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ABOUT US
The 35//50 Initiative is a coalition of BIPOC artists across Alberta who believe in representation as an actionable plan. Over the next three years, we are committed to seeing our civic landscape more equitably reflected in our professional landscape: a minimum of 35% BIPOC and 50% women and gender minorities in paid, professional positions. Hence the 35//50 Initiative. While our main focus is on BIPOC representation within our province, we firmly believe in intersectionality and that this work can also advance gender equity.
The 35//30 Initiative is thrilled to announce that as we continue to grow, we have partnered with Theatre Alberta to hire two new positions to help us plan! Congratulations to our new Strategic Coordinators Jesse Del Fierro and Andrés Moreno as they begin work on furthering the ALL IN program as well as helping us find our path forward to best serve our community!
The initiative began as a letter asking Albertan theatre institutions to commit to equitable employment of 35% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and 50% gender-variant folx and women by 2025. Now with the goal articulated and commitments being made, questions of intersectionality, accountability, and sustainability echo in conversations, and we are here to listen and offer curiosity in return. Curiosity, risk, failure, bravery, truth, commitment. These are just a few of the values we bring into our art making, and it is with these values we hope to continue sharing stories - just in a different context.
We invite anyone in our community to fill in the survey below and let us know your thoughts!
We thank the Edmonton Community Foundation, Calgary Foundation, and Rozsa Foundation for the flexibility to redirect remaining funds for ALL IN in service of this partnership, and we can’t wait to reconnect with ALL IN’s 95 theatre artists and administrators on next steps!
NEWS
STRATEGIC COORDINATORS
Jesse Del Fierro is a non-binary, Filipinx – Canadian theatre creator, performer and facilitator with the privilege to work in both Moh’kinstsis on Treaty 7 Territory and on the unceded, ancestral territories of the Coast Salish peoples colloquially known as Calgary AB and Vancouver BC respectively. They have the absolute joy of being Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre & Playwrights Theatre Centre’s 2021-22 MSG Emerging Dramaturg and one of The 35//50 Initiative’s Strategic Coordinators in partnership with Theatre Alberta. They have collaborated on works presented at PuSh International Performance Art Festival, SummerWorks, Audain Gallery, Vines Art Festival and rEvolver Festival amongst others. As a recipient of BCAC’s 2020 Early Career Development grant, Jesse is currently under the mentorship of Jenna Rodgers of Chromatic Theatre, and Jivesh Parasram of Rumble Theatre to further develop their skills as director, dramaturg, collaborator and overall badass artistic leader. Intersectionality is their only reality, and they appreciate you. Say hello at www.jessedelfierro.com.
JESSE DEL FIERO
Jesse is wearing a soft pink shirt against a soft pink background. They are seated with their knees bent halfway to their chest and their arms gently placed on their knees. They are smiling widely towards the source of light that is off frame to the top left corner. There is only one source of natural lighting draping a soft shadow onto the side of Jesse that is facing the camera.
Andrés Moreno is a proud Colombian artist and creator and an immigrant to Turtle Island based out of Treaty 6 who has always loved the tradition of storytelling and finding ways to infuse theatre into those stories. They are a multifaceted artist whose interests include playwriting, acting, directing, creation work, design, and piña coladas. Most recently Andrés has been focusing on which lens to tell a story from in order to maintain reflectivity in art as well as exploring medium as site specific performance. Previous credits include Sprouts!2021 (Concrete Theatre), The Lobbyists (Azimuth theatre); Working It Out (Work Plays); Born Again Crow (Gwaandak Theatre); Colour Me Queer (Renegade Theatre); and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Primestock Theatre.)
