Years of Challenge and Risk—Norman Armour’s abstract from Canadian Theatre Review

December 15, 2015

Artistic & Executive Director Norman Armour was recently invited by Canadian Theatre Review to reflect on his experiences of working with the 2010 Cultural Olympiad for their Fall 2015 edition. The Canadian Theatre Review features thought-provoking plays and articles on current issues and trends in Canadian theatre.

Festival curation and arts management in Vancouver is challenging at the best of times. One is always competing for money, audiences, equipment, and skilled production staff. These issues are only magnified when a “Big Show” like the Olympics comes to town, especially if its premiere cultural events coincide precisely with one’s own normal programming time slot. In this essay I reflect on what the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, held every January–February in Vancouver, did to face the challenges and mitigate the risks of both competing against and collaborating with the 2010 Cultural Olympiad. I also offer some thoughts on what, if anything, has changed in the cultural landscape of Vancouver as a result of this mega-event.

Read Norman’s complete journal article in the current edition of Canadian Theatre Review. CTR provides the Canadian theatre community with in-depth feature articles, manifestos, slideshows, videos, design portfolios, photo essays, and other documents that reflect the challenging forms that theatre takes in the contemporary Canadian arts scene. CTR is available in print and online.