Third Space Playback Theatre Edmonton

We are always grateful to be working with our long-term community partner Sisters Dialogue. We are so grateful to hold space for sharing stories from the women and girls in the Muslim community.

Our last project was performing for the opening of the Same, Same but Different Project in Oct. 2025. (from their webiste)

Same, Same But Different - Exploring Our Shared Worth grew out of a process of writing, art, photography and reflection. Participants came together to explore identity, belonging, and self-discovery. Through storytelling and creative exercises, they uncovered parts of themselves often hidden or silenced. The photoshoot became the final act of expression, a way to step forward, claim space, and be seen in their own light.

The work was guided by four artists: author Rahma Rodaah, visual artist Nora Salem, photographer Faisa Omer, and art therapist Lucy Lu. Their guidance helped participants move through the creative process with care, depth, and courage.

Made possible with funding from the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton

Same, Same but Different

Photo credit: Hajira ShahidInstagram: @photosbyhaj

Participants in the Same, Same but Different Project

Innovative Social Pedagogy Project (2021-24)

Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)

The Innovative Social Pedagogy to Empower Indigenous Communities, Reduce Gender, and Racial Biases project takes place over 3 years in 3 locations, Montreal, Chicoutimi, and Edmonton. Project Someone (Concordia University, Montreal), the University of Alberta and l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, along with community partners, will co-create, adapt and evaluate four distinct types of interventions through interactive workshops, documentaries and multimedia, online courses, and policy briefs.

Third Space is part of the Edmonton team, working with community members from Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) experiences. Our work is to acknowledge the deep kinship relations Indigenous nations/peoples have in these traditional territories, and to make space for Black and People of Colour communities to share in their stories and relations. As we learn about our diverse experiences through the power and impact of theatre, we trust that a relational process can offer insights on how our communities can work towards decolonization, how to best centre self-determination and sovereignty, and improve solidarity among racialized individuals and groups. ISP allows for this to happen by making space for stories from storied places. These storied places where we live, work, and play are on Indigenous lands and hold the stories and knowledge of our collectivities (i.e., different nations/peoples, and communities/families). ISP provides a tiered approach to communicating and recognizing each of our individual and collective perspectives in order to create solidarity and resist oppression and marginalization.

Download Edmonton ISP Brochure

Revisiting the Three R's- Resistance, Resilience, and Reconcilia(c)tion (2019-21) | funded by University of Alberta

In 2019 Thirdspace received seed funding from the University of Alberta Signature Area in Research at the Intersections of Gender (IG) to use Playback theatre as arts-based-research to explore strategies for creating dialogue between settler and Indigenous communities.

After our first few performances we realized that we were not reaching the communities we wanted to see in our audiences to facilitate the kinds of dialogues we wanted to have as an IBPoC performance group. The aim of the IG Development Grant was to build relationships with IBPoC communities through playback workshops/performances, leading up to a performance.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic we had to postpone the project to 2021 while we pivoted to performing online. Over the past year we have hosted open rehearsals targeted towards specific identity groups. We will host our final performance on December 18th, 2021, inviting the various communities we have been working with throughout the year.

Storylines: Community Dialogue Through Playback Theatre (2019-20) A collaboration with Filipino-Canadian Saranay Association of Alberta | supported by Edmonton Heritage Council and UAlberta Arts Based Research Studio

Storylines was a collaborative project that provided a series of playback workshops with members of the Saranay community in order to support sharing intergenerational heritage stories. The project began in the Fall of 2019 and ran in-person workshops in Jan-March 2020 using Playback Theatre and movement activities with students, parents and teachers of the program. We worked through the pandemic by shifting our process online and were able to hold our Filipino-centered community event on December 6, 2020 which included performances from Saranay musicians, story interviews by youth with community members and elders, a live on-line performance with Third Space Playback Theatre Edmonton and a 50/50 draw.

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Same, Same but Different

Participants in the Same, Same but Different Project

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