girls and collaborates with artists and other groups working to create feminist music cultures. The Music Liberatory wishes to see all women benefit from sharing of music and the freedom this experience brings.

Debuting at Prismatic 2017, “Sisterhood,” the music and film will be screened, discussed and performed live as a part of an interactive storytelling of the Women Safe & Sound Project, a five phased feminist community based collaboration.

Over the course of a year, a wide range of women contributed their experiences, creativity and skills to manifest a professional-quality musical and media tribute to the beauty of sisterhood in preventing male violence against women.

MUSIC LIBERATORY | SEPT 15TH | 7PM | BUS STOP THEATRE | FREE

Liliona is an exciting, dynamic and unique addition to the Halifax performing arts scene. She wears many hats: choreographer, dancer, actor, dance teacher, singer, community organizer and facilitator. Liliona’s work has included dancing with Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata in Montreal, choreographing for the Noyam African Dance Institute in Accra, Ghana, and creating multiple solo pieces.

Her work has been presented by dance Immersion, Kinetic Studio, the International Association of Blacks in Dance, Antigonight, Nocturne, the Start Festival, the Mayworks Halifax Festival and others. Liliona believes that the performing arts can play a central role in the empowerment of communities, and in the development of identity.

She strives to create art that is provocative, grounded, and deepens our understanding of the human experience.

Strongly rooted in traditional African dance forms but also heavily influenced by Liliona’s contemporary dance training, Resonances of a Warrior Boy draws deeply from the notion that we can give voice to the ancestral stories that we carry in our bones. … in the dialogue between past and present, what stories reside within? When one person’s body carries another’s story, whose story gets told? Resonances of a Warrior Boy is an exploration of ancestral memory, a circular pause in the line between past and future …

SEPT 18TH | 5:30PM | DAL ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE | FREE

Devprayag Collective

*The Play is in development with the assistance of Playwrights Theatre Centre (PTC) and through support from Theatre Conspiracy.

Consulting Dramaturg: Kathleen Flaherty.”

SEPT 20TH | 4PM | BUS STOP THEATRE | FREE

Presented by: Asheq : Ritual Music to Cure a Lover Set in a sun-baked fishing village on the shores of the Persian Gulf, Asheq explores forbidden love, a family divided by long-held secrets, and a community balancing traditions and the modern world. The play culminates in a zar exorcism ceremony to rid a young man of the “sickness” of his love for an outcast young woman, that reveals a father’s long-buried secrets. See a workshop presentation of Asheq in it's early stages of development under the artistic leadership of Onelight Theatre's Shahin Sayadi.

SEPT 19TH | 5:30PM | DAL ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE | FREE

prismatic artsfestival 2017

Devprayag Collective is a multicultural couple that demonstrates real challenges we face as Canadians today and their relationship epitomizes how these dilemmas intertwine.

Rohit Chokhani is the Artistic Director for Diwali in BC and an Artistic Associate at Bard on the Beach 2017. In 2016, he launched a sector development initiative called Project SAT (South Asian Theatre project) to create a network for developing, touring, producing and presenting national and international South Asian themed theatre projects. Ashley Rose is an artist, facilitator and social justice advocate in Vancouver, BC. She is currently working on a project of her own called the Body Politic relating to our bodies and corresponding treatment of the planet.

At Prismatic 2017, Devprayag Collective will present a reading of excerpts from its new play in development, “The Altar of Us”, a theatre work that reveals the clash of cultures existing amidst their union as it raises interesting questions around culture, race and gender.

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Co-presented by:

prismatic artsfestival 2017

Studio Black!

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After an award-winning Season One, the ground-breaking series Studio Black! returns to the big screen. These new stories, The Contented Lady and the Rutabaga Rascals, No. 2 Construction, The Devil at the Dance and The Wedding Picture once again demonstrate the amazing range of the talented actors in this African Nova Scotian ensemble as well as their directors, Cory Bowles, Koumbie, and Juanita Peters who made each of these stories their own.

A Special Panel Discussion, including Studio Black! filmmakers, Koumbie, Juanita Peters, Cory Bowles and Prismatic's Shahin Sayadi will be held in the cinema immediately following the screening.

SEPT 20 | 7PM | CINEPLEX CINEMAS - PARK LANE THEATRE 5 | TICKETED

Directors: Cory Bowles, Koumbie, Juanita Peters Writer: William D. MacGillivray Producer: Terry Greenlaw Cast: Kate MacDonald, Nathan D. Simmons, Stephen M.D. Lawrence, Adrian Bromfield, Cavell Holland-Borden, Micha Cromwell, Koumbie, Brent Williams Cinematographer: Editor: Kimberlee McTaggart Country: Canada Runtime: 90 minutes

Stephanie Yee

Broken English Karaoke Returning to the Prismatic Arts Festival for its fourth year, Broken English Karaoke is a crowd favourite. Festival goers are invited to end the night with us either on the stage or in the audience of this interactive performance installation. All within the length of a song, each opportunity challenges the participant to navigate the boundaries between the familiar and unfamiliar.

While karaoke pervades everyday life in many Asian countries, the presence of karaoke in North America is usually confined to aspiring celebrities and drinking culture.

