Call for Artists – Provocation Series

at Sage Theatre’s 2019 IGNITE! Festival, June 12-15, 2019

What is the Provocation Series?

Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre’s Provocation Series offers mentorship and performance opportunities for emerging artists who want to push creative boundaries, and ask bold questions about art and society.
The Provocation Series is one of several series at the IGNITE! Festival of Emerging Artists (including the Theatre, Dance, Improv, Interdisciplinary and Club Series). The festival runs June 12-15, 2019. We are accepting applications until March 16, 2019.
This is the second edition of the Provocation Series; the first was in June 2018!

What do you mean by mentorship and performance opportunities?

Successful applicants to the Provocation Series will participate in three “influencer artist” workshops with artists from the Swallow-a-Bicycle team and the broader arts community. These workshops will provide perspectives and tools that participating artists can use to shape and inspire the development of your project.
Then, each participating artist / group will be paired with a professional artist who will offer support through the development, rehearsal and production process.
“Performance” can mean many things, and we encourage applicants to let your imaginations run wild! What does the word mean to you, at this moment of your career? Some performance approaches that interest us include:

• theatre (narrative or post-dramatic);
• performance art;
• participatory performances (where audience members perform);
• community-based or social art;
• dance;
• video-art installation;
• cyber performances;
• sonic art.

… but we’re open to surprises! We encourage artists to push boundaries and to explore productive discomfort in the form or content of an art piece, or both. We are excited to see a wide range of formats, from experimental to mainstream!

Who is eligible to apply?

The IGNITE! Festival is geared towards early career artists under the age of 30 or within 3 years of graduating from post-secondary, working in any discipline, who are pursuing a professional career in the arts.
… but if that doesn’t describe you, and you still think this is a great opportunity for you, drop us a line at info@swallowabicycle.com and we can chat about it!
Artists of colour, indigenous artists, artists with disabilities and/or artists from LGBTQ+ communities are heartily encouraged to apply to all streams of the festival.

What do I receive for being part of the Provocation Series?

• A small honorarium of $100 per participating artist
• A small design budget
• An IGNITE! Festival artist pass
• Access to shared rehearsal space
• Production support for your public performances (venue, insurance, box office, marketing, publicity)
• Mentorship and support from professional artists

We can be hands-on or -off for your creative process – whatever will be more useful to you. If you would like dramaturgical support, test audiences or other creative support, members of the Swallow-a-Bicycle team can be available to you. Or, we can leave you alone on your artistic journey! We are eager to discuss what and how we can support you in the most productive way for you.

What is the timeline?

• Saturday, March 16, 2019: Application deadline
• Monday, March 25, 2019: Successful applicants notified
• Saturday, April 13, 2019: Influencer Artist workshop (1:00-5:00 pm)
• Thursday, May 2, 2019: Influencer Artist workshop (6:00-10:00 pm)
• Tuesday, May 7, 2019: Influencer Artist workshop (6:00-10:00 pm)
• June 10-11, 2019: Tech and dress rehearsals
• June 12-15, 2019: Public performances at the IGNITE! Festival

There will also be at least one meeting for all artists participating in the IGNITE! Festival, date(s) TBA.

How long should my piece be?

It’s up to you! At past editions, we’ve had pieces ranging from twenty minutes to four hours. We’re open to different durations and formats.

Where will the Provocation Series take place?

We don’t know yet! The main IGNITE! Festival venue is the Pumphouse Theatre (2140 Pumphouse Ave SW), so we’re looking for a venue nearby or easily accessible by transit. Stay tuned!

What if I don’t live in Calgary?

We’d love to see your application, but do not have a budget for travel or accommodations. If your application is successful, however, we would be happy to support travel grant applications.

How do I apply?

Fill out this online form! Deadline: March 16, 2019.

What if this kind of application does not work for me?

If you are interested in applying but these requirements create a barrier, please contact us via phone (403.710.0093), email (info@swallowabicycle.com) or post (#4 714 5A St NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1R4) so we can figure out something that works for you.

Thank you!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@swallowabicycle.com or 403.710.0093.
About the IGNITE! Festival of Emerging Artists
IGNITE! is a festival dedicated to supporting, mentoring and presenting early career artists of all disciplines, produced by Sage Theatre. IGNITE! allows artists to embrace risks in a supportive environment while providing resources, a bridge to the professional arts community, and meaningful opportunities for collaboration and community building with their peers.
About Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre

Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre creates productive discomfort. We engage with power structures, shining an interrogation light in society’s eyes.
We endanger the eardrums of the status quo by amplifying the voices of outcasts, misfits, diverse communities and artists who face barriers.
We hold ourselves accountable for the discomfort we create, to the communities we encounter, and to ethical working practices.
Art is how we do this. Art is awesome, and fun to make.
We learn and mutate as we engage with different sites, communities and artistic practices.
We don’t just swallow bicycles. We swallow complacency, conventions, problematic issues and sometimes cookies.
Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre is based in Moh’kins’tsis, the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) name for the place we now call Calgary, located in the Treaty 7 region and the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy (including the Siksika, Piikani and Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including the Chiniki, Bearspaw and Wesley First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. We’re grateful to the past, present and future stewards of this land.