SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2023:
SHOW:
Reporter Slam Toronto
September 27, 2023, 7:00 p.m. | Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
Jochen Markett of Reporter Slam in Germany hosts festival speakers and show producers for a Toronto-focused version of this concept that has traveled to 10 cities in Germany. Markett will introduce guests to three journalists who will perform their stories. Guests will choose the Slampion of this more lighthearted and fun approach to live journalism. Please note that this is a closed event for invited festival speakers, performers, and producers only.
Storytellers: H. G. Watson, Perry King, Mitch Consky
Music: Kurt Swinghammer
Host: Jochen Markett
SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2023:
SHOW:
Against the Current
September 28, 2023, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | HQ at The Creative School Innovation Studio
Against the Current is a stripped down re-imagining of a 2015 large-scale collaboration between Japanese Canadian and Indigenous artists in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. This intimate performance brings together two of the original cast members, Coast Salish/Sahtu Dene storyteller Rosemary Georgeson and creative director/taiko artist John Endo Greenaway, in collaboration with Toronto-based taiko artist Kiyoshi Nagata. Woven around a shared history of fishing and swimming upstream, Against the Current seeks a place of understanding in “ma,” the space between the beats of the drum, the intervals between breaths.
Performers: Rosemary Georgeson, John Endo Greenway, Kiyoshi Nagata
DISCUSSION:
What the hell is Live Journalism anyway?
September 28, 2023 | 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Main Space
It’s a big question! Festival goers will be introduced to the wide range of live journalism practitioners, their process, their audiences, and their mission. Representatives from stitched! (Sonya Fatah), De Balie (Zara Toksöz), BlackBox (Riikka Haikaraninen), Living Magazine (Adam Chen), News on Stage (Glenda Cooper), Reporter Slam (Jochen Markett), Zetland (Jakob Moll), JIVE (Christine Liehr) and Diario Vivo (Vanessa Rousselot) will each do a five-minute introduction to their practice, before partaking in a Q&A.
Host: Jordana Cox
DISCUSSION:
Investigative Live
September 28, 2023 | 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. | The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Main Space
Have you ever thought about bringing investigative journalism into live practice? In conversation with live journalism practitioners, we discover how they have reported investigations and shared them with live audiences.
Speakers: Sean Holman, François Musseau, Katarina Schul, Zanele Mji
Moderator: Samia Madwar (Walrus Magazine)
INTERACTIVE:
One-Mic Live: Floating to The Lure of The Promised Land (Group Installation)
September 28 I 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (every 30 minutes) I The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Studio 230E
One-Mic Live: Floating to The Lure of The Promised Land is a 20-minute presentation/ performance by Cyrus Sundar Singh that engages participatory-co-creative-liveness between the presenter, the room (audience), and the subjects of the story whose verbatim transcripts are “performed” in the first person by those in attendance. The script is based on the author’s ongoing research centered on the Tamil Sri Lankan refugees and diaspora in Canada. Groups of 6 can participate in the self-directed experience in 20-minute time slots.
SHOW/DISCUSSION:
Harmed in Hamilton: In Progress
September 28, 2023 | 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | HQ at The Creative School Innovation Studio
Why aren’t kids safe in Hamilton schools? stitched! lab performs an excerpt from their immersive live journalism show about systems of harm within the Hamilton, Ontario school board. A collaborative workshop-style discussion will follow, exploring how this story could further develop and the future of stitched!’s novel “community gatherer” role.
Storytellers & Performers: Rochelle Raveendran, Sonya Fatah, Christin El-kholy
DISCUSSION:
Storytelling in Schools: Media Literacy, Misinformation and Performance
September 28, 2023 | 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. | The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Main Space
This panel will discuss building literacy around journalism practice and new forms among younger audiences. Speakers will share ideas for how to introduce youth to storytelling and engage them consistently.
Speakers: Riikka Haikarainen, Danielle Arets, Sonya Fatah
Moderator: Adora Okeke-Marchand
DISCUSSION:
An Opportunity for Ethics
September 28, 2023 | 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Main Space
Like all journalism and all new practices, a conversation on the rights, wrongs, and gray areas is necessary. Join our panelists in an active conversation about the ethics of live journalism and how we can ensure we’re acting responsibly within the medium. What opportunity does the introduction of this form provide for a reconceptualization of journalistic practice and the ethics guidebook?
Speakers: Glenda Cooper, Zanele Mji
Moderator: Shari Okeke
SHOW:
The Living Magazine: Uprooted
September 28, 2023 | Doors: 7:00 p.m., Show: 7:30 p.m. | 918 Bathurst
Introducing The Living Magazine – Toronto’s very own performance magazine. Part magazine, part spectacle; The Living Magazine brings together a group of writers, storytellers, artists, musicians and designers – to make a magazine come to life right before your eyes. Our very first issue, titled “Uprooted”, will focus on stories of tracing our roots, in order to understand where we come from, and how that informs the story of who we are today.
Issue 1 features performances from Adrian Ma, Aparita Bhandari, Dylan Freeman-Grist, Adam Chen, John Endo Greenaway, and Rosemary Georgeson.