Adopting the platform of karaoke, and its myriad associations, this piece replaces the lyrics of popular American songs with broken English translations. The end result allows for a fun experience that not only exposes the complexities of language, but social anxieties as well. Come join us and have a good time as we delve into and explore the lively state of being lost and found in translation."

SEPT 16-20 | 9:30PM | BUS STOP THEATRE

Mohsen Sharifian & Habib Meftah Boushehri Master musicians, trained in classical and folk music traditions of Southern Iran, Mohsen and Habib will have you on your feet when they perform high energy music that blends ancient sounds with modern electronic and world music influences.

Percussionist Habib Meftah Boushehri blends his music with electronic sound while award-winning Iranian musician, Mohsen Sharifian, brings the traditional music of the Boushehr region of southern Iran to the global stage.

Music of Boushehr draws its distinct sounds from the diverse communities that settled in the region over many generations. This includes: the traditional music of several eras of Iranian history; the religious music of the Islamic, Zoroastrian and Christian communities of the region; fishing songs from coastal communities; influences from Chinese, Indian, Somali and Tanzanian merchants; and perhaps most importantly, the musical traditions of east African slaves who escaped and settled in Boushehr.

Prismatic is honoured to bring these renowned and talented musicians back to Nova Scotia."

SEP 19TH | 7PM | DAL ARTS CENTRE - DUNN THEATRE

prismatic artsfestival 2017

Stephanie Yee is a multidisciplinary artist known for creating thoughtful and immersive work that interrogates concepts of community and identity. Using performance, video, sculpture and installation, she creates spaces where the audience can negotiate a work’s meaning together.

Blurring the lines between real and imagined scenarios, Yee’s practice aims to re-examine notions of everyday life.

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THE

etalk

BUILDING STRENGTH THROUGH ENGAGEMENT, EXPLORATION AND EQUITY

prismatic artsfestival 2017

CONFERENCE #1

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As the World Turns: New Trends in Public Arts Funding Public arts funding in Canada and elsewhere in the world is in the midst of changing to better serve artists, audiences and communities. Prismatic will gather a panel of funders and artists to explore new trends in public arts funding.

This session will bring together public arts funders from various jurisdictions to explore the factors that are driving changes to funding, to understand the different approaches to new funding models, and to discuss how artists have experienced these changes.

September 18th – 9:30am to 1pm – Room 401 Dal Arts Centre

CONFERENCE #2 Outlander: Ensuring that No Artist is Left Beyond the Margins Are efforts to promote and support diversity in the arts leaving artists behind who are at the outer edges? The most vulnerable, the most isolated, the least supported? What responsibilities do fellow artists owe to our colleagues to ensure that they are not left beyond the margins?

How are funders and service organizations serving and supporting these artists? What are effective strategies to ensure that no artist is left beyond the margins? This panel will allow artists, activists and academics to discuss the ways that we can best support marginalized artists in our communities.

September 18th – 1:45pm to 4:15pm – Room 401 Dal Arts Centre

Register for the eTalk at:

www.prismaticfestival.com/tickets

Are You Being Served?: Are Service Organizations Meeting the Needs of Indigenous and Culturally Diverse Artists?

Prismatic invites representatives from national service organizations and artists’ associations to discuss the role that service organizations can and should play in promoting and supporting Indigenous and culturally diverse artists. What role do these organizations currently play in the Canadian arts ecology and what roles are these organizations expected to play in the next 50 years?

September 19th – 9:30am to 12pm – Room 401 Dal Arts Centre

CONFERENCE #4 Arrested Development: Are Touring Opportunities Influencing the Creative Process?

Festivals, showcases and touring, play a vital role in linking arts to audiences, but are these presenting formats (and the constraints that they present) influencing the creative process?

Are artists self-censoring to make work more “tourable”? Are larger shows restricted for touring and showcase opportunities? What obligation do presenters have to take on challenging shows? Are there other ways to connect arts to audiences?

September 19th – 1pm to 3:30pm – Room 401 Dal Arts Centre

CONFERENCE #5 A Different World: Promoting Equity and Diversity in Canadian Arts Education Canada’s public and private schools play a key role in training young artists, transmitting Canadian and global arts history and practices, and providing the foundation for the next generation’s

artistic work. What role do Canadian schools play in promoting equity and diversity in the arts? How are arts education programs promoting diversity and equity through their hiring and admissions policies, their programs and course work, and strategic planning?

September 20th 9:30am to 12pm – Room 401 Dal Arts Centre

CONFERENCE #6

Dragon’s Den: Public Funder Information Session on New Funding Programs Prismatic welcomes representatives from the Canada Council for the Arts to discuss the new funding programs and processes. This information session is open to all artists in our community who are interested in applying for funding from the Canada Council for the Arts September 20th 1pm to 3:30pm – Room 401 Dal Arts Centre **This session is free and open to the public*

prismatic artsfestival 2017

CONFERENCE #3

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Because it’s more than just music.

Proud to sponsor Prismatic.

Music has the power to move us, teach us, and connect us. That’s why TD has been supporting music since 2003; sponsoring over 100 community music programs and 80 music festivals across Canada.

Learn more at TDMusic.com ®

The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

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