In the Soil Arts Festival
36 James St. L2R 5B8 Saint Catharines, ON, Canada

Join Suitcase in Point for Art of the City: Live with Jermaine Marshall, Rachel Rhoades and Federico Vega on March 17th 2021. We'll be joined by Graham Shaw of Mahtay Café & Lounge! Art of the City is a month-long online celebration of downtown St. Catharines and the creative community at the heart of our downtown core. Through a series of feature videos and live segments that share the stories, perspectives, and dreams of local artists and their special relationship to down...town St. Catharines, Art of the City aims to connect and garner support from the larger community for our downtown businesses, venues, and events that have been struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more about Art of the City at lovestc.ca/art-of-the-city

LAST WEEK TO APPLY A reminder that our Call for Submissions for part one of our 2021 Multi-[p]Arts Festival closes WEDNESDAY MARCH 17! We are seeking submissions for a summer series of art events and happenings throughout the Niagara Region, inspired by the theme Lost / Found. We offer Lost / Found as a poetic suggestion to spark your imagination and ignite ideas that are meant to fly in the face of COVID-19. What place, familiar space or uncharted creative territory do yo...u want to reveal or revel in? What local architecture, landscape or neighbourhood do you want to highlight in an innovative way? We are seeking creative ideas intended for limited, physically distanced audiences. We encourage artists to think about site-specific projects and how these locations, common or unique, can illuminate creative ideas with out-of-the-box performances or installations. What’s it going to be? Sunset soliloquies? Dead-end street drum beats? A full-length play by the creek? Neighbourhood backyard party hops between acoustic sets? What echoes and murmurs and intimate happenings throughout our cities and countryside can you imagine happening? This summer, let’s find each other in unsuspecting places and get lost in your stories, your music, your creations, your art. @suitcaseinpoint staff will work with selected artists on assessing the feasibility of ideas, developing and solidifying locations, assisting with production and technical elements and permits where necessary. All selected artists will also receive an artist fee. Visit our website for submission details. Applications close Wednesday March 17 2021 at 11:59pm EST.

Art of the City Part One: The Creative Community in Downtown St. Catharines Produced by Suitcase in Point Theatre Company with Fourgrounds Media Inc. and bbbblanc Your assignment today is to stop by your favourite cafe downtown and pick up a drink you typically reserve for special days - you know, the one with extra foam - and then pop into a shop for that thing you’ve been eyeing. A juicy novel, a soothing skin care product, vintage tee, or a gift for someone you’ve missed.... Afterward, find a spot to sit back and be awed by the reflections of our downtown creative community in this short film, the first feature in our Art of the City series. Get to know the people who make downtown St. Catharines special, and lend your support where you can so we can collectively continue to foster and nourish this sense of community. Find out more at lovestc.ca/art-of-the-city Artists, in order of appearance: Iain Lidstone Caitlyn Vergara Katey Gatta Jermaine Marsha;; Rae Rees Sammy Jackson Ahmed Bader Emma Lee Fleury Federico Vega Darryl Dyball / Macy Manolo Joanne Ring Bonez Poley Love STC | St. Catharines Downtown Association | Tourism St. Catharines | InvestinSTC | Innovate Niagara | Fourgrounds Media Inc. | bbbblanc | Digital Main Street | FedDev Ontario | FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre | Niagara Artists Centre (NAC) | Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts

Our for downtown St. Catharines knows no bounds, and we know you've missed gathering at the festival hub in between the many downtown venues that host and support our traditional yearly festival. For a taste of why our local artists and our downtown neighbourhood are so remarkable, follow along with Suitcase in Point Theatre Company for Art of the City, a month-long celebration of our incredible creative community and the home of In the Soil

IT'S HERE! IN THE SOIL MULTI (P)ARTS FESTIVAL 2021 CALL FOR ARTISTS... We are excited to share a long-awaited call for this year’s first [p]Art of our reimagined In the Soil Multi (p)Arts Festival! We’re starting things off with a call for submissions for a summer series of art events and happenings throughout the Niagara Region, inspired by the theme Lost / Found. We offer Lost / Found as a poetic suggestion to spark your imagination and ignite ideas that are meant to fly in the face of COVID-19. What place, familiar space or uncharted creative territory do you want to reveal or revel in? What local architecture, landscape or neighbourhood do you want to highlight in an innovative way? We are seeking creative ideas intended for limited, physically distanced audiences. We encourage artists to think about site-specific projects and how these locations, common or unique, can illuminate creative ideas with out-of-the-box performances or installations. What’s it going to be? Sunset soliloquies? Dead-end street drum beats? A full-length play by the creek? Neighbourhood backyard party hops between acoustic sets? What echoes and murmurs and intimate happenings throughout our cities and countryside can you imagine happening? This summer, let’s find each other in unsuspecting places and get lost in your stories, your music, your creations, your art. Suitcase in Point Theatre Company staff will work with selected artists on assessing the feasibility of ideas, developing and solidifying locations, assisting with production and technical elements and permits where necessary. All selected artists will also receive an artist fee. Deadline to submit: Wednesday 17 March, 2021 Application details and submission form: https://inthesoil.on.ca/

