RBC HORIZON EMERGING ARTISTS PROGRAM
This professional development program has been created as part of the Citadel’s commitment to Edmonton’s 35//50 Initiative and based on the findings from our recently completed Inclusivity and Diversity audit of the composition of the Citadel’s artists, staff and board over the past 10 seasons (our report was released on September 21, 2020).
THE PROGRAM
With the support of the RBC Emerging Artists Project, Citadel Theatre offers a training program to support emerging and early career BIPOC, Deaf, D/disabled, and Mad artists that have not been able to see themselves in these artistic creation roles at one of Canada’s largest theatre companies. We want to eliminate barriers by giving four Edmonton-based artists in these underrepresented communities direct access to our creation spaces and team of professionals, and to help them make contacts within our industry in their chosen practice.
This professional development program was created in 2020 as part of the Citadel’s commitment to Edmonton’s 35//50 Initiative and based on the findings from our 2020 Inclusivity and Diversity Report, which included an audit of the composition of the Citadel’s artists, staff and board over the past 10 seasons. This season we are expanding our submission call to also include artists who identify as Deaf and D/disabled as we continue our commitment to providing professional development to individuals who have historically been underrepresented in the professional theatre.
This is a unique program that is built in collaboration with the selected artists involved, as we recognize the need for these individuals to self-identify their goals and needs. The 4 artists will receive opportunities in the next 10 months that will include a $2000 honorarium and can include the following:
- 1-on-1 and small group mentorship with national leaders in their chosen artistic role
- Apecialized classes on theatre practice led by guest artists and creators
- Networking and relationship building opportunities
- Access to space and materials that best suits their chosen artistic field (supplies, tools, etc.)
- Training with in-house technical/production staff on new skills or techniques
- Training with in-house producing and marketing staff on self-promotion and self-producing
- Invitations to opening night events
- Hands-on creative apprenticeships on a 2022-223 Mainstage production
- Access to rehearsals and professional development sessions
- Artist profile on the Citadel Theatre website with amplification on our social media feeds
- Whatever access needs required by the artist for their participation (ie. ASL interpretation, providing Personal Support Workers, etc.)
EQUITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
We wish to acknowledge that the land on which we live and work is Treaty No. 6 territory and a traditional meeting ground and home of the First Nations, including both the treaty signatories – Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Stony and Cree-Iroquois – as well as other Indigenous peoples, such as the Blackfoot and Métis, who occupied this land. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live, create and perform on this territory.
The Citadel Theatre is in the heart of amiskwaciwâskahikan ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Edmonton, AB), and we are proud to call Treaty 6 Territory home. As a regional theatre, it is integral that we ensure that the stories we tell, as well as the composition of our artists, board, staff, students and audience are reflective of the diverse lived experiences in this dynamic city. We strongly encourage submissions from artists who self-identify as members of under-represented communities. If there are barriers (language, disability, or any other consideration) about the process preventing you from submitting, please let us know and we will work with you to overcome them. For more on Citadel Theatre’s Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity commitments, please visit: https://bit.ly/CitadelEDIArtisticPostings
2022 PARTICIPANTS
ALISON NEUMAN
Alison Neuman (she/her) is a disabled emerging author, playwright, choreographer, dance artist, and creator passionate about sharing underrepresented voices and building communities. She has an education and performance foundation in dance, theatre, and voice, rooted in the Edmonton community from The Collaborative Radically Integrated Performers Society in Edmonton (CRIPSiE), Good Women Dance Collective (GWDC), Orchesis Dance, Mile Zero Dance, Nextfest, The Citadel Foote Theatre School, and The MacEwan Conservatory of Music. Alison shares stories of characters experiencing disabilities and marginalization. Her first full-length choreography work, The Strike, premiered at the 2020 Expanse Festival at the Chinook Series thanks to the support of the GWDC 2019 New Work Award, the Azimuth Theatre, the Edmonton Arts Council and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Her play, The Sunset Syndrome, debuted at the 2016 Walterdale Theatre From Cradle to Stage program and was produced at the 2017 Edmonton International Fringe Festival by Lucky Wench Productions.
