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Meet the 2023 Soulpepper Academy

Soulpepper is pleased to introduce the five promising artists that will be a part of this year's Academy: Theresa Cutknife, Charlotte Dennis, Landon Krentz, Ziska Louis, and Durae McFarlane.  

Take a moment to click into these artists profiles to learn more about them. Soulpepper looks forward to sharing their work with you in the future!

Support for the Soulpepper Academy

The Soulpepper Academy is supported by the RBC Emerging Artist Project, with additional generous support from Sylvia Soyka, the Kingfisher Foundation, and the Canada Arts Training Fund.

The main thing I’m taking away from this Academy experience is a deeper sense of confidence and understanding of myself as an artist. One of the aims set out in the Academy application was to help artists discover their unique artistic voice. And while I think this is an ongoing and perhaps ever-changing search, I do feel like I now have a deeper appreciation for the kinds of aesthetics, styles, and content I want to explore.

 

- Liz Der, 2021 Soulpepper Academy Graduate

At RBC, we care about investing in the places where we live and work. Our support of the arts has been a long-standing priority as we recognize that the arts plays an important role in building vibrant communities and strong economies.  Through RBC Emerging Artists, we are thrilled to continue our support of the Soulpepper Academy and its commitment to provide artists the opportunity to advance their career trajectory in a meaningful way

- Ramin Fazel, RBC Regional Vice President, Downtown Toronto

As an Academy Graduate myself it was so meaningful to work with the Academy cohorts that graduated in 2021 & 2022. To watch them take risks and hone in on skills they had not had the chance to explore. It only reinforced my belief in the importance of a program like this, to ensure the next generations voices are supported and amplified. These five new Academy members are exceptional artists whose curiosity and bold creativity will help us shape the future of the company. I’m excited to watch them learn and grow and share their work with our audiences.

- Weyni Mengesha, Artistic Director

ABOUT THE 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. Since the program's return in 2021 under the guidance of Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha, new and returning faculty members have included some of Canada's leading artists: d’bi young anitafrika, Ins Choi, Kim Collie­r, Ravi Jain, Gregory Prest, Lorenzo Savoini, and Guillermo Verdecchia, who have helped Academy artists develop their artistic voice with original creations throughout the 26-week paid training program.

The members of this year's Academy were chosen through a rigorous selection process that focused on their skills as performer-creators who are invested in collaborative theatre-making as a pillar of their practice. The Academy curriculum will be taught through rehearsals, classes, studio intensives, and workshops, aimed to enrich the thinking and practice of the individual artist while developing strong, responsible, and skilled collaborators in an ensemble setting.

If you would like to be notified of other artist training opportunities, including The Training Room and The Academy, please sign-up below:

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The Soulpepper Academy is supported by RBC Emerging Artists Project, and the generosity of Sylvia Soyka, Kingfisher Foundation, and canada arts training fund. we are also grateful to canada council for the Arts for their significant contribution towards accessibility support in the 2023 academy. Thank you!

Lead Support for the Soulpepper Academy

Additional Support for the Soulpepper Academy