Curator’s Note: Welcome to Incoming

Welcome to our newest festival; it’s an ambitious undertaking. And we are asking – what are you IN2 in Year 2?

Incoming Festival is a festival of premieres: every single show is a premiere, whether it’s a world premiere like tony wrestles a stranger, a Victoria premiere like Epidermis Circus or Malunderstood, or a testing ground for new ideas in the Bite Sized – New Works Cabaret. We are also presenting a first for the company, a show that blends ASL, spoken word and captions, with Chris Dodd’s solo show Deafy.

I am thrilled to share the work of some of the country’s most electrifying artists who are making bold, intriguing, and vital new work, alongside remarkable home-grown work from local artists. Some of the artists you’ll recognize (like Fringe Favourite and Fraggle Rock puppeteer Ingrid Hansen), and some are making their Intrepid debut and are bound to become new favourites (like Montreal’s Kenny Streule or Toronto’s Nathaniel Hanula-James). Artists like Halifax’s Dustin Harvey are playing with theatrical forms and blurring lines between audience and artists, and we are introducing new curatorial perspectives through a cabaret guest curator, local drag artist Peaches N Screams.

There is so much to choose from, and I encourage you to see as much as you can. New work needs you – the audiences, so we hope you find something you are IN2.

Through the new Incoming Festival, and with our presentation partners, it is my hope that every Spring Victoria becomes a hotbed and a springboard for new work and new ideas from near and far, that are ready to meet adventurous audiences—that’s YOU! See you around the festival for 10 days of brand new theatre this spring. Try something new with us.

– Sean Guist, Artistic Director