This virtual workshop was presented by Ontario Presents on March 17, 2025 as part of the Slow Touring Project. It was made possible thanks to support from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Speakers
Workshop Highlights
Veronica Johnny's opening words, steeped in her Cree heritage and deeply personal experience, immediately grounded the conversation in a powerful sense of lived reality. Her grounding exercise was needed; and necessary centering practice that highlighted the interconnectedness of physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, setting the stage for a truly meaningful discussion.
Erin and Maxime’s candid description of the relentless pressure of the traditional touring circuit, marked by inaccessible venues, chronic exhaustion, and the constant struggle with scarcity, underscored how deeply ingrained urgency culture is. The seemingly simple phrase "walking distance," in their experience, highlighted often overlooked accessibility issues. Their transition to slow touring demonstrated positive impacts: increased capacity for appreciation, strengthened relationships, reduced environmental impact, and a heightened ability to listen to their bodies and trust their instincts. Their creativity – even in things like their unique earrings – demonstrated the power of accessibility as self-expression and advocacy.
Nova Bhattacharya’s personal struggle with chronic migraines provided a powerful perspective, highlighting the importance of self-advocacy. Her emphasis on rest as resistance directly challenged the pervasive lie that we need to constantly “do more.” Quoting Tricia Hersey’s powerful words, “Rest is radical because it disrupts the lie that we are not doing enough," she helped us to fully understand the transformative power of intentional rest and self-care. Introducing the seven kinds of rest (physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, spiritual, and social) reframed our understanding of rest itself, moving beyond a simplistic notion of physical rest to acknowledge the full spectrum of our human needs. Her call to “turn up the flame” on the slow touring movement, pushing back against the constant industry focus on "new work," felt particularly resonant. Her discussion about reconciliation in the arts, weaving in Indigenous practices such as beadwork, offered another layer to the conversation, highlighting the interconnectedness of well-being, artistic expression, and social justice.
Seeley Quest (sie/hir)’s contribution served as a stark reminder of the real-world consequences of prioritizing hustle over well-being. Hir story of choosing to cancel a performance highlighted the importance of ethical decision-making, even in the face of external pressure. The vulnerability sie shared about hir own experience with burnout and neurological symptoms due to overwork created empathy and reinforced the urgent need for systemic change. The example sie gave of the Summerworks Festival’s dedicated “Summer Break” day offered a beacon of hope, showing that prioritizing rest and well-being is not just possible, but increasingly vital. Hir advocacy for relaxed performance models in venues offered practical steps we could take immediately.
The question posed – what minimum shifts are needed to value rest, flexibility, and slowness – challenged everyone to think critically about what systemic changes are needed. The suggestions offered, including scaling back on large-scale projects, prioritizing workshops and smaller, flexible work, and embedding access and ethics riders into contracts, were both insightful and actionable. The conversation highlighted the importance of recognizing and actively addressing accessibility needs, both in terms of physical access and in providing the support and resources needed to unlearn ingrained biases around performance. The emphasis on check-ins, creating spaces where people felt empowered to show up authentically, and the suggestion of hiring accessibility consultants highlighted the necessity of addressing systemic issues beyond individual changes. The thoughtful discussion of models developed during the pandemic served as a powerful illustration that meaningful change is possible. The underlying message resonated throughout: We must change our paradigms, not just our personal hearts and minds.
Links & References
Seeley’s performance in Tkaronto - April 3rd 8pm Tuyavale - Silt: Freshwater