Youth Engagement Projects

TELLING IT BENT

Telling it Bent is our annual interdisciplinary writing workshop for queer, trans, Two Spirit and questioning BC youth ages 14 to 25. Throughout the program, participants explore poetry, playwriting, and interdisciplinary creation through a queer, decolonial, future building lens. Participants build connections with other young queer creatives, liberate their sense of imagination and play, and gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their artistic practice, and the possibilities of the stories they can tell. Last year, participants created one person or small-cast pieces of writing, performed by the cohort, in a range of styles and genres. As part of IGNITE! Festival, Telling It Bent culminates in a performance at the Cultch.

Applications open annually in October or November, so stay tuned!

TELLING IT BENT 2025 at IGNITE! Youth Driven-Driven Arts Festival

May 14th, 2025 at 8pm at the Cultch

Produced by the frank theatre company

Facilitator and Co-producer: Adonis Critter King

Frank theatre producers: Anais West & Karter Masuhara

Stage Manager: Alexa Fraser

Youth participants: Amaruuk Bose, Ronnie Cheng, Ninh Đặng, Vijeta Dhalla, Maraya Franca, Dylan Grace, Faye Ludwar, Neko Smart, and Sunny Zatzick.

MENTORS:

SCREENWRITING MENTOR:

Karter Masuhara: Non-binary artist and arts manager. They have worked for a variety of artistic companies in administrative and communication roles with a focus on creating opportunities to uplift diverse voices. As an artist they have written and directed an award-winning short film, Where to Piss, which has been entered into multiple film festivals globally. They have also written and self-produced their own play, Before They Cut Down Our Tree, which was presented at the 2023 Vancouver Fringe Festival. They have a Masters in Screenwriting from Leeds Beckett University.