The unique festival offers theatre on tours that are accessible by walking or cycling.
Where:Galloping Goose Regional Trail (860 Central Spur Rd.) and Selkirk Green Park (350 Waterfront Cres.) in VictoriaWhen:July 11-13Tickets:Pay What You Can ($10 suggested donation; $20 for families)Information:skam.ca
SKAMpede places performers in neighbourhood settings and within arm’s reach of the audience, a framework that has set it apart from its theatre contemporaries for more than a decade-and-a-half of operation.
“It’s such a unique format,” said Janine Rzeplinski, marketing and communications manager for Theatre SKAM, which produces the outdoor performing arts festival. “That’s what makes it so special.”
SKAMpede premiered during Theatre Skam’s 2009-1010 season and continues to occupy a unique space in the arts and culture firmament, with tours that launch from two locations and are accessible by walking or cycling. Tours launch from Vic West locations at the Galloping Goose Regional Trail and Selkirk Green Park, with each tour running approximately an hour in length. Both tours feature five performances, which run for 10 minutes apiece.
The Selkirk Tour includes performances of Isaac Rufus’sFashioned SoundBody, Iuvenis Productions’Spin theBottle, Alexandra Dodd’sAnd Thus the Wind TakesIt, Plastik Chaskilla’sUno, Dos, Trees, and Bragi Theatre’sVorvox and Zorzox VisitEarth.
The Central Tour (which launches from 860 Central Spur Rd., off the Galloping Goose Regional Trail) includes Jenn Goodwin’sIf I ShouldStumble, Jennifer McLeish-Lewis’sArtMarket, The Clown Collective’sA Lovely Family Picnic, Vocal Components’The Ballad of One-EyedMike, and Burger & Briggs’The Two BodyProblem.
Theatre SKAM began its selection process earlier than 2024, which gave artists time to apply for grant funding to cover things like travel expenses. That paid immediate dividends as SKAMpede features a juried roster of artists from as far away as Alberta and Ontario, after having only one B.C. artist from outside of Greater Victoria last year. “We really want artists be able join in and participate, even if they’re not from Victoria,” Rzeplinski said.
The number of companies taking part in the three-day festival has also increased this year, from eight companies to 10. The nature of the programming being offered has also matured, and now features everything from sound composition through the use of an electronic textile jumpsuit to a music and dance piece situated in the hatchback of a Toyota Prius.
“There’s some really interesting new pieces going on,” Rzeplinski said. “We’re always trying to go in different directions and support artists who are engaging.”
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