Welcome to the STAGES Industry Series, where people in theatre - artists, presenters, producers, funders, and supporters - come together to make things happen. Our goal is simple: connect people, encourage collaboration, and share visions for the future. We want to make theatre better by working together.
Each day of the Industry Series will focus on a different theme, asking how we move beyond survival toward sustainability. Through talks, roundtables, pitches, field trips, and casual meet-ups, we will look at different ways to provide support that doesn’t depend only on artists doing more with less. We will explore alternative infrastructures, collective strategies, and new ways of structuring support that acknowledge the realities of artistic survival today.
This isn’t just about opportunities—it’s about who controls access to them, and how we shift that power.
Every year, artists work tirelessly to get their work in front of audiences—hustling for funding, navigating fragile touring networks, and balancing creation with endless admin. We know this because we’ve been doing it for years. And yet, despite all the effort, the same challenges remain: funding is shifting, institutions dominate resources, and artists are expected to figure it all out alone.
But what if we challenged this idea?
This year’s Industry Series invites us to examine what it means to be an artist today. We’re not here to support the myths of working harder or making better connections as the only paths to success. Instead, we want to ask:
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How can the burden of touring be better shared between artist, presenter and funder?
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What needs to fundamentally change so that artists aren’t forced to build, manage, and fund their own careers alone?
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If we stop pretending the market will fix itself, what bold alternatives are we actually willing to try?
Let’s move beyond the idea that artists must shoulder all the responsibility and instead explore how we can collaboratively build a more sustainable future.
Welcome to the conversation.
Dustin Harvey & Richie Wilcox
Industry Co-producers
FRIDAY
Friday is about welcoming participants, building connections, and setting a shared foundation for the days ahead. We begin by acknowledging where we are: touring models are fragile, funding structures are shifting, and the onus remains on artists to figure out how to make it all work. Rather than falling back on tired advice about networking harder or pitching smarter, we ask a more urgent question: If the touring model is fragile, how do we build something better?
Working Group: Engaging Regional & National Funders Who Support Touring
1:00 – 3:00 PM
Touring for independent artists isn’t a marketplace—it’s a patchwork of inconsistent support. How do we push for funding that actually reflects how work moves? What models exist for artists whose work doesn’t fit traditional market structures? This working group will explore ways to better align programs like the Creative Industries Fund with those managed by Arts Nova Scotia and beyond. Through discussion and problem-solving, we’ll explore the gaps and pressures artists face, pushing toward funding models that actually work.
Registration + Welcome
4:00 – 6:00 PM
A casual opening to connect, settle in, and set the tone for the Industry Series. Grab a drink, meet fellow artists and industry professionals, and get oriented for the days ahead.
Networking Session: Cohort Introductions
5:00 – 5:30 PM
A quick introduction session with this year’s festival cohort. Each person gets two minutes to explain who they are, what they do, and what types of work or collaborations they seek. This session gives artists insight into how festivals and industry leaders approach new projects and what work excites them. Instead of a traditional pitch, this is a reverse pitch—festival curators, presenters, and industry professionals share what kind of work they’re excited about, how they engage with artists, and what collaborations they’re seeking. This gives artists insight into how festivals and industry leaders approach programming and partnership. After the introductions, artists can connect with industry guests in a more casual follow-up.
Keynote Performance: TBC
5:30 – 6:00 PM
An artist-driven keynote that blends performance and provocation, setting the stage for deeper conversations throughout the series.
SATURDAY
Saturday is about transparency, accountability, and shifting power. Who gets included, who gets left out, and what needs to change? The Pitch Room doesn’t just give artists a platform—it lays bare how work is judged, discussed, and positioned for opportunity. Meanwhile, Industry Eats creates space for the cohort to consider their role beyond selecting work. What does real support look like? How can industry leaders advocate for sustainability rather than just reinforce scarcity? Instead of asking artists to adapt to existing systems, Saturday challenges the industry to rethink its responsibility. Through clear, open, and artist-focused discussions, we explore what must shift to make touring, funding, and presenting more equitable and sustainable.
Morning Roundup
9:00 – 9:30 AM
A quick kickoff where artists and producers share their thoughts. This is a space for brief but impactful introductions, new ideas, and pressing questions—whether it’s a developing project, an industry challenge, or a follow-up from yesterday. Each participant has two minutes to introduce themselves and spark a conversation. Think of it like a rodeo—short, sharp, and designed to surface the questions that will shape the day ahead.
Keynote Conversation: Not Everything Needs to Tour: A Conversation on How Work Moves (or Doesn’t)
9:30 – 10:30 AM
What does it mean for a performance to move—not just across borders but through people, communities, and place?
