Menu
Based on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl’ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in Vancouver, Urban Ink Productions uplifts Indigenous and diverse voices through storytelling and performance. Founded in 2001, and currently under the Artistic Direction of Corey Payette, our circle of artists have broken barriers through groundbreaking productions created through collaboration and innovative practices. As we look ahead to the next 20 years to come, we continue to put the power in the hands of Indigenous and diverse artists to tell their own stories from their own unique voices.
The Cultch is Vancouver’s most diverse and innovative arts and cultural hub.
For 47 years, The Cultch has presented cutting-edge performances in contemporary music, theatre, and dance as well as producing outstanding community arts and educational initiatives for children, youth and their families. More than 300 performances each season are seen by over 50,000 people.
As a presenting theatre, The Cultch curates unique and diverse performances from Vancouver, across Canada and the globe, bringing world-class theatre, dance, and music to our community in East Vancouver.
The Cultch is home to three performance spaces: Historic Theatre, Vancity Culture Lab, and York Theatre. The Historic Theatre and Vancity Culture Lab are housed in a renovated church, constructed in 1909. The York started its life as The Alcazar Theatre in 1913. After being rescued from the wrecking ball, it was renovated to become the Cultch’s third theatre space; reopening in 2013 with the very first East Van Panto, produced with Theatre Replacement.
The Cultch’s purpose is to provide a performance space for diverse artists and audiences, serve as a space for artistic experimentation, develop local companies, and present groundbreaking national and international work.
COREY PAYETTE | Urban Ink Artistic Director
Corey Payette is an interdisciplinary storyteller, writer, composer, director in theatre and film. He is a member of the Mattagami First Nations, with French Canadian and Irish ancestry, and lives on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl’ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Known for his deeply moving, large-scale original musical creations, Payette’s work challenges the public’s notion of what musicals can be, inserting Indigenous perspectives and narratives into mainstream spaces, igniting conversations that inspire social change. Payette’s work explores themes of colonization, Indigenous language revitalization, cultural healing, reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, and the complexity of historic and contemporary Indigenous experiences across music, theatre, and film. Payette’s deeply collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and community engaged creation process has been integral in shining a light on stories that have gone unheard for generations. In 2021, Payette received the inaugural BC Reconciliation Award from The Honourable Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, created to honour those who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, respect, and commitment to furthering Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the province of British Columbia. He is the Artistic Director of Urban Ink, past Artist-in-Residence with National Arts Centre [NAC] English Theatre, and is the founder of Raven Theatre. His musicals Children of God, Les Filles du Roi, Sedna, and Starwalker have won multiple awards and have toured extensively across Canada. He was awarded the John Hirsch Prize from the Canada Council, Jessie Awards for Composition and Direction, and Ovation Awards for Best New Musical and Outstanding Direction. www.coreypayette.com