Learning Sessions

This page features the learning sessions at the conference & will continue to be updated.

This page was last updated on April 25, 2025.

May 22, 2025

Ripples of Impact

Wednesday, May 22, 2025 @ 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Neptune Theatre, Fountain Hall

Industry leaders will take the stage to share the groundbreaking initiatives, bold ideas, and transformative work their organizations are driving forward. Each speaker will offer a behind the scenes look at their most impactful achievements, from community programs making waves to innovative programs shaping the future. Discover fresh ideas, make meaningful connections, and walk away with actionable insights to fuel your own work. Whether you're seeking inspiration or looking to collaborate, this is your chance to hear firsthand how companies are creating impact.

Cities of/for Culture: How Civics, Commerce, and Culture thrive together

With Jeremy Webb (Neptune Theatre), Tony Mancini (Deputy Mayor of Halifax) & Paul MacKinnon (CEO of Downtown Halifax Business Commission), facilitated by Brad Lepp (Executive Director, PACT)

May 22, 2025 @ 2:30-4:00 PM

Neptune Theatre (Fountain Hall Stage)

Few places have cultural vibrancy woven into the fabric of their city quite like Halifax. What roles do municipal policy, business development, and cultural leadership each have to play in order for the whole city to succeed? We’ll discuss how that collaboration has been coordinated locally,  what other models exist, and what opportunities remain.

Reflections from the International Black Theatre Festival

With Jacob Sampson (2b theatre)

May 22, 2025 @ 4:30-5:30 PM - Neptune Theatre (Oland Rehearsal Hall)

Sponsored by Arts Nova Scotia

Join 2b theatre's Associate Artistic Director Jacob Sampson, as he highlights the work by 2b theatre that was presented at the International Black Theatre Festivals Colloquium in Winston-Salem N.C. The session will also offer takeaways from the experience of leading an African Nova Scotian delegation to the IBTF, and the significant opportunity this offers to Black theatre artists and companies presenting Black works in Canada. 

Labour Relations – SuperHappyFunTimes with the Playwrights Guild of Canada Agreement

With PACT's PGC Negotiating Team

Wednesday, May 22, from 2:30-4:00 PM

Neptune Theatre (Pratt & Whitney Rehearsal Hall)

SuperHappyFunTime (SHFT) sessions are opportunities to learn, discuss, and ask questions about recent and upcoming changes to the agreements that PACT administers jointly with the Associated Designers of Canada (ADC), the Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) and Canadian Actors Equity Association (the Canadian Theatre Agreement or CTA). They are not a how-to on using the various agreements.

This PGC SHFT is an opportunity for PACT Members to discuss the Ratification Package changes for the new PGC Agreement. The vote by PACT Regular & Commercial Members will take place during the Annual General Meeting on Friday, May 23, 2025.

This meeting is open to delegates representing PACT Regular, Commercial, and Affiliate Members only.

Membership Framework of Care Discussion

With Brad Lepp, Mike Payette & Richard Lam

Wednesday, May 22, from 4:30 - 5:30 PM

Neptune Theatre (Pratt & Whitney Rehearsal Hall)

PACT invites member companies to a conversation around the latest draft of PACT's proposed Membership Framework of Care, a manifesto outlining the ethos, code of conduct, and values of its membership, as well as a process by which PACT might support its members in a relationship-centred approach. 

An updated draft to be passed at PACT's Annual General Meeting on Friday, May 23, 2025 in Kijipuktuk Halifax will be circulated for review prior to the gathering as a part of the AGM Materials. 

Delegates can find the most updated copy of the document to review prior to the event by clicking here.

We recognize and acknowledge the distinct work done by Neworld Theatre on the development of their Framework of Care in partnership with Balancing Act. For more information on their policy visit here: https://balancingactcanada.com/en/partner/neworld-theatre/

An Introduction to Transformative Mediation

With Richard Lam

May 22, 2025 @ 2:30-4:00 PM

Neptune Theatre (Scotiabank Studio Theatre)

Are you looking for additional tools to address conflicts or to broaden your toolbelt? If so, this is the session for you.

Transformative Mediation is a flexible, values-driven process for resolving conflicts that prioritizes agency and transparency for the parties involved. Participants in this workshop will learn about the philosophy of conflict resolution, the values of Transformative Mediation as a practice, and receive grounded, useable advice on how to integrate it into their operations.

Bringing Your Venue into Focus: The Power of Digital Venue Records for Smarter Production Planning

With Dominique Rivard

May 22, 2025 @4:30-5:30 PM

Neptune Theatre (Scotiabank Studio Theatre)

Sponsored by Vectorworks

Join Dominique Rivard, 3D scanning and design specialist, for an in-depth look at how comprehensive digital records created through advanced laser scanning technology can transform your theatre’s production planning and project management. Through the lenses of two case studies, a traditional theatre and an outdoor performance space, this session will demonstrate how high-precision laser scans are brought into Vectorworks design software to create accurate, editable 3D models – enabling seamless collaboration across set design, lighting design, and broader production planning. Learn how these digital assets support technical teams, improve communication, reduce costly surprises, and help executive directors make more informed decisions.

