Theatre SKAM seeks applications from Canadian performing arts companies and artists for new 10 minute works to be performed outdoors in Victoria, BC: July 8-11, 2027.

DEADLINE: Thursday, August 27, 2026 @ 9:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

For accessibility/accommodations or any other assistance, please contact Artistic & Managing Director Logan Swain (He/Him) at logan@skam.ca or 250-386-7526.

Theatre SKAM is seeking applications from Canadian artists for SKAMpede 2027. In its 19th year, this live performance event features original short performances by artists stationed outside along paved commuter and recreational trails, including the Galloping Goose Regional Trail and the Songhees Walkway. Performances are repeated over the course of the day as audiences roll, walk, or stroll their way in groups of 15 from show to show. SKAMpede is a multidisciplinary performance festival. We encourage applications from all performance disciplines. In the past, the event has featured comedy, drama, storytelling, spoken word, improv, music, opera, puppetry and dance. Eight short works will be programmed for this all-ages festival.

We strive to present both local and national artists at SKAMpede. We are committed to programming 75% Provincial (with 50% being Vancouver Island-based) and up to 25% National.

Accessibility

Theatre SKAM is committed to creating a more accessible environment for artists and our audiences. SKAMpede includes ASL interpreted performances, and we encourage artists to consider accessibility while creating their shows. If you have access needs, please let us know so we can provide proper accommodations.

Use of Setting

Performers are encouraged to be creative and consider the physical landscape of downtown Victoria, the green spaces along trails, and the harbour front when crafting submissions. Some shows are site-specific, requesting a particular location or creating their show to suit the one we assign them. All shows are site-responsive: performing live and in public outdoor spaces, subjected to whatever mother nature and the city throw at them. Shows take place in various settings, both urban and more natural. Picture rows of trees, large swaths of grass, rocky beaches, concrete gardens, bridges, and natural rock formations all brought to life with innovative new performances! 

Traditionally, we receive applications for many environmental and nature-based shows. As we expand along the city’s downtown waterfront, we have increased opportunities for urban-based show locations. SKAMpede has no theme but performing outdoors! We are looking for site-specific and site-responsive performance creation that demonstrates innovative thinking.

Artist Fees, Travel & Additional Support 

Successful applicants are paid a professional fee to be part of the festival.  Successful applicants from outside Victoria may also be provided with small travel stipends, contingent upon funding. If you or your group already have accommodation, please inform us in your application. Our goal is to assist artists in applying for grant funding to provide for travel and accommodation. We request that any out-of-town artists apply for funding through applicable arts councils and other funding bodies.

We set fees according to the number of participants in each show. Companies programmed in the festival are paid $650 per company member, so a company of 3 artists (regardless of how many roles each artist has in production) would be paid a total of $1950.  (We cannot hire a full production team to make a ten-minute show, please consider the scope of the festival when deciding on production team numbers. It is usual in the festival for team members to wear multiple hats.)

Festival Dates

All companies must be available for all five days of the festival:

• Evening Dress Rehearsal: Thursday, July 8, 2027

• Evening Preview Event: Friday, July 9, 2027

• Daytime Performances: Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11, 2027

Out-of-town companies should be prepared to spend up to four nights in Victoria (Arrive on Thursday morning and depart the following Monday).

Future Prospects

In the last several years, more than 15 shows created for SKAMpede have found further work or paid development elsewhere, and one author has been commissioned to create a full-length version of their 10-minute piece.