“I am excited to explore the art of musical theatre and build my skills to tell the stories of marginalized characters and connect them with the audience. I aim to learn how theatre can be more accessible and inclusive. Thank you to the Citadel and RBC for this fantastic opportunity.”
JAMEELA MCNEIL
Jameela is a Jamaican-Canadian artist from Edmonton. She is a MacEwan University Theatre Arts alumnus, actor, musician, and emerging writer. Some acting credits include: The Wolves (Maggie Tree/Citadel co-production); As You Like It, The Color Purple (RMTC/Citadel co-production); Heaven (Lunchbox), Tell Us What Happened, John Ware Reimagined (Workshop West); Sister Act, All Shook Up, and Soul Sistas (Mayfield). Jameela was a participant of Tarragon Theatre’s Young Playwrights Unit in 2021. Her passion for playwriting is rooted in her desire to put a spotlight on stories that have been forgotten or unexplored. She hopes to shine a light on Black-Canadian history and to create stories from diverse perspectives within the diaspora. Jameela is grateful to be a participant of the RBC Horizon Mentorship Program this year.
“Thank you to the Citadel, my loved ones, and educators. Your constant support means the world to me.
“During this mentorship, I am looking forward to exploring Canadian stories through the lens of Black women and youth. I hope to focus on the strength of community and explore the complexities of identity.”
KAELEY JADE WIEBE
Kaeley Jade Wiebe (she/her) is a Métis multidisciplinary artist based out of Amiskwaciwâskahikan/Edmonton. As a folk-pop artist under the name “Kaeley Jade”, she has performed on stages across Canada and has opened for artists such as JUNO-winners Digging Roots and GRAMMY-winner Bill Birdsong Miller. A Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Award Nominee, Kaeley’s debut full-length album, Turpentine, was released September 2022. Alongside her career as a singer/songwriter, Kaeley doubles as an actor for theatre, film, and voiceover, and she recently made her professional directing debut with Alberta Musical Theatre Company. Select Theatre Credits Include: The Wolves (The Maggie Tree/Citadel Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Carter-Ryan Productions), Chrysothemis; Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. (Studio Theatre), All Because I’m a Woman (Citadel Theatre House Series), Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare by the Bow), and the world premiere of the critically-acclaimed musical Two-Headed/Half-Hearted (Northern Light Theatre), for which she also composed the music. Select Film Credits Include: Notes on Being Unpopular (1844 Studios), Smile: It’s Only the End of the World (Guerrilla Motion Pictures), and No Apology (Link to the Past Productions). She is most interested in exploring narratives centred around women and gender-diverse folks, and she is continually inspired by the beauty of human connection.
“As I continue to grow my practice as a multidisciplinary artist, I’m excited to meld my careers in the music and theatre industries to dive deeper into sound design and musical composition. Thank you to the Citadel and RBC for this incredible opportunity!”
LIZ PAGE
Elizabeth Page (she/her) graduated from the University of Alberta in 2022 with a BFA in Theatre Production – Stage Management. For 8 years now she’s been Acting in and Stage Managing shows of all styles and has been incredibly appreciative of all the opportunities to learn and grow in these fields. In her post-grad life, she’s found a lot of joy in helping others tell their stories and is hoping to be able to continue to do that by shifting gears into producing. She’s very excited to have such a wide pool of people to learn from and is focusing on telling Metis and Indigenous stories. Being Metis is something that she’s always been very proud of and spent most of her free time in University finding ways to reconnect to her heritage mostly through food and art
“After being a stage manager for around 7 years, I wanted to branch out more into producing and I couldn’t imagine a better way to continue my education than through the Citadel and this program. Thank you to everyone who’ve encouraged me and supported me in all of my artistic endeavors over these past few years – I can’t wait to show you what I plan on doing next.”
SUPPORTED BY
