GENERAL Call for Artists

GENERAL Call for Artists

Introductory Video

GENERAL call for Artists

What:

Common Boots Theatre is now accepting digital Artist Submissions for our General Call For Artists. This General Call For Artists allows us to meet artists outside of the constraints of casting for specific projects, so that we can engage more people from the broader theatre community in the future.

Who (Us):

Common Boots Theatre

Common Boots Theatre celebrates 39 years of Serious Comedy. Throughout our nearly four decade history, we have maintained a strong history of producing provocative, incisive, new Canadian theatre and creating a supportive environment for unique voices to thrive. We do this through a boundless sense of play and wonder, a myriad of inspirations and collaborators, and multiple access points for audiences to enjoy. We are a Toronto-based, artist-run company with strong partnerships with artists and organizations across Ontario and Canada.

Mandate

To collaboratively create new theatrical works that tell inclusive stories with comedy and play at the core.

Mission

Common Boots Theatre creates original and collaborative theatre for traditional and non-traditional theatrical spaces. We tell diverse and inclusive stories through comedy, physicality, and play. Our goal is to make theatre accessible for artists and audiences starting with the rehearsal and creation process through to closing night.

Who (You):

We are interested in meeting artists of all levels of experience who resonate with our mandate and mission, particularly the following:

  • Artists interested in physical theatre, clown, mask, puppetry, sound-led theatre, and sensory theatre
  • Artists from underrepresented and marginalized communities. This includes, but is not limited to: gender, race or ethnicity, d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Blind/low vision, disability, neurodiversity, mental illness, and other intersections and identities.

If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact us at [email protected] and we will work with you to address any concerns or accessibility needs and accommodations.

When:

Submissions will be accepted on an ongoing basis from July until October. You can take as long as you need to submit, and you can submit after October (we will still accept submissions, but we may not be able to respond right away to support and accessibility requests).

How:

  • Submit by email to [email protected]
  • With the Subject Line: [Your Name] – General Call For Artists

There are four (4) things to include in your Artist Submission. None of these things are mandatory, however together they help us best understand who you are as an artist:

  1. A photograph of you: This could be a headshot, a selfie, an image that represents you.
  2. Resume, CV, or artistic summary: This should represent your artistic path, including past and current projects, education, interests and special skills. Written document preferred.
  3. A short introduction: Tell us about yourself! Questions you could answer include: What makes you excited about art?; What is your artistic and personal journey to where you are today?; What dreams and aspirations do you have as an artist? This is your opportunity to let us know about your interests, your process, or other things you want us to know about you as an artist. This could be in any form: if written, try to keep it to about 500 words; if in video or audio recording form, please try to keep it to about 3 minutes.
  4. A sample of your art: most actors submit a performance of a monologue for this, however depending on what forms of art you work in, this could also be a video or audio recording, photographic stills, a script sample, or perhaps something else. Performers could present a monologue, an ASL performance, a movement piece, clown turn, musical performance, or another form of performance. For video or audio recordings, please keep them under 5 minutes, for script samples or other written forms, please keep them under 15 pages.

If your files are small (under 5mb) you can attach them to your email, if they are larger (above 5mb), you can send us an external link (ex. Youtube, Vimeo) or transfer them digitally (ex. WeTransfer).

Are you also interested in administration, producing, designing, or other disciplines behind the scenes? We’d love to hear from you as well!

Do you have a question, or need help?

Send us a message at [email protected] and we’ll make sure to answer your questions and provide you with the resources you need to submit.

Please note: Submissions are not a guarantee of work or engagement. Submitted materials are for internal reference purposes only and will not be used by Common Boots Theatre in any form or shared publicly. Artists retain all rights to materials submitted. We will do our best to respond to all submissions, however due to the volume of submissions we may not be able to personally respond to all submissions.

Ethnocultural mandate or casting statement

We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. We encourage submissions from everyone, without regard to age, disability, ethno-cultural identity, race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other basis. Artists are welcome to self-identify if they so choose. 

If there are any barriers (language, disability, or any other considerations) preventing you from submitting, please let us know and we will work with you to resolve any issues.