Soulpepper, one of Canada’s largest urban theatre companies, is located in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s Distillery District. It is under the leadership of Artistic Director, Weyni Mengesha and Executive Director, Emma Stenning.
History of CultureLink’s partnership with Soulpepper:
– 2012 – CultureLink connects with Soulpepper where Soulpepper offers us a workshop with a Soulpepper Artist for their after school theatre program for newcomer youth at Monsignor Fraser College High School.
– 2013 – Soulpepper and CultureLink partner through Soulpepper’s Ada Slaight Youth Link Program offering a group of newcomer youth six free workshops with artists and tickets to see Soulpepper productions.
– 2014 – We begin our third consecutive youth link program together.
– 2015 – CultureLink’s Community Connection Mentorship Program partners a new program: The Soulpepper – CultureLink New Canadians Welcome Program
The Soulpepper – CultureLink New Canadians Welcome Program offers:
- Full access passes to our newcomer clients for one year to enjoy the theatre, music and festivals happening at Soulpepper at no cost.
- Special welcome events for families to attend introducing them to Soulpepper
- A Soulpepper volunteer friend who is a direct connection for each family to the company, encouraging their sense of belonging and offering information about Soulpepper performances, activities, etc.
We have held two events in the New Canadians Welcome Program. The latest took place on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 with 22 newcomer families (about 70 people). Out of the 22 families, seven were matched with Soulpepper artists in our mentorship program. In addition to getting full access passes to the Soulpepper theatre productions for one year, they will benefit from their mentors’ experiences and expertise.