Learn the latest news, views and attitudes from safeword
Plaque by Francesco Zatti
11 / 1 / 23
Greetings safeword supporters,
As 2023 comes to a close, we want to share with our audiences all the activities and initiatives we have been working on all year. This has been an important year of development for our collaborative and so the theme of our 2023 season is growth.
Each phase of growth requires time, nurturing, and patience. Seeds need the right conditions to germinate. Just like a plant's journey from a tiny seed to a thriving organism, our own journey of development, marked by patience and perseverance, is a testament to our resilience and capacity for personal growth.
Since our relaunch in 2021, safeword has centered practices of care for the creative communities we work alongside. A large part of this work is resisting the pressures and urgency to constantly produce new projects every year. Our value as humans is not contingent on our labour, accumulation of capital, or what we produce for consumption. We need more time for being. How else can we creatively express ourselves when we don’t take time to experience our own humanity?
This is especially true right now. How can we focus on artmaking when our world is in the midst of such turmoil and devastation? In our solidarity statement, our collaborative vows to work in opposition to the ongoing state violence and systemic oppression of settler colonialism. Bearing witness to attempted genocides in Palestine and worldwide, and the unwillingness of world leaders to show solidarity for the oppressed, is excruciating and extremely taxing, especially to anyone with experiences of marginalization. Like a plant growing through the cracks of a concrete pavement, we hope that peace will persevere and we will continue to de-prioritize production to support the self-preservation and advocacy efforts of our fellow collaborators.
We invite you to read more about safeword’s recent activities and growth as a collaborative below:
Last year, we announced that safeword, in affiliation with Nightswimming, will present the audio drama premiere of Wasp by Rhiannon Collett. We’ve been giving ourselves extra time this year to put together the finishing touches so that we can deliver the best quality product for our listeners while taking care of our production team. The official release date is imminent and we are so excited to share what our team has created. Stay tuned to our channels to be the first to know when it becomes available. Did you know that Wasp is now available as a published play? A perfect addition to your personal library, purchase this thrilling drama at Playwrights Canada Press HERE.
Over the last two years, safeword has been steadily creating a new project in development and we are excited to finally offer a first glance of what we’ve been working on. Sincerely, The Brunch Club by Brandon Crone is an original, multimedia play for young audiences about trans youth. This project will usher safeword into exciting new territory and has already enabled us to forge new relationships with a broad range of collaborators. On a personal level, working with and writing about trans youth has been one of the most rewarding creative experiences of my life. It’s been nearly seven years since I’ve written a new work and there is so much to say. You can expect to hear more about this project very soon as we are planning to mount this project as a full production in 2024. Take a peek at our project page HERE and stay tuned to follow our production journey from page to stage.
2023 marks safeword’s 10th year in operation. We couldn't have reached this milestone without the support from our loyal patrons, collaborators, and communities. As we prepare to embark on our most exciting endeavour yet, we invite you to play a vital part in our development by contributing to our Help Us Grow campaign. Come celebrate 10 years of safeword with us by learning more about this initiative HERE.
Our 2023 projects could not be possible without the generous support of our government funders and community supporters. We acknowledge the funding support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario, and the City of Toronto through Toronto Arts Council. A big thank you to our 2023 supporters Theatre Direct and Nightswimming.
Take care and stay safe out there,
Brandon Crone (they/them)
Artistic Director of safeword