May 23, 2025

Labour Relations – Associated Designers of Canada Agreement Feedback Session

With PACT’s ADC Negotiating team

Friday, May 23, from 11:30-1 pm - Neptune Theatre (Fountain Hall)

The purpose of this session is to begin the research, information collection, and discussion phase of preparing for ADC659/PACT Agreement Negotiations. Members are invited to share their feedback on the current agreement, and changes they would like to see in the next agreement. This will not be the only chance to submit feedback, however, it will likely be the only time feedback is collected in-person. The panel will not be presenting any information, and will only be taking feedback during this session. We anticipate a request from ADC659 to engage in conversations around the use of A.I. in design. Please bring those thoughts to the session as well. 

This session is only open to Regular and Commercial members. This is not a session on how to use the ADC Agreement.

Fixing Theatre Criticism: A DIY workshop

With Karen Fricker and Nathaniel Hanula-James

Friday, May 23, from 11:30-1 pm

Neptune Theatre (Oland Rehearsal Hall)

All over Canada and around the world, the amount of reviews, features, and other forms of theatre coverage has plummeted. In some markets, there are no reviewers left. But there’s also a groundswell of new approaches to criticism and coverage, from training initiatives to a free online course to new publishing models in partnership with arts and arts service organizations. Is there a void in your local critical scene you’d like to fill? Bring your situations and concerns to this session, and Intermission Magazine’s editorial advisor Karen Fricker and staff writer Nathaniel Hanula-James will workshop it with you in dialogue with other participants. Come with a criticism beef, leave with practical solutions, steps to take forward, and a new network of colleagues working to change the Canadian critical landscape together.

PACTcon PITCH PARTY

With Boomer Stacey (Boca Del Lupo)

Friday, May 23, 2025 at 3:00-5:00 pm AT

Alderney Landing, Dartmouth

After great success in Montreal, welcome to the second annual Pitch-It-Party, where creative partners, producers, and artists showcase their exciting new projects to PACTcon delegates PetchaKucha style.

PechaKucha is a creative storytelling platform or framework for connecting and sharing. PACT’s version of the presentation format is a slide show of 18 images, each auto-advancing after 18 seconds. It’s non-stop and you've got 324 seconds to tell your story, with visuals guiding the way.

This Pitch Party will feature pieces, from early to mid-stages of development to production and/or tour ready shows.

Engage in the seeing the exciting work unfolding across the country in this exciting event at Alderny Landing in Dartmouth. hosted by Boomer Stacey, Artistic Producer of Boca Del Lupo.

Crisis? What Crisis? Scenario Planning for Your Theatre

With Heather Young (Young Associates) and Jamie Grant (Grant Management Group)

Sponsored by Young Associates

Friday, May 23, 2025 at 3:15-4:45 pm

One thing is certain right now in the life of most theatres across Canada, and that is the feeling of uncertainty. At a time of political, economic and cultural turmoil, with new calamities looming before the last one has been resolved, when stability may seem out of reach, let alone sustainability or growth, you have two choices – wait and see or plan and prepare.

Scenario planning is a process that helps organizations anticipate potential challenges and opportunities by exploring plausible future scenarios.

Developed by the RAND Corporation in the 1950s and later refined by Dutch Shell Oil, scenario planning is an exercise that asks, “What if, and what would we do?”

In this session Heather Young (Young Associates) and Jamie Grant (Grant Management Group) with their combined service to the theatre of over 75 years, take you on a discovery of “how to look at scenario planning and your organization.” Participants will leave with new insights into how to develop plans and manage the uncertainty of these times in the theatre.

May 24, 2025

PACT Strategic Plan Launchpad

With Kim Fuller, Founder & CEO, Phil& Thom Ledwell, Strategic Planning Lead

Saturday, May 24, 2025 – Ross Creek

Session 1 : 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. AT

Session 2 : 3:15 - 4:15 p.m. AT

The Strategic Plan Launchpad session will be repeated twice. All members are encouraged to participate in one of the two following sessions.

As we wrap up an extensive strategic planning process, this interactive workshop offers members and colleagues a chance to engage directly with the themes and ideas that have emerged from the planning process so far. You’ll hear a brief overview of what we’ve learned through interviews, surveys, and consultations and then dive into creative, small-group activities designed to imagine what action could look like for different themes.

Together, we’ll explore key priorities such as regional community-building, equity and inclusion, and how PACT can better support members across different sizes, roles, and realities. With visual and hands-on activities, this session welcomes all participation styles and will help ground the final stages of the plan in your lived experience and ideas. Open to all PACT Members & Colleagues. Facilitated by the strategic planning team at Phil.