Don't forget to register for tonight's FREE live streamed presentation of an excerpt from JimiBill and Me. In its original incarnation, this play was presented at In the Soil 2017. Hear how it has evolved from playwright and actor Genevieve Jones during the post-show Q&A. Find out more and reserve your spot at https://suitcaseinpoint.com/portfolio-item/jimibill-and-me/

CALLING ALL ARTISTS! Our team at Suitcase in Point Theatre Company is seeking artists from a variety of disciplines to help celebrate the important role our creative community has in downtown St. Catharines. The deadline to apply is this Monday, February 1st at 5PM, and selected artists will receive a $500 honorarium for their participation.... APPLY TODAY, and share this opportunity with your creative circles! https://suitcaseinpoint.com/portfolio-item/art-of-the-city/

On Friday January 29th at 8pm, Suitcase in Point Theatre Company presents an online workshop preview of JimiBill and Me, an original play written and performed by Genevieve Jones and musician Katey Gatta. This introductory preview will be followed by a live Question & Answer session with the Director, Playwright/Actor, and Musician. Register for free at https://suitcaseinpoint.com/portfolio-item/jimibill-and-me/ About JimiBill and Me:... JimiBill and Me is the story of a daughter grappling with her abandonment wound of her absent father. Accompanied by live music composed by Katey Gatta, JimiBill and Me provides a raw, transformative tale of heartbreak, healing and forgiveness. The first iteration of this work premiered at In the Soil Arts Festival 2017, has since undergone further development, and was scheduled to be part of In the Soil Arts Festival 2020. Created under the veil of the pandemic, this is the third incarnation of this raw and vulnerable tale about healing an abandonment wound and learning to forgive. Content Warning: Explicit Language, Mature Language, Narcotics Triggers, Addictions Triggers Jenny Arndt: Director Katey Gatta: Composer, Musician and Teenage JimiBill Genevieve Jones: Writer and Performer Amanda McDonnell: Stage Manager

Join our organizing team and be part of the magic of In the Soil!

What a weekend! Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for a reimagined RHIZOMES experience. Special thanks to our incredible artists, including Flashfoodtography, Katie Mazi, Rebekka Gondosch & Jesse Horvath, Emily Andrews, Jon Shaw, Eve Atoms, Roselyn Kelada-Sedra & Alex Ring, Iain Lidstone, Marcel Stewart, and Magdolene Dykstra. Many thanks to Chance Mutuku and the team at bbbblanc for bringing Suitcase in Point Theatre Company's Freedom mixtape to life with outdoor a...nimations, and to the team at Niagara Artists Centre (NAC) and Rob Robbins at LIVE on Request for production and technical assistance. Warm thanks to our venues, Silver Spire United Church, The Lincoln, Dispatch Restaurant, Warehouse, and Niagara Artists Centre (NAC), and to Niagara Region for support through the Niagara Investment in Culture program. And many thanks to our incredible volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure a safe and enjoyable RHIZOMES for all! Stay tuned for more parts of our Multi-[p]Arts festival and more RHIZOMES photos from the talented Lauren Garbutt Photography.

RHIZOMES tours are sold out, but we encourage you to join us in The Littlest Boho for Niagara Artists Centre (NAC)’s Art & Marketplace event today from 11-5!

*UPDATE* Tickets for tonight are SOLD OUT! We have one ticket available for each of the following tours: Saturday at 6pm and 7pm Sunday at 6pm and 7pm... Tickets available at rhizomes.brownpapertickets.com If you missed out on a ticket, we encourage you to pop by and check out the outdoor art installations, including Jose Luis Torres’ Traverseés, located between The Lincoln and the Silver Spire Church. And of course, donations to your favourite multi-[p]arts festival are always welcomed through the donation portal at inthesoil.on.ca. Happy RHIZOMES, everyone!

What a wonderful first night of RHIZOMES! The fun continues all weekend long, with some single tickets available tonight and tomorrow. If you’re coming as a duo or a group, Sunday at 8pm is your chance! rhizomes.brownpapertickets.com

Artist Jon Shaw joins us again this year for RHIZOMES with an interactive community painting project, beginning TONIGHT! Tickets are on sale now at rhizomes.brownpapertickets.com