City seeks applicants for Local Arts Residency at the Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre Local Arts Residency is a pilot initiative developed in response to the impact of COVID-19 on the performing arts. Local artists and collectives working in varying performing arts disciplines are invited to apply to the program, which will encourage participants to explore new ideas, create, self-direct their research and time, and nurture new directions in their work.

“The Grand Theatre is a community hub that like everyone else, has had to adapt and rethink how we present and promote the performing arts to Kingston residents, support artists, and contribute to the cultural vitality of the city and the downtown core,” said Danika Lochhead, Manager, Arts and Sector Development. “The Residency program is intended to activate the Grand Theatre in a new and exciting way and provide Kingston-based artists the opportunity to work in a professional performing arts space and develop artistic work.”

The program will provide Kingston-based artists with the opportunity to explore, innovate, create, and present new work and will contribute to Kingston’s continued cultural vibrancy, vitality, and sense of community, the City said in a release, dated Tuesday, Mar. 30, 2021. The deadline for local artists to apply is Friday, Apr. 23, 2021.

More information on how to apply to the Local Arts Residency can be found here: https://www.kingstongrand.ca/education/local-artist-development.

Residency Offerings

The Residency will be offered in-person in the Regina Rosen Auditorium and will be managed in adherence with public health guidelines and safety reopening protocols established for the Grand Theatre, the City said. 

Artists-in-residence will receive:

• In-kind use of a professional workspace in the Regina Rosen Auditorium that will be made available for a duration of one week for performing artists (of varying disciplines) to engage in a self-directed creation process of their choosing.
• Professional guidance from Cultural Services and Grand Theatre staff in Technical Production to aid in the development of the artist’s creative practice.
• Promotional support or production elements necessary to digitally present, perform or provide a talk.
• Funding support through an honourarium of $1,000 for artistic expenses.

The City said applications will be reviewed by a selection committee made up of professional artists that have been presented through the City’s Grand OnStage program. Selection criteria includes evaluation of applications based on artistic merit, artistic practice, diversity, and community impact.

In addition to the Local Arts Residency program, the Grand Theatre has continued to support and present the performing arts through rentals of the Baby Grand black-box theatre for small, maximum 20-person audience performances, through the Virtual Grand OnStage presenting program and artist talks, and engagement initiatives. The Regina Rosen Auditorium has remained closed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Residency is the first initiative to animate the space since the closure on March 13, 2020.

For more information, please visit https://www.kingstongrand.ca/.