Making the Move: Meet Our New Housemates

July 02, 2014

Collaboration and cross-pollination is fundamental to the arts, not just in Vancouver, but intrinsically in the spirit of all artistic practice. Relationships of this nature are what the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival’s business is built on, so it is only natural for us to move in with some of our cherished cultural partners in the city.

Following our outgoing Managing Director Minna Schendlinger’s update last month about the PuSh Festival’s move to the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Amenity space at the CBC Vancouver Broadcast Centre, we thought we would properly introduce readers to our new co-location partners. Follow the PuSh Festival blog as we bring you updates on ‘Making the Move’ to our new 8,477 square foot cultural arts co-location space in downtown Vancouver.

Music on Main has presented sold-out collaborations with the PuSh Festival at Heritage Hall since 2009, including performances of Steve Reich’s Drumming (2009) and Ana Sokolovic’s Svadba/Wedding (2013). Since then, Music on Main has produced more than 180 events showcasing nearly 500 musicians in intimate and unexpected venues across Metro Vancouver. Music on Main has successfully kindled the connection between international and local musicians with thousands of Vancouver audience members.

“When the opportunity of the co-location came up, for us it was not just an opportunity to work with people we really respect and like, but a great opportunity to be in a space sharing best practices artistically and in business.”

– Alfredo Santa Ana, General Manager
Music on Main

Touchstone Theatre‘s Artistic Director, Katrina Dunn, co-founded the PuSh Festival with Artistic & Executive Director Norman Armour in 2005. Both organizations enjoy a mutual relationship of respect and collaboration. Most recently, Touchstone Theatre co-presented Night at the past 10th Anniversary PuSh Festival. Touchstone Theatre develops and presents professional theatrical productions with a purely Canadian focus; making it unique to the region, and earning them the respect of audiences, critics and colleagues alike.

The DOXA Documentary Film Festival is a new collaborator with the PuSh Festival. Having cross-pollinated several of each others’ events as community partners, the time is ripe for the PuSh Festival to share resources with a burgeoning Vancouver film festival. The DOXA Documentary Film Festival Society is devoted to curating a juried festival of independent and innovative documentaries to Vancouver audiences, while educating the public about documentary film as an art form. Comprised of public screenings, panel discussions, public forums and educational programs, the DOXA Documentary Film Festival takes place in May each year.