FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 1, 2021
Against the Grain Theatre partners with Opera InReach for their 2021/22 season to create national educational programming centering opera and equity.
Opera InReach is a nationwide collective of emerging Canadian operatic talent that is dedicated to expanding the civic impact of opera through education.
TORONTO – Against the Grain Theatre (AtG) announces a partnership with nationwide opera outreach collective Opera InReach (OIR) to develop educational programming around AtG productions throughout the 2021/22 season. This partnership was born out of an alignment of equity-seeking values between both organizations, as well as a desire to see more knowledge-sharing in the opera industry.
“Entering into a year of partnership with Against the Grain Theatre will enable [Opera InReach] to understand the impact we wish to have in the opera sector from a new and exciting perspective. I’m thrilled that an organization as community-centric as AtG is willing to take us on to deepen its societal impact.” says Andrew Adridge, co-founder of Opera InReach.
“We are thrilled to be working with the team at Opera InReach over the course of AtG’s 2021-2022 season. Their energy and passion are well aligned with our values at AtG and we can’t wait to deepen this relationship to bring opera and educational programming to young people on Turtle Island.” says Robin Whiffen, Executive Director of Against the Grain Theatre.
The two companies collaborated on a blog post in July tackling the traditional representation of women in opera, and how AtG’s Sāvitri pushed back against those harmful stereotypes. The article was written by AtG Metcalf Producing Intern and OIR Provincial Coordinator for Ontario, Renee Fajardo, kicking off one of many collaborations to come.
“It is so exciting to see this partnership coming to fruition! We are looking forward to beginning our work with Against the Grain Theatre by offering students across Canada opportunities to learn and engage with opera in new and meaningful ways. We believe that their ability to engage with existing opera-goers and new audiences will give us lots of great material to create entryways into opera for youth across Canada.” says Daevyd Pepper, co-founder of Opera InReach.
AtG believes that now is the time for reciprocal learning in the opera community. While this partnership will provide an opportunity for mentorship and skills development for the OIR, it will also allow AtG to expand its capacity for authentic and sustainable community engagement across the country.
ABOUT AGAINST THE GRAIN THEATRE
Against the Grain Theatre (AtG) is an award-winning Canadian opera company committed to revitalizing the operatic art form by presenting an eclectic array of musical works in unconventional spaces and innovative ways. The film Messiah/Complex received global critical acclaim and was featured in The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, on BBC Radio and CBC’s q. With a mandate to create and introduce audiences to outside-the-box opera experiences, AtG performs fresh, daring re-interpretations of classical repertoire to create thrilling, intimate, unforgettable experiences shared between artists and audiences.
For more information, please visit AtG online at atgtheatre.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @AtGTheatre, and on YouTube at youtube.com/atgtheatre.
ABOUT OPERA INREACH
Opera InReach’s (OIR) work centres on outreach initiatives and partnerships with local opera and arts organizations to create resources for youth aged 12-18 years old to learn about opera. Projects are approached through a lens of equity, diversity, inclusion, access and social justice. OIR’s goal is to have art and opera to put the community it serves first, and their vision is to make opera more progressive, responsive and receptive.
For more information, please visit Opera InReach online at operainreach.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @operainreach, and on YouTube at bit.ly/38sSLub.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Robin Whiffen
Executive Director
Against the Grain Theatre
robin@againstthegraintheatre.com