Navigating Unwritten Codes

Presented in partnership with City Hall Live

Panelists:

• Carmen Elle (DIANA)
• Rosina Kazi (Bricks & Glitter, Unit 2, LAL)
• Daniel Mack (Unit 2)
• Kayla McGee (The Music Gallery)
• Les Seaforth (FiveDollar RapShow, More Or Les)
• with moderator, Emma Bortolon-Vettor (Wavelength, Bonnie Trash, FPOP)

Plus! Live set by HEAVEN (cosmic avant-pop)

FREE admission (seating first come, first served) Plus free coffee/tea & cookies!

So you started a band, eh? Maybe a new theatre company, or a dance troupe. How do you break into the scene in your city? Who do you talk to, and what are these unwritten rules and codes that we abide by and for some reason, tend to conform to? Maybe you don’t like these rules and this scene and so you start a new crew for a new scene. Let’s write down these unwritten rules and stand them on their heads. It’s time for us to crack these codes and bake a cake with one hell of a recipe.

DIY scenes are built on unwritten codes in how we construct and negotiate scenes, and for a ton of reasons: economics, demographics, and geography are a few of the heavy hitters. Others might be a lack of documentation or mentorship, or different expectations of what constitutes fairness. What is the situation like in Toronto and how does it differ from a smaller community? How have these sometimes secretive ways of DIY culture benefitted or limited growth of an arts culture and its subsets of expression? We have invited guest panellists to share their stories and expertise.

This discussion aims to objectively quantify the parameters of these unwritten codes around collaboration, networking, knowledge/expertise, and finance.