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Top Canadian Artists to Attend Pitch Session at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

June 23, 2022

Ottawa, June 23, 2022—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 2022.

Further to a call for submissions held in May and a peer-curated selection process, eleven extraordinary productions will be showcased at Spotlight Canada: The Pitch Session.

This exclusive in-person event will take place on Monday, August 22, 2022. It will feature five-minute pitches by the selected projects, as well as a 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.

After two previous online editions, this is an exciting time for top artists from Canada to gather again in person at the world’s largest arts festival. It is a unique opportunity to expand their touring prospects and develop creative partnerships.

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

In My Body, Bboyizm Dance Company (Gatineau, Quebec)
La bulle, Corpus (Toronto, Ontario)
Same Difference, Theatre Conspiracy, by David Mesiha (Vancouver, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario)
Muse, FLIP Fabrique (Québec City, Quebec)
Frequencies, HEIST (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
The Cave, J MAR Electric / ca (Toronto, Ontario)
No Excuses, No Limits, ILL-Abilities and Kids and then Some (KATS) (Montréal, Quebec)
BESIDE, maribé – sors de ce corps (Montréal, Quebec)
Bears, Punctuate! Theatre (Edmonton, Alberta)
The Archivist, Shaista Latif, in association with Nightwood Theatre (Toronto, Ontario)
Loss, Ian Kamau and The Theatre Centre (Toronto, Ontario)

With this year’s Fringe back to largely in-person programming, the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom, alongside our partners at the 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 revitalize their connections with programming and artistic partners in Edinburgh and beyond.

“After two years of solely virtual participation, we are thrilled to champion and support the live presentation of exceptional artistic projects on an international platform as significant as the Edinburgh Fringe. The selected companies will benefit greatly from the many opportunities for exposure to, and immersion in, the creative effervescence of Edinburgh.”

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

“I wish the best of luck to the Canadian creative industry companies and artists featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This exceptional forum is a unique opportunity for Canadian productions to be showcased on the world stage and to position themselves in the international live performance market.”

—The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage

“Canada and Scotland share cultural ties that span centuries. Indeed, there is no denying the rich imprint the people of Scotland have left on the cultural fabric of our wide and diverse country. Therefore, I can think of no better place to showcase some of Canada’s top performing arts talent than at the international stage of the Edinburgh Festival. The highly anticipated return of in-person programming will make this year’s Spotlight Canada: The Pitch Session all the more special.”

—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, with a mandate to "foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts." 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 $57 billion in the Canadian economy and close to 673,000 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.