Vancouver Moving Theatre (VMT) creates art that celebrates the power of the human spirit; builds shared experiences that bridges cultural traditions, social groups and artistic disciplines; and gives voice to residents of the Downtown Eastside and beyond. VMT creates and presents original theatrical, concert and interdisciplinary repertoire; produces the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival; builds partnerships to co-present multi-arts events and special projects for diverse audiences; and provides cultural services, information, educational and legacy resources. VMT collaborates with artists of many genres, techniques and cultural traditions; partners with arts and non-arts organizations (locally and nationally); advances art practice by a balance of experimentation, accessibility and community-engagement; strives for excellence in process and product, and supports communities in art creation. VMT delivers professional services with an attitude of cooperation and respect for community needs.
20th Annual Downtown Eastside
Heart of the City Festival
Wednesday October 25 to Sunday November 5, 2023
Over 50 events throughout the Downtown Eastside and online
Tickets and Info: www.heartofthecityfestival.com
Tickets/Registration for online events will be available on the festival website in early October
We are thrilled to announce the upcoming 2023 Heart of the City Festival, and a year of milestones: the 20thFestival; the 20th Anniversary of the 2003 Downtown Eastside Community Play, which led to the founding of the Festival; and the 40th Anniversary of Vancouver Moving Theatre, lead producers of the Festival.
For twenty years, the Heart of the City Festival has been grounded in the Downtown Eastside and focused on listening and learning from the cultural practices of the community. The Festival works with, for and about the Downtown Eastside community to carry forward our community’s stories, ancestral memory, cultural traditions, lived experiences, and artistic processes to illuminate pathways of resistance and resilience.
Guided by the theme Grounded in Community, Carrying it Forward, the 2023 Festival will feature 100+ events and showcase 40+ local venues over twelve days of live and online events – both indoors and out – including music, stories, poetry, theatre, ceremony, films, dance, readings, forums, workshops, discussions, gallery exhibits, art talks, history walks and more.
The mandate of the Festival is to promote, present and facilitate the development of artists, art forms, cultural traditions, history, activism, people and great stories about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The festival involves professional, community, emerging and student artists, and lovers of the arts.
Vancouver Moving Theatre acknowledges and honours that we live and work on the unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam Nations.
Support the work of Vancouver Moving Theatre. Your donations will support community renewal through the arts; training and performance opportunities for Downtown Eastside residents; inclusive community and social justice.
HATS OFF TO OUR FUNDING AND IN-KIND PARTNERS AND SPONSORS!
Vancouver Moving Theatre gratefully acknowledges the financial and in-kind support of our Festival partners and sponsors.