In this conversation, director and festival artist Emelia Symington Fedy of The Chop Theatre (Playing Fields) joins site-based artist and producer Megan Stewart (River Clyde Pageant, PEI) to explore two distinct but deeply connected approaches to how work circulates. From the global youth voices that animate a local field in Playing Fields to the community-anchored, collaborative performance ecology of the River Clyde Pageant, both artists offer alternative models of creation, presentation, and exchange.
Together, they’ll consider questions like:
Does touring always have to be the goal? Can work be rooted in place and still reach beyond it? What do we lose when theatre is designed for export rather than deep local engagement?
Networking Session: Artist Walk & Talk
10:30 – 12:00 PM
Walking together through the city, participants will engage in open-ended discussions about programming, curation, and the evolving landscape of touring and presentation. Moving away from traditional sit-down panels, this session rethinks how industry conversations happen—encouraging fluid, reflective dialogue shaped by movement and place. How do we create more responsive, sustainable, and artist-centered models? What new approaches to collaboration are emerging? By stepping outside, we shift perspective—allowing space for unexpected connections, shared insights, and new possibilities to emerge.
Featured Session: The Pitch Room
2:00 – 4:00 PM
A rare chance to be in the room where decisions take shape. In The Pitch Room, artists present their work to a panel of industry experts—festival curators, presenters, and producers—who respond in real time, offering insights into selection criteria, programming realities, and the barriers artists face in getting their work on the road. This session exposes the often invisible negotiations that shape touring and presentation, offering a frank look at what makes a project tour-ready—and what needs to shift in the industry to support independent work better.
SUNDAY
Sunday is about what happens next. Over the past two days, we’ve examined how work moves through the touring ecosystem—who gets access, what barriers exist, and where the industry holds responsibility. Now, we shift our focus to what’s possible moving forward. Today is about turning discussion into action. Through conversations, shared reflection, and a collective commitment to more equitable, artist-driven touring models, this final day invites artists and industry guests to take ownership of our discussions. Instead of passive networking, we ask:
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What concrete steps can we take to sustain the connections we’ve made?
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What actions—big or small—can shift how work is shared and supported?
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How can we move beyond individual survival toward collective sustainability?
This is an invitation to actively shape the future of how work moves.
Morning Roundup
9:00 – 9:30 AM
A quick kickoff where artists and producers share their thoughts. This is a space for brief introductions, new ideas, and fresh insights—whether it’s a developing project, a pressing question, or a follow-up from yesterday. Each participant has two minutes to introduce themselves, discuss their work, or mention a challenge. Think of it like a rodeo—short and sharp, fostering new conversations before the day starts.
Keynote: Reimagining the Audience Relationship (in times of crisis)
9:30 – 10:30 AM
Speaker Kate Craddock
Drawing on the first-hand experiences of festival director and performance practitioner Kate Craddock, Theatre and its Audiences: Reimagining the Relationship in Times of Crisis (Bloomsbury 2024), co-authored with Helen Freshwater, contends that practitioners now need to turn their attention to care, access and sustainability, arguing that the pandemic taught us that it is possible to do things differently. Part vision, part provocation, part critical interrogation, Theatre and its Audiences offers an insightful appraisal of past norms and assumptions to establish a bold argument about where we should go.
Kate Craddock is GIFT’s Founder and Festival Director of Gateshead International Festival of Theatre, UK, an annual artist-led festival celebrating contemporary theatre. Since 2005, Kate has worked across academic roles and cultural sector contexts and is regularly invited to speak as a panellist at international festivals. She received the Theatre Fellowship with the Clore Cultural Leadership Programme 2018/19.
FIELD TRIP BUS RIDE
10:30 – 11:30 AM
A moving conversation—literally. This ride to Togetherland sets the tone for the day, offering space for reflection on the weekend’s themes. Through curated prompts, casual discussions, or moments of quiet observation, this journey asks: What do we take with us? What conversations are still unresolved? What ideas are still forming?
LUNCH @ Togetherland (A Human Library Lunch)
11:30 – 1:00 PM
Inspired by the human library model, each table is hosted by a member of our Industry cohort, offering a themed conversation based on their expertise. Think of each host as a “living book” you can check out for 15 minutes—whether you're seeking insight into slow touring, experimental curation, international collaboration, or local innovation with global reach.
Feel free to move between tables—this space allows meaningful exchange, unexpected insights, and conversations that can spark lasting connections.
Live Podcast Recording (Co-Curated with Mike & Kristen)
1:30 – 2:30 PM
A live experiment in industry conversation. Co-curated with Mike and Kristen, this podcast recording brings together artists, presenters, and industry guests for an unscripted, unfiltered discussion about touring, collaboration, and the realities of getting work out there. By recording the conversation, the insights from the weekend live beyond the room—offering a lasting document of the Industry Series.
Performance: TBD
2:30 – 3:00 PM
A final shared experience before we return to our own paths—an act of embodiment, a memory to carry forward.
