They tried to bury us. They didn't realize we were seeds.
 (VISION
Community enlightenment based on the core beliefs of feminism.

MISSION
We are a non-profit, charitable (798 690 483 RR0001) organization in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada that responds to the persistent and universal need for promoting, understanding and embracing the core beliefs of feminism. Through professional theatre and related initiatives, we work to change hearts and minds.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES
  • We challenge discrimination and stereotype in all forms
  • We produce stories where at least 50 per cent of the text is spoken by female character(s)
  • We offer opportunities to all genders with a focus towards people who identify as women*
  • We respond to issues that affect women* and girls in our community
  • We re-examine universal stories traditionally told by men, through a feminist lens
  • We strive to work through an intersectional lens for gender parity
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CORE PRINCIPLE
Feminism: The belief in political, economic, personal, and social equality for women*.

CORE BELIEFS
  • Sexism exists
  • Sexism against women* (misogyny) is enduring, pervasive, systemic, cultural, and ingrained
  • All genders should have equal rights and opportunities
  • All genders are the intellectual and social equals of each other
  • All genders should be recognized and treated as equals
  • Systems of oppression and discrimination are interdependent and span all social categorizations such as race, class, gender, ability, parental status, size, age, and sexual orientation as they apply to a given individual or group

*PerSIStence Theatre recognizes the limiting nature of the binary use of the word ‘woman.’ We serve and welcome anyone on the gender spectrum who identifies either always or some of the time as a woman, including trans women, women of colour, Indigenous women, women living with disabilities, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centres the experiences of women.
PerSIStence Theatre Company Inc is an Affiliate Member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatre (PACT), a Category A member of the Association of Professional Theatre of Newfoundland and Labrador (APTNL), and an organizational member of the Playwright's Guild of Canada.

Company Herstory

PerSIStence Theatre Company was founded in early 2017 with a mission to “respond to the persistent and universal need for promoting, understanding and embracing the core beliefs of feminism through professional theatre and related initiatives.” Officially incorporated as a non-profit on April 25, 2017, the board of directors worked quickly to become a professionally run organization, with the first Annual General Meeting on June 12, 2017. The company received sustaining funding for professional arts organizations from Arts NL in 2020 and achieved charitable status in 2021.

The organization’s activities include professional theatre, professional development opportunities, educational programs and community outreach.

Professional Production History

2017 2018 2019
2020
2021
PerSIStence Theatre Company is supported by:
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INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is vital to support the Indigenous people and communities of Newfoundland and Labrador. As settlers, we must work toward understanding our privilege, as beneficiaries of both historical and ongoing colonialism, and acknowledge the horror and injustice perpetrated against the original inhabitants of North America.

We acknowledge the territory upon which we gather as the ancestral and unceded lands of the Beothuk and the island of Newfoundland as the ancestral homelands of the Mi’kmaq and Beothuk. We recognize the Inuit of Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut and the Innu of Nitassinan, and their ancestors, as the original people of Labrador.

We recognize the historic and ongoing presence and influence of Indigenous people in Newfoundland – recorded and unrecorded, acknowledged and unacknowledged. We recognize that Newfoundland and Labrador has a place in the ongoing legacy of colonial violence, including, but not limited to, the genocide of the Beothuk people, the horrors of the Residential School system, and far too many Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children.

We encourage all to join us in learning more about and supporting the Indigenous people and communities of Newfoundland and Labrador. A great place to start is by connecting with First Light an organization that provides programs and services rooted in the revitalization, strengthening and celebration of Indigenous cultures and languages in the spirit of trust, respect, and friendship. Please visit firstlightnl.ca to learn more.