To learn more, please visit: www.thelivingmagazine.ca/
SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2023
INTERACTIVE:
One-Mic Live: Floating to The Lure of The Promised Land (Artist-Led Workshop)
September 29, 2023 I 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. I The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Conference Room
One-Mic Live: Floating to The Lure of The Promised Land is a presentation/performance by Cyrus Sundar Singh that engages participatory-co-creative-liveness between the presenter, the room (audience), and the subjects of the story whose verbatim transcripts are “performed” in the first person by those in attendance. Groups of 20 can participate in the experience — facilitated by Cyrus — in 45 to 60-minute time slots.
INTERACTIVE:
The Live Journalism Financial Incubator: Run by FIPP and St-Joseph’s Media (Jacqueline Loch)
September 29, 2023 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Rogers Communication Centre – Room 221
Festival participants who are live journalism producers will present a financial problem that they seek to solve in order to host a show, introduce a new program, or simply run their business. Problems and solutions are specific to each producer’s location. This is a closed event for those who previously applied for the incubator.
DISCUSSION:
Under the Big Tent
September 29, 2023 | 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. | The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Main Space
Is bigger better? Representatives from BlackBox, Diario Vivo, and Live! will discuss the challenges and unique benefits of working with large audiences in live journalism practice and will share their best advice to capture the crowd.
Speakers: Francois Musseau, Riikka Haikarainen, Jakob Moll
DISCUSSION:
Merging Performance into Narrative
September 29, 2023 | 11:15 p.m. to 12:15 p.m. | HQ at The Creative School Innovation Studio
What does it mean to merge art with journalism? How are these elements woven into a show to support live storytelling? A conversation centring the perspectives of performers.
Speakers: Jordana Cox, Robin Kwong, Neil Brathwaite, Lisa Cox
Moderator: Sheila Reid
DISCUSSION:
Ancient Forms of Storytelling in Adaptation
SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 | 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. | The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Main Space
Storyteller Rosemary Georgeson and journalist Zanele Mji will speak in conversation with School of Performance professor Lisa Cox about the history of storytelling and adapting it to new forms.
Speakers: Rosemary Georgeson, Zanele Mji, Lisa Cox
Moderator: Samia Madwar
DISCUSSION:
Community at the Core
September 29, 2023 | 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Main Space
Community-based storytelling is at the core of many live journalism practices. Join representatives from De Balie and stitched!, as well as Sean Holman from the Climate Disaster Project, who will discuss how to work with community, make live journalism a local practice, and create social impact through the medium.
Speakers: Sean Holman, Monique Hindriks, Christin El-Kholy
INTERACTIVE:
How to Build a Live Journalism Show from Scratch
SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 | 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | HQ at The Creative School Innovation Studio
Creating a live journalism show doesn’t have to be daunting. But some organizations have developed a guide. Panelists will share anecdotes and discuss their experiences of building and being a part of live journalism shows.
Panelists: Christine Liehr, Kaisa Osola, Adam Chen, Rochelle Raveendran
INTERACTIVE:
One-Mic Live: Floating to The Lure of The Promised Land (Artist-Led Workshop)
September 29, 2023 I 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. I The Catalyst at Rogers Communication Centre – Conference Room
One-Mic Live: Floating to The Lure of The Promised Land is a presentation/performance by Cyrus Sundar Singh that engages participatory-co-creative-liveness between the presenter, the room (audience), and the subjects of the story whose verbatim transcripts are “performed” in the first person by those in attendance. The script is based on the author’s ongoing research centered on the Tamil Sri Lankan refugees and diaspora in Canada. Groups of 20 can participate in the experience — facilitated by Cyrus — in 45 to 60-minute time slots.
INTERACTIVE:
Hackathon: LIVE PITCH
September 29, 2023 | 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. | HQ at The Creative School Innovation Studio
Students selected for a two-week hackathon will work in pairs with students from the Journalism and Performance and Image Arts programs at Toronto Metropolitan University’s The Creative School. These students will have 16 to 40 hours to develop a pitch that will be presented in front of a panel of live journalism editors. The participants will receive immediate feedback on their pitches and and advice on what to do to further develop their show ideas. Participating students must apply in advance. Watching the pitches is open to all festival attendees.
Hosts: Robin Kwong, Adam Chen
Judging panel: To be announced soon!
SHOW:
Climate Cocoon
September 29, 2023 | Doors: 7:00 p.m., Show: 7:30 p.m. | 918 Bathurst
An experiment at a global, collaborative live journalism show bringing together stories of climate survival from local spaces across the globe. In this show, storytellers from live journalism organizations will each share a story; collectively, these will be stitched together to form a tapestry of climate crisis events and individual and community responses to them.
Performers:
- Desert Dependency in Murcia: Francois Musseau, Vanessa Rousselot, Diario Vivo
- Waterfall: Dylan Freeman-Grist, stitched!
- Bloc Energy: Zara Toksöz, Katarina Schul, Monique Hindriks, De Balie
- Letter from Battir: Saman Dara, Sam Jabri-Pickett, Sahaana Ranganathan, stitched!
- A River Runs Through It I: Daniel Robbel, JIVE
- A River Runs Through It II: Danielle Arets, Thijs van den Houdt, Fontys University of Applied Sciences
- Speak, (Durban) Memory: Zanelle Mji, stitched!
- “Put the climate crisis on the ballot please!”: Jakob Moll, Zetland Live!