MISSION STATEMENT In Arms Theatre Collective is an independent ad hoc queer theatre group creating work, representation, and opportunities for 2SLGBTQ+ identifying artists in primarily Amiskwaciy-waskâhikan, Treaty 6 (Edmonton, Alberta) since 2015.
BLACK LIVES MATTER The work of In Arms is incomplete without emphasizing that we stand in active solidarity with Black and Indigenous people of the colonial nation state of Canada. We emphasize that all Black lives matter, that all Indigenous lives matter, that we are working on stolen land, and that our work must be to examine and resist against racism in all of its manifestations. No justice, no peace. We are committed to anti-racism in our artistic practice. We will deepen and continue this work.
In Arms Theatre operates primarily out of Amiskwaciy-wâskahigan, colonially known as Edmonton, which is part of the territory covered by Treaty 6. This land is the ancestral territory ofthe Nations of Cree, Nakota-Sioux, Blackfoot, Dene, Tsuu T'ina, Metis and other Indigenous peoples who make and have made their lives here. We speak to the history of this land because the colonial project of Canada has far-reaching influences on every facet of our lives, including how we make art, make a living, whose stories are told, and how, who receives funding, and whose voices are heard and prioritized in every space we enter. As a theatre company we work to centre this understanding of how we came to this land as settlers, and what our duty is to the land and people who are currently here, who came before us, and who will follow us. (written by Sarah J Culkin, for Co-Artistic Director, on behalf of In Arms Theatre)