Magnetic North Theatre Festival reborn in B.C.
2017 edition cancelled because of money problems
The Magnetic North Theatre Festival is coming back in Vancouver with an expanded focus next spring.
The Canadian content-centric festival launched in 2003 and was affiliated with Ottawa's National Arts Centre, which hosted it every two years.
In March 2017, the festival's board of directors said it was too far in debt to continue, vowing to restructure and return.
Monday evening its board announced it is returning June 6 to 16, 2019, headquartered at The Cultch in east Vancouver with events across the Vancouver area.
Its focus is expanding to all live performing arts, not just theatre.
"It is not committed to being presented in particular cities each year. It will not be led by an artistic director, with a singular, curatorial vision," the board said in a news release.
"It will also not follow the format of traditional markets or industry events at festivals where the goal is to buy and sell product; those conferences and models already exist."
The board also said its partnership with the National Arts Centre is over and it will not be held there every second year anymore.