RTA Media student helps create Toronto Fringe Festival’s first-ever digital edition
As part of The Creative School Innovation Studio’s first Future Makers (opens in new window) cohort, RTA Media Production student Ellen Reade is a great example of the program working for students and organizations alike. With arts and culture organizations looking to adopt hybrid forms of audience engagement, Reade was placed with the Toronto Fringe Festival (external link) . Her work through the Future Makers program led to her being hired on to support the creation of Toronto Fringe’s first all-digital iteration.
The placement inspired Reade, combining her interest in event production and experience design including VR and live performance, to extend the work she had been doing at Fringe Toronto even further. She received an Undergraduate Research Opportunity (opens in new window) to work with Performance assistant professor Owais Lightwala, whose teaching and research focuses on creative producing and arts management.
In 2021, The Creative School’s Innovation Studio (opens in new window) partnered with the City of Toronto to support organizations like Toronto Fringe Festival, (external link, opens in new window) Pride Toronto (external link, opens in new window) , ReelWorld (external link) , Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) (external link, opens in new window) , Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) (external link, opens in new window) , and Galleries Ontario (external link) to apply to the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship to focus was on strategic and future thinking, new business models and opportunities for digitalization. Under the leadership of associate professor Ramona Pringle (opens in new window) and assistant professor Lorena Escandon (opens in new window) , the Future Makers program was launched.
“The IDM Office looks for partners that have innovative programs that combine cutting- edge knowledge with practical applications,” says Anthea Foyer, from the City’s Interactive Digital Media Office. “Programs with these qualities attract great faculty and bright students that can help us look forward and plan for the future of digital entertainment in Toronto.”
Connecting the dots on maps that haven’t been made yet
Initially, Reade was tasked with finding the right platform for the festival’s digital networking event. She landed on Gather (external link, opens in new window) , a program that makes video chat more engaging through customizable spaces, and the ability to move in and out of conversations. Fringe Toronto wasn’t familiar with the program, and the idea of an all-digital festival, featuring five performances using Gather in some capacity, was born.
“Most innovation is just taking things from one domain and applying them in a different context,” Lightwala says. “But in order to know what problems need to be solved, you need some depth in a subject area. This is where The Creative School shines. The future (and the present and the past for that matter) will need more people who are able to connect the dots on maps that we haven’t even made yet - so the better a student becomes at learning and adapting from new contexts, the more successful they will be in their careers.”
He elaborates: “In a few years, we will no longer make distinctions between ‘digital’ and ‘real’ performance, and they will need to be ambidextrous and move fluidly between multiple media.”
Reade echoed this, saying that digital live performance could be an opportunity to reach new, younger audiences or people who may be intimidated by ‘traditional’ theatre. Students like Reade connect the dots between industry, academic scholarship and real-world experience, and through programs like the Future Makers, can find their place in a changing creative industry.
Toronto’s uniquely capable of innovating in arts and technology
“Toronto has immense creativity from incredible storytellers, artists, creative technologists and so many more. We have a strong entertainment industry including video games, film/tv and growing immersive and XR sectors,” Foyer says. “The tech sector in the city is thriving, including as a centre for AI and other emerging technologies. It is an entrepreneurial hub that has investment dollars and savvy business development. It is a city that understands the value of diversity and all that brings to the culture of the sector. And it has post-secondary and cultural institutions that support leading-edge work and ideas.”
Lightwala hopes that “some of the innovative culture of tech will rub off on the traditionalism of performance, while still maintaining the core values that make performance vital, relevant, and meaningful.”
Lightwala points out that the performance industry in Canada takes great pride in its traditionalism and while this has its place, it can stifle experimentation and innovation.
“Some of the obvious opportunities that digital has offered over analog performance: asynchronous, infinite potential audience reach, collapsing geographic distance, new forms of interactivity,” he says. “Some of the less obvious second order opportunities are around the possibilities for engaging a new younger audience, one that primarily grew up as digital natives and don’t make as much of a distinction between ‘real life’ and ‘virtual life’.”
Advice for students
Now in her fourth year, Reade offers actionable advice for other students. She cites confidence and openness to try new things when facing academic opportunities, grant applications and interviews.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for things. Don’t be afraid to try things outside of your comfort zone,” Reade says. “Be open to asking for opportunities. The worse you are going to get is a ‘no’. At best, you get what you are asking for.”
About The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University
The Creative School is a dynamic faculty at Toronto Metropolitan University making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Comprised of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.