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Virtual Pitch Session of top artists from Canada at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

July 29, 2021

Ottawa, July 29, 2021 – The Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage and the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom are pleased to announce their support for Canada’s artistic presence at the Edinburgh Fringe 2021.

Further to a call for submissions held in June and a peer-curated selection process, ten extraordinary productions are confirmed to be showcased at Spotlight Canada: The Pitch Session, an exclusive online event to be presented on August 23^rd, 2021. This will be part of the programming of Fringe Connect, the festival’s new digital platform launched in July this year, to connect artists and industry.

Spotlight Canada: The Pitch Session will feature five-minute documentary-style videos on each of the selected projects as well as a live Q&A with the artists and a moderator, for an audience of international producers, artistic directors, festival curators, presenters, and programmers from around the globe.

Congratulations to the artists and companies featured as participants in Spotlight Canada: The Pitch Session:

Aalaapi, by Collective Aalaapi and Company La Messe Basse
Animal, by Cirque Alfonse
asses.masses, by Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn with Theatre Centre
Makambe Speaks, by Makambe Simamba with Ghost River Theatre Society
Playing Fields, by The Chop Theatre Society
Something in the Water, by Scantily Glad Theatre
The Odd Volume, by Dumb Instrument Dance
The Queen in Me, by Theatre Gargantua
Trace, by Red Sky Performance
whip, by FakeKnot

Edinburgh Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival and represents a tremendous opportunity for Canadian performers and shows to gain global recognition, as well as to secure opportunities for international touring and creative partnerships.

With this year’s Fringe still largely moved online, the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom, alongside partners Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage, are pleased to pursue their collaboration in Edinburgh with Spotlight Canada: The Pitch Session, and to maintain an ongoing dialogue with programming and artistic partners in Edinburgh and beyond.

My sincere congratulations to all the artists representing Canada at Edinburgh, for their resilience and creativity and talent. We’re thrilled to be able to continue to foster this online collaboration and to support them on their pitch journey to the global stage.

Simon Brault, Director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts

After an extremely challenging year during which our artists and creators have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada is proud to support them as they continue participating virtually in important international festivals, like the Edinburgh Fringe. I look forward to all the opportunities and connections these artists will make on the global market as a result of this Festival.

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Congratulations to the ten productions that were selected to be part of this year’s Spotlight Canada: The Pitch Session at Edinburgh Fringe 2021. While the festivals and the pitch continue to operate in a largely digital fashion due to ongoing circumstances, it is great to see Canada represented again this year at the biggest arts festival in the world. The talented Canadian performers featured in this year’s pitch have captured the zeitgeist with their poignant and powerful productions. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to hearing more about them as the performing arts industry begins to reopen and bounces back from a challenging sixteen months.

HE The Honourable Ralph E. Goodale, PC, High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom

About the Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s public arts funder. The Council’s grants, services, initiatives, prizes, and payments contribute to the vibrancy of a creative and diverse arts and literary scene and support its presence across Canada and abroad. The Council’s investments foster greater engagement in the arts among Canadians and international audiences.

Canadian Heritage

Canadian Heritage and its portfolio organizations play a vital role in the cultural, civic and economic life of Canadians. Arts, culture and heritage represent more than $53 billion in the Canadian economy and close to 666,500 jobs in sectors such as film and video, broadcasting, music, publishing, archives, performing arts, heritage institutions, festivals and celebrations.

High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom

The High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom works to enrich the Canada-UK bilateral relationship across cultural and creative industries by offering a range of service and support to maintain a thriving, innovative creative industries ecosystem, helping take Canadian content to the UK. Our trade commissioners support Canadian companies with market intelligence, identify new business opportunities, and find qualified contacts that will help them succeed in the United Kingdom.