Despite ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the University of Waterloo and Waterloo Region continue to offer plenty of things to do during the month of September. Though you can check out the UW events page online to see a myriad of interesting activities to do on campus, there are a few events happening in the region this month that you might have missed.
Take Back the Night Waterloo Region
Sept. 16: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
44 Gaukel, Kitchener, Ont.
Organized by the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASC) in collaboration with numerous community partners, including the Coalition of Muslim Women, the Sex Workers Action Network of WR and the UW Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion Office, Take Back the Night Waterloo Region is an annual protest to assert the right to be safe at night.
The SASC is a grassroots organization that offers a 24-hour support line and online support and in-person counselling, as well as numerous other programs to support their mission of fighting systems of gender-based violence using an intersectional feminist approach. Take Back the Night rallies date back to the 1970s and were one of the first international efforts to fight sexual and gendered violence.
People of all genders are welcome to attend this outdoor event. It will consist of sign-making, speeches, performances, booths from the event’s community partners and a march. Face masks are required and hand sanitizing stations will be available.
Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre’s 18th annual Pow Wow
Sept. 25: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
St. Paul’s College
The Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre Pow Wow is an annual event that celebrates the traditional culture of Indigenous peoples, including drumming, dancing, a ceremonial fire and local food and crafting vendors. It is expected to take place at St. Paul’s College, which currently hosts the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre (WISC).
WISC offers many services to Indigenous students, with an eye to recognize and support the different cultures and rights of Indigenous peoples. It’s home to the Indigenous Student Association and the Waterloo Indigenous Student Residence, and hosts many events for Indigenous students throughout the semester.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will only be 10 Indigenous craft vendors and attendance will be limited, with priority given to dancers and drummers. The event will be gated to keep track of attendance and rapid antigen screening for COVID-19 will be available.
Impact 2021 International Theatre Festival
Sept. 28 to Oct. 9
Various locations
Bridging September and October, the Impact International Theatre Festival hosts numerous local, national and international performing arts productions in Uptown Waterloo and Downtown Kitchener, as well as online. The event is hosted by the Multicultural Theatre Space (MT Space), which was founded in 2004 by Lebanese-Canadian actor, director and dancer Majdi Bou-Matar, with a focus on providing a platform for marginalized artists and presenting productions that reflect Canada’s cultural diversity.
The festival will present 15 productions, including:
A Seat at the Table, a reflection on accountability and the Black experience from artists and dancer Esie Mensah as an extension of her 2021 film TESSEL.
Fuego Rojo, which is based on Memoria del Fuego by Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano and depicts the intersection of memory and current affairs in a dream-like opera and is presented by Chilean street theatre company La Patogallina.
Asphalt Jungle Shorts, a site-specific piece that combines the reality of the cityscape with theatre and is produced by Flush Ink Productions, a performing theatre company that specializes in Site-Specific theatre.
The schedule and ticket information for these productions and more can be found at the MT Space website. A Festival Pass is $121, while tickets for individual productions are on a sliding scale of $10 to $30. Single tickets can be purchased on specific event pages.
