Urban Ink Productions
Our Story
Urban Ink Production Society (Urban Ink Productions) was founded in 2001 by Métis artist Marie Clements as a First Nations theatre company, in 2007 was taken over by Diane Roberts, and in 2014 was taken over by the current Artistic Director, Corey Payette. The company creates, develops and produces Indigenous and Intercultural works of theatre, writing and film, utilizing an approach which embraces and strives for the combination and integration of artistic disciplines, including different forms of theatre, story-telling, dance, music, video and multi-media.
Current Season
Mainstage
- Ribcage:This wide passage created and performed by Heather Hermant (Presented by Firehall Arts Centre)
In Development
- Children of God a new musical by Corey Payette (book/music/lyrics) (Developed in partnership with Raven Theatre, Arts Club's ReACT Festival, Full Circle:First Nations Performance, and in collaboration with English Theatre at Canada's National Arts Centre)
- Return Home by Dima Alansari (Developed in partnership with Return Home Collective and MT Space (Kitchener, ON)
- Nuliajuk (Sedna) in partnership with UBC First Nations Studies program
In the Community
- The BOLDSKOOL Hip Hop Theatre Workshops are designed to offer youth a creative platform to free their original voices – combining skills training in the elements of hip hop (break-dancing, spoken word, MC’ing, beat boxing) and theatre (storytelling, movement). BOLDSKOOL workshops were created by hip-hop artist, actor and playwright Omari Newton, Urban Ink’s former artistic director Diane Roberts and Education consultant Dr. Mia Perry.
Mission & Mandate
Urban Ink Production Society (Urban Ink Productions) ignites and inspires revolutionary voices that transform our world. We collaborate with artists and communities to push artistic boundaries through the creation and production of innovative Indigenous and Intercultural performance works. We are dedicated to providing a platform for these artists to tell their own stories from their own unique voice.
The objectives of the company are:
- to encourage and support the pursuit of artistic excellence in the development of new indigenous and intercultural works.
- to encourage and collaborate with emerging indigenous artists and artists of colour to develop work that speaks for cultural integrity and a form that is self-reliant in its vision.
- to encourage and support collaboration between indigenous and intercultural individuals, companies and organizations demonstrating these similar interests.
- to empower these artists to take control of not only their voice and visions, but the process and integrity in which their work is brought to an audience.
Company Profile
Corey Payette - Artistic Director Kate Declerck - General Manager
Associate Artists: Omari Newton, Rosemary Georgeson, Dima Alansari, and Quelemia Sparrow.
Past Productions
- Sal Capone: The Lamentable Tragedy of (2013-2014) by Omari Newton(produced in partnership with Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal)
- Women in Fish (2004-2013) by Marie Clements with Rosemary Georgeson, Eileen Lorenz and the WIF Participants.
- Confessions of the Other Woman (2012) by Valerie Sing Turner
- Squaw Hall (2010-2011) by Urban Ink in partnership with Twin Fish, and made possible thanks to the support of its Advisory Committee, and its partners the Community Arts Council of Williams Lake, the Canadian Mental Health Association-Cariboo Chilcotin Branch, the Noopa Boy and Girls Club and the Child Development Centre.
- Downtown Eastside Women's Writers Group(2002-2011)
- Rare Earth Arias (2002) by Wendy Chew, Rosemary Georgeson, Leith Harris, Sharon Jo Jelden, Ruth Matemotija Barnett, and Muriel Williams. (Presented at the Firehall Arts Centre)
- VANISHING: Letters from the Downtown Eastside (2009)
- VANISHING PT2: Dreamcatcher (2009) by Quelemia Sparrow
- Gravity(2008) written and performed by Tricia Collins
- Copper Thunderbird (2005) by Marie Clements. (Co-produced by English Theatre at Canada's National Arts Centre, Urban Ink in collaboration with Playwrights Workshop Montreal and The Banff Centre for the Arts)
- Hunted (2003) by Maiko Bae Yamamoto
- Burning Vision (2002) by Marie Clements
