RISER Project 2020 Cancelled
Dear community,
As you may already know, Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning, effectively banning people from most public spaces, and outlawing events that promote gatherings of over 50 people.
During this turbulent situation, we have been assessing the impacts of COVID-19, not just on our projects as a company, but on the entire community we serve. To safeguard our artists, staff, and patrons, we have made the difficult decision to cancel RISER Project 2020 (which was set to run at The Theatre Centre from April 10-May 9).
A large part of our deliberations around this decision was about the financial impact this would have on our RISER participants. Most RISER shows were already partway through their rehearsal processes. Why Not is in the fortunate position to be able to contribute a fee to each RISER company to cover their lost box office revenue, as well as honour all of our existing RISER Project contracts. We have been able to make this possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Canada, RBC Foundation, TD Bank Group, and our network of Senior Partners.
RISER Project 2020 was a collection of some of the most exciting independent theatre in the country, and we are heartbroken that these shows will not be premiering next month. However, we know that we haven’t heard the last of the brilliantly talented RISER 2020 artists. We recommend you follow Theatre Nidāna, Nautanki Bazaar, Political Movement, and Tiny Bear Jaws to learn more about their work and upcoming projects.
We want to thank all of our incredible Senior Partners for their dedication and support to RISER Project this year: Aluna Theatre, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, Factory Theatre, fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company, Modern Times Stage Company, Necessary Angel Theatre Company, Nightwood Theatre, Roseneath Theatre, Shaw Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille, and The Theatre Centre. These partners all contributed resources, and well as mentorship, in support of the four 2020 RISER Project productions.
While we’re sad that RISER Project is cancelled this year, we will be back in 2021. Stay tuned for more details on next year’s shows!
