Stage Left Productions

Stage Left Productions is Calgary's most accomplished performance company exclusively engaging in professional artist-community collaboration. We practice a socio-political performing arts model made up of Popular Theater and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques, coupled with interdisciplinary Performance Creation, to genuinely affect personal and social transformation in marginalized communities.

Our purpose is to use interdisciplinary performing arts to integrate marginalized people into the creative, artistic, and social life of our community by providing safe and accessible space in which they can explore, define, and celebrate their culture; develop confidence, imagination, and artistic expression; contribute to the culture of our community in meaningful ways; and express both individual and collective identity. We also use the arts to enable marginalized people to establish a visible presence in the larger community, increasing awareness of specific issues and fostering an appreciation of diverse cultures through the presentation of authentic, dynamic, and non-sentimental images of personal experiences.

We actively promote the creation, presentation, and dissemination of diverse Canadian artists and their work (increasing appreciation for disparate artists and artistic practices) and position artist-community collaboration as a valuable and necessary practice within Canada's professional arts milieu. To this end, each season we produce Balancing Acts: Calgary's Annual Disability Arts Festival; produce an interdisciplinary artist-community collaboration with members of a marginalized community; develop Theatre of the Oppressed performances; provide performing arts instruction, professional development mentorship, and training in our arts-based community development model; participate in the Performance Creation Canada network; chair the national Disability Arts & Culture Network; actively participate in the International Theatre of the Oppressed organization; provide links between Canada's professional performing arts companies and local communities; and consult with human service providers and socio-politically motivated artists about our model and its applications in community.