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SummerWorks > 2022 Call for Submissions
three people in shades of red and blue hold two lightbulbs near their faces three people in shades of red and blue hold two lightbulbs near their faces

Applications for SummerWorks 2022 are now CLOSED.

 

ARTISTS, DREAMERS, INNOVATORS AND CHANGE MAKERS: WE WANT TO WORK WITH YOU!

SummerWorks expands the possibilities of performance. In its 32nd year, our summer Festival, based in Toronto, Canada, is widely recognized as one of the most vital platforms for launching new performance in the country.

We are currently seeking proposals for our Festival’s next edition, taking place August 4th-14th, 2022.

Proposals are encouraged from established and emerging creators, as well as curators, working across all disciplines and artistic traditions. In-person, digital, and hybrid performance projects will be considered.

NO APPLICATION FEE. GUARANTEED ARTIST FEES.

RECORDINGS OF ASL INTERPRETED LIVE INFO SESSIONS:

Click here to watch Info Session #1

Click here to watch Info Session #2

SUMMERWORKS PRESENTATIONS CALL

Yellow text on black background reads: “SummerWorks Presentations Call,” with three yellow sunbursts of different sizes, below the text.

SummerWorks Presentations programming considers proposals for new projects that will be ready for full presentation in August 2022.

We are interested in works and artists that tackle urgent and complex questions of our time; that celebrate curiosity, wonder and adventure; and that expand the possibilities of what performance can be.

Works for in-person theatre, gallery, outdoor, and non-traditional settings are welcome, as are proposals for online, site-specific, and immersive contexts.

Proposed works should have some previous development or presentation history. Projects curated from this call will be provided a guaranteed fee of $1,000 CAD to $7,500 CAD (depending on the scale of the project and number of performances).

LEARN MORE!

SUMMERWORKS LAB CALL

Yellow text on black background reads: “SummerWorks Lab Call,” with three yellow sunbursts of different sizes, below the text.

SummerWorks Lab programming supports proposals for projects that will benefit from being shared with an audience at a crucial stage of development, as well as experiments that use the Festival as a laboratory to test new ideas.

The SummerWorks Lab is a place for exploration, experimentation, and process. Of particular interest for 2022 are projects engaged in interdisciplinary collaboration, experimentation with new technologies, and projects that will benefit from audience participation or feedback during the Festival, with the potential of this informing the future of the work.

Works for in-person theatre, gallery, outdoor, and non-traditional settings are welcome, as are proposals for online, site-specific, and immersive contexts. Projects curated from this call will be provided a guaranteed fee of  $1,000 CAD to $7,500 CAD (depending on the scale of the project and number of performances).

LEARN MORE!

PUBLIC WORKS CALL

Yellow text on black background reads: “Public Works Call,” with two yellow sunbursts of different sizes, below the text.

Our Public Works programming brings artists and audiences together to reimagine possibilities for the public realm.

In 2022, we invite creators to consider: How does the landscape and infrastructure of the city inform how we move, connect, and communicate with one another? What is the role of the public in making, transforming, and reclaiming space? What else might be possible, and how can this be realized through performance?

Proposals for in-person, digital, and hybrid performance projects are welcome. Works designed for outdoors, site-specific contexts, and immersive environments are of particular interest.

Projects curated from this call will be provided a guaranteed fee of $1,000 CAD to $7,500 CAD (depending on the scale of the project and number of performances).  These performances will be offered free to the public and should be designed with accessibility in mind.

LEARN MORE!

SPECIAL CALL FOR ARTISTS & CURATORS

Yellow text on black background reads: “Special Call for Artists & Curators” with three yellow sunbursts of different sizes, below the text.

This year, as an extension of our Public Works programming, SummerWorks is seeking proposals from artists for short solo performances (5-7 minutes) or art interventions to be experienced along sidewalks, streets, alleys, and laneways of Toronto. Artists working in all mediums are welcome to apply. Proposals from curators that unify a selection of works by different artists for this context, are also welcome. 

Of particular interest are projects that bring attention to what otherwise might go unnoticed, and are designed to engage with more than just the Festival crowd: these projects will foster exchange with residents, business owners, and passersby as well. 

Work may be proposed for a static audience, or audience on the move. In all cases, we encourage artists and curators to take the site and audience experience into consideration.

Projects selected from this call will be provided a guaranteed fee of $350 CAD to $5,000 CAD (depending on the scale of the project and number of performances). An additional curatorial fee of $1,500 CAD will be provided where applicable. These works will be free to the public and should be designed with accessibility in mind.

This initiative is kindly made possible through the support of Toronto Arts Council’s Animating Streets program.

LEARN MORE!
a group of people dance in an alleyway, with pink smoke billowing around them a group of people dance in an alleyway, with pink smoke billowing around them

ACCESSIBILITY

A smiling person with glasses performs wrapped in an orange scarf. Four audience members can be seen in the background behind them.

SummerWorks is committed to continually increasing accessibility for our artists and audiences. This includes extending accessibility practices throughout the entirety of the artistic and administrative processes.

We strive to go beyond the bare minimum standard of accessibility practices in the performing arts and to support artists, programmers, and partner organizations in considering how access can be incorporated throughout all aspects of a production and throughout all stages from development to presentation. It is our expectation that the artists we work with will also strive to put accessibility practices at the forefront of the creative process and implementation of their work. 

EQUITY & DIVERSITY

Image of a theatre full of people, taken from the stage. A performer with their back to the camera, stands facing a seated audience. There is a spotlight shining down on the performer. Reece's Pieces 2.0 (SummerWorks 2019) Photo by Andrew Williamson

SummerWorks is committed to equality and diversity, both through our program of activities and as an employer. Our practices and procedures aim to reflect the varied needs, expectations, and cultures of all members of our community. We make every effort to ensure that no member of the community receives less favourable treatment in our recruitment process or when accessing our services on the grounds of gender identity, disability, race, religion or belief, age or sexual orientation.

We warmly encourage submissions from folks from equity-seeking groups, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Nonbinary, Queer, Disabled and intersections of those identities.