Arts Roundup
April 30, 2026
Edmonton artists have launched Dance Lives Here, a campaign that aims to spread the word about the city's vibrant dance scene. Alison Kause and Deviani Andrea of Good Women Dance Collective spearheaded the initiative, which will support the 13 professional dance companies, 43 professional independent artists, 48 semi-professional dance groups, and 100-plus dance studios that call Edmonton home.
The group's first priority is getting billboards celebrating Edmonton's dance scene up around town, Kause said. "We have sports on billboards, we have Alberta Ballet on billboards, we have everything that people want to see — let's get ourselves on some billboards, because we have things for people to see as well," Kause told Taproot at the launch event at city hall on April 29, which was International Dance Day. The billboards will direct people to the Dance Lives Here website, which lists the city's dance artists, collectives, and companies. It's also linked to the Alberta Dance Alliance's calendar, which lists dance performances to attend and workshops to participate in.
The collective is inviting artists, collectives, and companies to submit bios, images, and videos to be included on the website and in future marketing campaigns. Those could include online ads, print materials, radio spots, and print advertising.
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Music
- Juno-winning singer-songwriter Maria Dunn spoke to CKUA about her album, Hardscrabble Hope, ahead of an upcoming Yardbird Suite performance.
- Edmonton Opera has released a music video in support of the Edmonton Oilers' seventh consecutive playoff run, reimagining Maybe This Time from the musical Cabaret. Artistic director Joel Ivany said opera and playoff hockey share a common dramatic intensity, and he hopes to make the videos a post-season tradition.
- University of Alberta alumnus Scott Messenger wrote in New Trail about recording a debut album and performing around Edmonton with his band Daughters of England at 50 — a belated creative dream finally realized.
- Jeremy Kornel spoke to Terry Evans on the Reluctantly podcast about the Beaumont Music Festival, which returns June 19-20 for its 19th year.
- Edmonton-born Cadence Weapon joined CBC's Q to discuss his new album, Forager, which draws on thrift-store finds and old-school hip-hop, as well as his upcoming book of essays.
- The MacEwan University music department was among the honorees at Inclusion Alberta's annual awards for Albertans who create inclusive communities for people with intellectual disabilities.
Visual arts
- The Good Neighbour Arts Network is reimagining the role of an art gallery as a way to build connections between neighbours in east Edmonton. "Instead of art being inside in very formalized gallery settings, how can we redefine a gallery as something that's small and outside and shared in the community?" organizer Jaime Calayo told Taproot. "(We're trying to) flip the idea of where an art gallery is and redefine it in a way that's more inclusive, more accessible, and something that community owns."
- Artist Sam Schembri curated images with patients living with chronic cancer to create an exhibition called LONGEVITI, which is on display online and at the Stanley A. Milner branch of the Edmonton Public Library. Participants worked with art assistants to depict what living with chronic advanced cancer looks like, feels like, and means to them, as part of a study conducted by nursing researchers from the University of Alberta.
- Dylan Toymaker, an Edmonton-based light artist, spoke to CKUA about his immersive light installations, which have transformed festival environments across Alberta, including at the Flying Canoë Volant, for which he has been the principal designer since 2012.
- Edmonton city council has designated the residence of noted Edmonton landscape painter Ron Myren as a municipal historic resource.
Music with a Mission
CRESCENDO blends storytelling, visuals, and iconic hits with vocalists, a full orchestra, band, and choir. In partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, CRESCENDO is more than a show — it's a movement. Get loud to reduce stigma and create real change for mental health in our community.
Theatre and dance
- The International Children's Festival of the Arts will run in St. Albert from May 29 to June 1. The festival's 45th year features St. Albert's Children's Theatre performing Disney's Finding Nemo Jr., French show Goupil et Kosmao, Australian street circus act 360 ALLSTARS, and Minneapolis duo Koo Koo.
- Liz Nicholls interviewed Scott Swan, co-founder of Northern Light Theatre, about the company's 50-year history, from scrappy beginnings at the Edmonton Art Gallery to summer Shakespeare in the river valley. The finale of the anniversary season, Request Programme, runs from May 1 to 16.
- Playwright Jessy Ardern wrote a verse adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, opening May 2 at the Citadel Theatre. Ardern reimagined the 17th-century classic's rhyming couplets using hip-hop-influenced verse. "I was really looking for a form that would allow for it to be poetic and keep the idea of rhyme and rhythm, but for the language to still feel quick and unpredictable," she said.
- Lucy Haines calls Footloose: The Musical at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre an "all-around winner," praising the high energy as well as choreography by Julio Fuentes and performances by Ryan Maschke and Alyssa Crockett. The show runs through June 14.
