Voices Alive: Stories That Connect

Voices Alive: Stories That Connect is a community-driven storytelling and performance series at the Alcove Centre for the Arts in downtown Calgary. It brings together diverse voices through storytelling, spoken word, theatre, film, dance, poetry, and community conversations. Audiences actively co-create performances, shaping the city’s cultural life.

Schedule: Two activities per month, primarily on Saturdays, from April 11 to August 29, 2026.

Goals:

• Create a Welcoming Hub: Connect youth, seniors, newcomers, and city-wide residents in a vibrant creative space.

• Celebrate Diversity: Amplify voices from all cultural backgrounds.

• Empower Artists: Provide workshops, mentorship, and performance opportunities for emerging and underrepresented artists.

• Strengthen Social Connections: Foster dialogue, collaboration, and intercultural understanding.

• Advance Social Justice: Explore equity, migration, anti-racism, LGBTQ2+ rights, gender equality, and cultural preservation.

• Ensure Accessibility: Deliver inclusive, multilingual programming.

• Document Impact: Capture activities to inspire future engagement.

Community Engagement:

• Intergenerational storytelling connecting youth and seniors.

• Collaborations with newcomer and cultural groups sharing migration and belonging stories.

• Interactive dramatic readings and film screenings with discussions.

• Poetry and storytelling open-mics amplifying community voices.

• Theatre, dance, and performance workshops for all skill levels.

Inclusion & Diversity: Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Canadian, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQ2+, and other marginalized voices are central. Activities celebrate identity, challenge inequities, and foster dialogue on social justice.

Target Audience: Youth, seniors, newcomers, families, marginalized communities, artists, scholars, and Calgary residents city-wide—all actively participating as collaborators.

Collaborators: Professional artists lead workshops, readings, and co-created performances, providing mentorship, building skills, and fostering cross-cultural connections.

Voices Alive engages Calgary residents in storytelling, theatre, dance, film, and poetry, turning audiences into active participants while fostering lasting social, cultural, and creative impact.

Primary Beneficiaries: Youth, seniors, newcomers, families, and marginalized communities—including Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Canadian, Indigenous, Latinx, and LGBTQ2+ voices—gain opportunities to share stories, build connections, and strengthen community ties.

Secondary Beneficiaries: Local artists receive mentorship, workshops, and performance opportunities, while cultural organizations and educators access project outputs for learning and engagement. City-wide participation sparks intercultural dialogue, collaboration, and understanding across diverse populations.

Impact: Audiences become active collaborators, developing leadership, communication.