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MONTREAL, September 2024 – Continuing the promotion of diversity at the core of the Cole Foundation’s Intercultural Conversations-Conversations Interculturelles (IC-CI) program, new Foundation President Nancy Wells, along with longtime Chair and Past-President Barry Cole, is proud to announce the latest round of grant winners. A resounding success with ever-increasing applicants, Intercultural Conversations-Conversations interculturelles was created to motivate the production of professional theatre that features intercultural dialogue and introduces Montrealers to other cultural heritages. For this recent spring competition, thirteen companies were given vital grants to share diverse and inclusive theatrical stories in Greater Montreal for a total of $209,000 for the 2024-25 season, as well as added funding for post-show audience talkbacks to continue the conversation initiated in the play. Intercultural Conversations-Conversations Interculturelles includes commissioning, producing and translating plays.
From Nancy Wells, Foundation President, “I am delighted to continue my work with the Cole Foundation as its new President and am grateful to Barry Cole and the Board of Directors for the confidence placed in me. I look forward to close collaborations with our grantees and am keen to work with the Board to maintain and evolve our programs, so our giving remains relevant and impactful.”
The Foundation is heartened to receive a post-Covid record high number of applications to the program. “We are also pleased to see play submissions from companies that we supported at the commission level, now successfully apply for and receive production grants,” added Wells.
It is now more important than ever to share cultures, histories and stories on stage and encourage dialogue between communities. This cycle of winning plays offers touring shows, youth theatre, long-time established companies and independents, and presents a wide range of theatrical styles and themes. These include intergenerational drama, comedy, poetic confessions, the intersection of queer and Black culture, a celebration of street dance/hip hop/gaming, the power of resilience, and the universal concept of love. They encompass numerous heritages and identities, embracing Chinese, Indigenous, Burundian, Middle Eastern Christians and Muslims, and Sri Lankan cultures, among others.
Recipients of the latest competition
COMMISSIONING grants include: MAYDAY– Project bell hooks by bell hooks (Gloria Jean Watkins), and Théâtre Motus– La sanctuaire des âmes ordinaires by Mathilde Addy Laird.
PRODUCTION grant awards go to: Centaur Theatre Company– Three Women of Swatow by Chloe Hung; Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui et d’UBU compagnie de création– Chronologies by Stephie Mazunya; Duceppe– Incendies by Wajdi Mouawad; Geordie Productions– Jordan by Yvette Nolan; Imago Theatre– Scorpio Moon by Adjani Poirier; Infinithéâtre– Sinkhole (or six ways to disappear) by Adjani Poirier; Orange Noyée– Je Comprends. Respect. by Etienne ‘Atn’ Lou; Productions Menuentakuan– Yahndawa’ : ce que nous sommes by Marie-Josée Bastien; and Teesri Duniya Theatre– White Lion, Brown Tiger by Michelle Soicher.
TRANSLATION grants are: Imago Theatre– Akuteu by Soleil Launière, and Talisman Theatre– Chokola by Phara Thibault.
Nancy Wells, Cole Foundation president, has been involved in the Cole Foundation for 5 years. Already active as a leader in the not-for-profit sector, she joined the Foundation as program officer, then assumed the responsibilities of secretary/treasurer. Wells has been actively involved in all aspects of the work of the Foundation; she has been instrumental in not only improving the overall efficiency of Foundation operations but has also become a leading spokesperson for the Foundation’s programs and goals. The Cole Foundation is a private family foundation based in Montreal, initiated in 1980 by the late J. N. (Jack) Cole, a Montreal businessman and philanthropist. It supports research in pediatric leukemia and related diseases, as well as a program of support for community initiatives. Intercultural Conversation-Conversations Interculturelles is one of its community initiatives.
There are two annual Intercultural Conversations-Conversations Interculturelles grants, in October and April. The deadline for the next competition for the award is Friday, October 4, 2024 at 5:00pm. Theatre companies interested in applying for a grant can download the necessary application forms and information from the Cole Foundation’s web site at: www.colefoundation.ca/en/programmes/intercultural-conversations/
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