Books and publishing
- Jordan Abel discussed his book NISHGA and the importance of mentorship on the U of A Reads podcast.
- David Berry, Lisa Martin, and Zeina Sleiman were guests on the Edify Unfiltered podcast to discuss their recent books and creative processes.
- The Edmonton Arts Council profiled Gail Sidonie Šobat, the writer, educator, arts administrator, and creative force behind YouthWrite.
- Forty-one of Alberta's 63 school divisions have removed more than 170 books from library shelves after the provincial government ordered schools to pull materials containing visual depictions of sexual acts, reported Brett McKay of the Investigative Journalism Foundation. Frequently removed titles included V for Vendetta, adaptations of 1984, and works by poet Rupi Kaur. The policy also created a significant workload, with Edmonton Public Schools hiring 11 teachers at a reported cost of $43,000 to assess its collection.
- Saudade by Thomas Trofimuk was the top-selling fiction book on the Edmonton bestseller list from the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.
Ballet Edmonton presents LUMEN – May 8, 9, and 10
LUMEN spotlights Ballet Edmonton's newly announced Artistic Director, Diego Ramalho, featuring two of his works: Valei-me and Indelible Stain. This powerful double bill highlights his distinct choreographic voice, blending intensity, musicality, and emotional depth, offering audiences a compelling glimpse into the company's next artistic chapter.
Tickets available at balletedmonton.ca
Screen industries
- The Distillery Film Co. has released In Passing, a short film exploring "the messy transition between holding on and letting go in the world of end-of-life hospice care." Creators Chris Beauchamp and Gordie Haakstad are pursuing funding for further episodes. "While this first film tells the story of a single family, we have always envisioned this project as an anthology – a series of diverse stories set in a single hospice, exploring the interconnected lives of staff, residents, and their families," Beauchamp said in a release. "Every experience of dying is different, but there are also universal themes."
- Inflexion Games is releasing an enhanced version of Conan Exiles on May 5, updating more than 10,000 art assets, fixing hundreds of bugs, and adding dozens of quality-of-life improvements.
- Artificial Agency has made its first acquisition, bringing in Reflection Tree, an on-device collaborative planning system for the game development software Unreal Engine 5. Founder Alando Ballantyne will join the team as the technology is folded into Artificial Agency's generative behaviour engine.
- The Edmonton Jewish Film Festival's Stacey Leavitt-Wright and Bar Lavy spoke to Global News about the festival's 30th anniversary, which runs from May 3 to 13.
More headlines
- Vivek Shraya joined the Queer in Alberta podcast to discuss her experiences returning to Edmonton and incorporating more Alberta into her creative work.
- The City of Edmonton is accepting applications for its 2026-27 Indigenous Artist-in-Residence Program. Indigenous artists working in traditional and contemporary arts, fine craft, media, music, performing, visual, and literary arts are eligible. The selected artist will create new work, receive $36,000 in compensation for the one-year, part-time residency, and get a dedicated workspace. They will also share their work through a public showcase and contribute to public programming. Applications are open through the Edmonton Arts Council.
- The nearly 80-year-old Edmonton Historical Board is among seven civic advisory committees dissolved by Edmonton city council, with advocates saying there is no clear plan for what comes next. City staff and the Edmonton Heritage Council will take over the board's work. Heritage professional Erin McDonald wrote that a broader pattern is emerging across Canada of replacing expertise with process in cultural heritage work.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
- April 30-May 3: Jabulani Arts Festival at Roxy Theatre
- April 30: Women's Pop-Up Screening starting at 7pm at Waffle Bird
- May 1: Opening Reception: Artist Civil Service starting at 7pm at Latitude 53 Gallery
- May 1: Standing Free Edmonton - a cinematic Ukraine fundraiser starting at 7:30pm at Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex
- May 2: What a Wonderful World - Spring Concert starting at 3pm at Robertson-Wesley United Church
- May 2: 2026 Edmonton Mountain Bike Film Fest starting at 6pm at Garneau Theatre
- May 2-3: The Vagina Monologues at Grindstone Theatre
- May 3: Word Painters starting at 3pm at St. Andrew's United Church
- May 4: 2026 Edmonton Arts Prize Presentation starting at 6:30pm at Garneau Theatre
- May 4: Death and the Maiden starting at 7:30pm at Winspear Centre
- May 5: LitFest Presents: Kim Echlin starting at 7pm at ArtsHub Creative Studios
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- May 9: The Animators Town Hall at The Orange Hub
- May 9: Opening Reception - Where We Came From (and where we go from here): A Vietnamese Art & Heritage Exhibit at ArtsHub Creative Studios
- May 10: Real.Funny.Women at Trinity Lutheran Church
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.
This roundup was sponsored by ATB.
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