The Other Guise Theatre Society: Nominated by Matthew Payne, Sessional Lecturer, Component 3, Theatre
The Other Guise Theatre Society was founded in 2000 to support artists and audiences on the island. Since that time, the company has created over a dozen new works and toured many of those up and down the island, throughout the Pacific Northwest and as far away as Hong Kong. In 2022 they bought a building in downtown Victoria at 716 Johnson Street (the former Tomley’s Market). The company is now working diligently to turn that space into an arts hub with three stages , two rehearsal studios and hot desks. This new performing arts hub will enable small and medium-sized dance, theatre and music artists to shepherd new work from creation to performance.
The new hub at 716 Johnson fills a documented need in the community. A 2020 report from the CRD indicated 69% of artists cannot find appropriate performance or rehearsal space. The list of live performance spaces that have closed their doors in the past several years continues to grow (Victoria Events Centre, Copper Owl, Carlton Club and more). Other Guise aims to support equity-seeking artists by providing priority access programs. They have also set the goal of being the greenest theatre in the country. CUPE 4163 support for The Other Guise and their new venue downtown extends our support to a range of performing artists and arts groups.
UVic Society for Students with a Disability (SSD): Nominated by Marissa Donaldson, Teaching Assistant, Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies
As a leading community building advocacy group organization, the Society for Students with a Disability (SSD) is dedicated to finding space for all folks through our community dinners, programming, events, and peer support groups. As we continue to grow, more outreach has meant a flourishing community and more foot traffic in our student lounge space. We’re looking to replace our broken sit/stand desk and Mac computer to achieve better accessibility for our community. Both the desk and computer are important for student access, as the desk allows for adjustment for various mobility aid heights at the push of a button, while MacOS supports a variety of accessibly features and adaptive software for students to use free of charge in our space. Our previous Mac was decommissioned in the spring as it was beyond its lifespan and could no longer receive mandatory security upgrades. Receiving this fund would benefit disabled students across the UVic campus by allowing them a better accessible space to work and come into community. Thank you so much for your consideration.