NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival
Curated by Rose-Ingrid Benjamin with Nina Lee Aquino and NAC Popular Music and Variety
NAC English Theatre
January 31 - February 11, 2024
Emerging in the 1970s from disenfranchised Black communities in the Bronx, hip hop has exerted a resounding influence on Canadian culture for the past four and a half decades. The five elements of deejaying, emceeing, graffiti, breaking and knowledge characterize hip hop not only as a musical genre but a lifestyle and culture – a highly performative art form boasting a rich history of international events which pay homage to hip hop’s inherently theatrical foundation. Inspired by this reality, the NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival invites you to join us as we celebrate the power found at this intersection.
To kick off our ten-day festival, we open with an immersive, monumental hip hop cypher, filmed and projected live onto our stunning outdoor digital installation. The festival will then unfold with a focus on the power of the word in hip hop. Our festival will feature battle rap, spoken word, staged readings (including Twisted, an adaptation of Oliver Twist), panels, concerts, and virtual events, all designed to expand the perspectives that determine how we view and experience theatre at its core.
The full NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival artists and line up will be announced September 2023. Tickets for the festival will go on sale in the fall.
NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival
May 5, 2023
