Innovative. Immersive. Immediate.
What is subDevision?
subDevision, a site-specific event created by an ad-hoc collective of local interdisciplinary artists. Artists create bite-sized, site-specific, non-traditional, interdisciplinary work for audiences to immerse themselves into. This experience celebrates and fosters the production of site-specific, innovative, and boundary-pushing professional work. subDevision helps artists create partnerships, share resources, expand audiences, develop new skills, and raise the bar in the independent arts community by encouraging creative rigour and innovation. Every subDevision takes over a new venue to create immersive experiences and activate new multi-disciplinary work in a non-traditional space. Past subDevisions have taken place, for instance, at the Ottawa Art Gallery, La Nouvelle Scène, Arts Court, and Enriched Bread Arts.
The History of subDevision
subDevision was born as a site-specific theatre party the gives space for independent companies. Originally created in 2011 by Kevin Waghorn (independent Producer), Sarah Conn (2 Little Birds/STO Union), John Doucet (Théâtre Rouge Écarlate), Catriona Leger (independent Associate Producer), Emily Pearlman (Mi Casa), Kate Smith (Skeleton Key), and Bronwyn Steinberg (Counterpoint players) because of the strong desire in the Ottawa theatre community for indie artists to share innovative, boundary-pushing professional work. In 2013, Patrick Gauthier joined the collective as co-Producer and Seth Gerry as Production Manager.
The inaugural subDevision was a stand-alone event in 2011 at an old church and eventually expanded in May 2013 as part of the Encounters Series at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival. The 2013 event featured local talent including Alix Sideris, Doreen Taylor-Claxton, Kelly Rigole, Cory Thibert, Tony Adams, Kiersten Hanly, Sara Duplancic, Sarah Conn, Patrick O’Neil, Brad MacNeil, Nick DiGaetano, Emily Pearlman, Kate Smith, Elisa Gauthier and more! subDevision was praised for its formant, it’s talent and the artistic outlet it had offered the Ottawa community, subDevision was inspired by a Vancouver event called Hive; a group that puts on “installation-based shows” and invited audiences into unique spaces, as opposed to sitting in the theatre. This concept has become an integral part of the theatre party; allowing artists year after year to expand their creativity, create in unconventional spaces and allow them to create high-quality work.
Since its successful events beginning in 2011 subDevision has continued to “pop up” as the need appears. An integral part of the event is the spontaneous nature; originally founded because of the hunger in the indie community to have a space to showcase their work. When it appeared again in 2015 and 2019 it was a collective of artists who joined forces to once again highlight the indie community. Each iteration was praised for the brilliant shows that stood strong in their own perspectives and the use of non-traditional spaces.
Most recently subDevision brought back the party in 2024 featuring indie companies including Skeleton Key Theatre, Nascence Theatre, Charcoal Theatre, The Precariat and more. It was a multilingual, multidisciplinary, immersive, and memorable party that transformed the Ottawa Art Gallery into a theatrical kaleidoscope. The artistic exploration and collaboration that subDevision offers is an essential outlet for the independent theatre community; stay tuned for what the next collective of artists will offer Ottawa.