Urban Ink hosts the sixth annual TRANSFORM Festival at the Vancouver Playhouse starting November 6
Presented in collaboration with The Cultch, multidisciplinary event features an all-star lineup of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists
SPONSORED POST BY Urban Ink
TRANSFORM Festival 2024. Photo by Matt Reznek
Urban Ink’s TRANSFORM Festival returns for its sixth year with its biggest and boldest lineup yet, presented in collaboration with The Cultch at the Vancouver Playhouse from November 6 to 8 and 14 to 15.
Curated by Urban Ink artistic director Corey Payette, the 2025 edition features an all-star lineup of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists across multiple disciplines, breaking boundaries through collaboration and experimentation.
Among the highlights are the Opening BASH! on November 6 and Closing BASH! on November 15, two electrifying evenings hosted by Canada’s Drag Race Season 5 star and 2SLGBTQIA+ community advocate Jaylene Tyme.
Jaylene Tyme. Photo by The Drag Series
The first live performance workshop production of Wolf Cull, a new Indigenous one-act thriller by playwright Cheyenne Scott, will take place on November 7. In the near future, in an invented Indigenous territory, five young women—Rebel, Leader, Brawn, Wildcard, and Skeptic—are drawn by a shared dream to the hunting grounds, where they uncover mysterious tracks that challenge their skills and the group’s fragile unity. How does the creature manifest within and how do we track, hunt, and transform it? This in-development production explores internalized trauma, the knowledge and power of Indigenous women, and the process of healing.
Cris Derksen of Where The Rivers Meet.
Cheyenne Scott of Wolf Cull. Photo by Alexia Muriah
November 8 will see the return of Juno Award–nominated cellist and composer Cris Derksen with the world premiere concert Where The Rivers Meet, a night that will also have a performance by opera sensation Emma Pennell.
The Starwalker Experience, a multidisciplinary concert, will take place on November 14. It blends a live band, drag performance, and film clips in celebration of the music from Payette’s award-winning feature film Starwalker.
The Starwalker Experience. Photo by David Cooper
And on November 15, there will be a highly anticipated vocal performance by Rebecca Strong, the first Indigenous woman to win Canada’s Got Talent in 2024. The Closing BASH! is sponsored by Iredale Architecture Firm.
TRANSFORM Festival tickets start at $19, with seating for Wolf Cull available right up onstage. Experience all five dates from the best seats in the house and save 25 percent with the purchase of a Festival Pass. Additionally, free tickets for Indigenous patrons are available with the code “INDIGENOUS”.
For more information, visit transformfestival.ca and follow @urbaninkvan on social media.
Post sponsored by Urban Ink.
Related Articles
Featured
