PERFORMANCE LAB

A mentorship program for interdisciplinary, contemporary performance, dance, and/or non-traditional theatre artists.

THE PROGRAM

The Performance Lab program prioritizes interdisciplinary, contemporary dance, and physical or non-traditional theatre practices.

The program is intended to support artists that have started to explore a creation practice. While not necessarily project specific, their artistic work is at the centre of the conversation. Projects, paired with the mentorship, can be an important tool for development. Artists will be provided one-on-one mentorship, studio space, honorarium, and access to Peek Fest workshops.

Impulse Provides:

In-person: Up to 25 hours of dedicated studio time between November 3 and 21, 2025
10 hours (6 in October, 4 in November) of mentorship with the Wonderheads
$1000 honorarium
A showcase opportunity with other fesival artists on November 22, 2026
Access to all specialized Peek Fest workshops

PAST PARTICIPANTS

2025

Zane Allison
Alynne Sinnema

Mentor: The WonderHeads

2024

Julian Legere / Cocksure Productions
Cheyenne Scott

Mentor: Adrienne Wong

Lee Ingram

Mentor: Pam Tzeng

2022

A dancer on her with her arms spread wide up against a screen with a variety of text across the top.

A dancer kneeling. They hold a thin piece of wire that is a attached to a pile of it on the ground beside them.

Hilary Ho
The Beckoning

Sierra Megas
beach studies

Mentor: Andrew Barrett

2021

A grid of 9 photos that feature close up photos of different body parts

The shadow of a person behind a screen. They hold a bright light that shines in the middle of their shadow.

A drawing on a water colour background of a person looking into a mirror.

Sophie Underwood (Victoria, BC)
In Motion

Colette Habel (Vancouver, BC)
Sensitive Content

Ryan Wilcox (Halifax, NS)
i think i loved you (and it scares me)

Mentor: Stewart Legere

2020

A father and son laughing together in a chair

A screenshot from Zoom that shows two people each in their own kitchens and a third screen with an overhead view of the food waiting to be cooked

A screenshot from a website entitled “Royal Academy of Intelligent Design”

Howard Dai (Vancouver)
The Rex Project

happy/accidents (Vancouver)
a place once called home

FromTheCorner Productions
Selective Memory

Mentor: Adrienne Wong

2019

A close up photo of a person’s face pressed against water and the reflection of the face

Two people standing. One holds a garbage bag and the other leans on the table.

Two dancers face each other with their arms raised. One uses a manual wheelchair and the other is standing.

Embrace Arts (Victoria, BC)
S_ _ _Pace

Re:Current Theatre (Vancouver & Toronto, BC)
100 bad plays about the environment and one red balloon

SNAFU Dance Theatre (Victoria, BC)
SNAFU Shorts: Epidermis Circus and Today you, Tomorrow me.

Administrative Mentor: Clayton Baraniuk

2018

Three artists on a stage, with the backs of audience heads visible in the shot. Two of the artists are holding up a rope that has word cards attached to it. The third artist is picking up another word card.

An artist in a leather jacket holds their arms up with biceps flexed

Two artists stand at a table playing a game. Behind them the game and their scores are being projected onto the curtain.

Milton Lim + Patrick Blenkarn (Vancouver, BC)
culturecaptial

Rose Cotton (Victoria, BC)
Gender is Mine: A One Person Poetry Slam

Broken Down Bus Productions (Victoria, BC)
off on/on off