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Education & Community Engagement

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Education & cOMMUNITY Engagement at Soulpepper

Soulpepper is a thriving cultural hub that engages young people and diverse communities through year-round events and education programs. As part of our commitment to access and inclusion, many of our education and community initiatives are completely free to participate in.

City Youth Academy

Every summer, ten selected young artists ages 16-19 participate in a six-week theatre and performance intensive that inspires their creativity and supports their artistic growth. City Youth Academy offers youth the opportunity to learn from Soulpepper artists and industry professionals, build confidence on stage, and make art as an ensemble! Not only is this program free to participate in, but the young artists also receive a weekly stipend for their participation, making this a unique theatre training opportunity in the city.

Summer MixTape

Through a mix of music, movement, playwriting, and acting, participants in this six-week program explore Black identity and culture while building a community of creative peers. Over the summer, youth are connected to Black professionals working in the theatre and performance industry, take field trips to sites of historical importance for Black Canadians in the city, and present a final showcase for their loved ones.

Queer Youth Cabaret

Queer Youth Cabaret provides a platform for young artists who identify as LGBTQI2S+ to develop their artistic voice in a safe and welcoming environment. Not only do the selected artists get to perform for a live audience, they also receive training, mentorship, and dramaturgical support from established queer artists and arts educators in the weeks leading up to their final showcase. Queer Youth Cabaret is a Pride month celebration like no other!

The 2023 Queer Youth Cabaret takes place on June 23 & 24. Click here to learn more and get your tickets! 

Curtain Up

Curtain Up is a series of classes offered during the spring and fall, which allows youth ages 14-18 to specialize in the fields of playwriting, acting, music, movement, and more. No previous experience is required – our skilled artist instructors lead hands-on workshops to help youth explore their creative potential! 

March Break Program

Every year during March Break, Soulpepper offers a week-long intensive in which youth participants gain exposure and knowledge in storytelling and collective creation. The week culminates in a short performance and sharing with friends and family.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ell) PROGRAMS

Soulpepper’s English Language Learners (ELL) program sends Artist Educators to schools across the GTA that have ESL (English as a Second Language) programs. ELL students enhance their learning through drama games and theatrical workshops, improving confidence in their English language communication. They also get a chance to attend Soulpepper performances and apply their conversation skills to discussing arts and culture events in the city.

Soulpepper Academy

The Soulpepper Academy aims to develop highly skilled theatre artists who are equipped to make significant contributions in rehearsal halls and to the cultural landscape of Canada. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha and faculty members including d’bi young anitafrika, Ins Choi, Ravi Jain, Gregory Prest, Lorenzo Savoini, and Guillermo Verdecchia, five vibrant emerging artists gain hands-on professional theatre experience through this six-month paid training program.

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School bookings 

Soulpepper welcomes student groups to experience the magic of live theatre at our weekday school matinees. For the upcoming season, we are pleased to offer tickets for $20 per student/teacher at performances of English by Sanaz Toossi, The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, and Sizwe Banzi is Dead by Athol Fugard.  Visit the school bookings page for more information.

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Our Artist Educators

Soulpepper works with a wide range of artist educators to lead our Education programs. 

LENA MARIPUU

I loved meeting so many cool people and the instructors were awesome! I liked the different tasks and assignments we did, they really made me think and I could tell they were well thought out and not just mindless assignments school tends to give me all the time. I feel super lucky to have done the workshops too, the guest artists were really inspiring as was the mentor I had. (The welcome package was also a plus) Thank you!!

The program was something that was very out of the box, I found the fact that I was given so many opportunities to share my personal work made the program more engaging, because I was working hard to perfect and perform my work in the class, which helped improved my work as well.

I learned new things such as black figures, costume design, using technology in music performances and movies, and poetry/plays

Stay Connected

Find out more about our year round education and training programs and ways to engage with soulpepper by signing up to our Education and Community Engagement Mailing List below!

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