Symposium
Symposium 2024
The Réseau SPARC Network Symposium is a biennial gathering that brings together SPARC members as well as other creators, presenters, producers, community animators and funders involved in the performing arts in rural and remote communities across Ontario and beyond.
The symposium provides an opportunity for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, networking, and laying the groundwork for future collaborations.
To date, SPARC has held three symposia:
2014 Haliburton
2016 Haliburton
2018 Cobalt
2022 Prince Edward County
Scroll down for the latest news and announcements regarding planning for the 2024 Symposium!
Get the latest details on the Symposium 2024 program here.
Core Information
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Réseau SPARC Network - 2024 Symposium
SPARC is excited to announce our next biennial Symposium. Set in the Town of Minto, the 2024 Symposium - Re-Igniting the Arts - will be full of industry led workshops, group sharing sessions and performances. Join us from Thursday May 23 to Sunday May 26 at this one-of-a-kind gathering of rural and remote artists, presenters, community animators and arts practitioners. -
Registration is now open and Early Bird pricing is in effect until Mach 15! Not a member? Consider joining before registering and saving on registration fees.
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All workshops for the 2024 Symposium have been chosen. Thank you.
While the 2022 Symposium focused on why we started SPARC - bringing together rural and remote arts practitioners to discuss the unique challenges and thrills of creating within our communities - in 2024 we will look at what comes next - Re-Igniting the Spark of rural and remote performing arts. We hope you can make it to the Town of Minto from May 23-26, 2024.
Playwriting Contest!
SPARC is excited to announce our first ever playwriting contest!
We are seeking 10 minute plays that are rooted in the rural and remote experience - whatever that means to you. Plays should have a maximum of four characters in any genre, except musicals, and be intended for the stage. This contest is open to all Canadian playwrights who reside in a rural or remote community, including but not limited to those who are (or who identify as) Indigenous, Black, Racialized, Deaf, Disabled, 2SLGBTQIA+, newcomer and other marginalized communities. Submissions must be in English only at this time - in future contests we hope to accept submissions written in other languages.
The three winning plays will be read at the SPARC Symposium in the Town of Minto in May 2024. Each winning playwright will be given a complimentary 3-day pass to the Symposium.
Submissions should be no more than 10 pages in length, in Standard Play Format. Please submit by email as a Word, PDF or Pages document to rachel@sparcperformingarts.com with the phrase “Play Submission” in the subject line, along with a short (100 word) bio in the body of the email.
The deadline to submit is January 15th, 2024, and winners will be notified by February 28th. The SPARC Symposium takes place May 23rd - 26th, 2024.