FIELD TRIP BUS RIDE (Return)
3:00 – 4:00 PM
The ride home—one last moment for reflection. Whether through a shared prompt, an open mic for final thoughts, or simply sitting with the weekend’s conversations, this journey back allows time for ideas to settle. Perhaps a final question to hold: What do you want to carry forward?
Working Group: Festival Salon
6:00 – 7:00 PM
As the Industry Series comes to a close, this Salon is not just a reflection—it’s an invitation to take action. What do we do with what we’ve learned? How do we ensure these conversations don’t stop here? This final session challenges artists and industry guests to name what comes next—what actions, shifts, or commitments can emerge from the weekend? Rather than neatly tying things up, this is a space for honest, open-ended conversation about how to carry forward the insights, tensions, and opportunities that have surfaced.
Possible discussion threads:
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What do we owe each other? → Artists, presenters, and funders have different stakes in this conversation—how do we create more mutual investment in making change?
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What should be different next year? → If this series happens again, what do we hope has shifted by then? What would we need to see to know that things are changing?
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How do we continue this conversation? → Is there a commitment to sharing learning from this beyond the room? Could a small, artist-driven post-mortem or report-back happen?
INDUSTRY SERIES
CO-PRODUCERS
Dustin Harvey
I create new ways of being together while shedding light on how we’ve grown apart. My work blends theatre, film, and participatory art, inviting audiences into unexpected roles through interactive performance, virtual reality, or site-specific encounters. Over the years, I have invited people to slow dance with strangers in disused storefronts, confess secrets to scene partners thousands of kilometres away, and engage with passersby on busy city streets from Aarhus to Whitehorse. My projects have been presented internationally at festivals and exhibitions, including SXSW, IDFA, MIT, and the Aarhus Festival. In 2021, I was selected for the UK-Canada Immersive Exchange, a talent development and co-production program for future leaders in immersive storytelling.
Richie Wilcox
Richie Wilcox is a multi-talented director/actor/writer and, in general, a fiercely queer artist. They have spent the last fifteen years creating, devising and writing original works. They are the founding artistic director of the live art company HEIST where they have created, performed and toured in The Princess Show, Frequencies, New Waterford Boy and more. They also served as the artistic director of Ship’s Company Theatre for three years.
2025 CREATIVE COHORT
This year, we’re shifting the conversation about who holds power in the creative ecosystem and how work moves through it. At its core, many independent artists come to industry events with one goal: to get their work booked. But in a fragile touring landscape, where opportunities are scarce and selection processes remain opaque, we need to ask harder questions.
These industry professionals are active collaborators, advocates, and problem-solvers. Some of these conversations may lead to touring, but this series is also about creating lasting relationships, exploring alternative models, and making space for new ways of supporting artistic work. Throughout the Industry Series, this cohort listens, responds, and engages in critical conversations about sustainability and access. Their role is to champion transparency, challenge outdated assumptions, and push for more equitable models of artistic exchange.
By bringing together a diverse cohort spanning disciplines, scales, and geographies, we are fostering connections that move beyond transactional pitching toward collaborative, artist-driven touring models.
Kate Craddock
GIFT Festival (UK)
Kate is the founder and Festival Director of GIFT (Gateshead International Festival of Theatre), a festival known for championing contemporary, experimental, and socially engaged performance. She’s passionate about supporting artists who take creative risks and forging international networks for new work.
Oliver Armstrong
High Performance Rodeo (Calgary)
Oliver is a producer at One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s international arts festival. He supports bold, interdisciplinary performance and fosters meaningful connections between local and touring artists.
Carla Nobre Sousa
Alkantara Festival (Portugal)
Carla is the Co-Artistic Director of Alkantara, a Lisbon-based festival and arts organization that brings together artists from Portugal and worldwide. Her curatorial interests span performance, movement, and interdisciplinary practices that reflect political, poetic, and social urgencies.
Megan Stewart
River Clyde Pageant (PEI)
Megan is the co-creator and co-artistic director of the River Clyde Pageant, a site-specific, community-driven performance in rural Prince Edward Island. Her work blends participatory theatre, visual art, and environmental storytelling, deeply rooted in local ecology and community relationships.
Lynnette Moran
Live Collision (Ireland)
Lynnette is the Artistic Director and Curator of Live Collision, Ireland’s leading festival of live art and contemporary performance. She has a long track record of supporting hybrid and boundary-pushing work, focusing on durational practice, digital forms, and radical collaboration.
Tiff Zhang
Baltic Circle Festival (Finland)
Tiff is a programmer at Baltic Circle, an international contemporary theatre festival based in Helsinki. Their work focuses on new performance forms, emerging voices, and cross-cultural exchange, emphasizing process-driven and research-based art.
FESTIVAL FUNDERS
FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS
