SpiderWebShow Performance

SpiderWebShow Performance is a Canadian live-to-digital performance hybrid company and online platform. Its own tagline describes it as the place "Where Canadian performance minds and the Internet intersect," and its Wikidata entry describes it as a "Canadian based live-to-digital performance hybrid company." The organization operates primarily through its website, spiderwebshow.ca, which functions as a publishing hub, community space, and production platform for Canadian and international performance work. The site hosts a range of editorial and artistic programming. Among its recurring features are "Thought Residencies" — a series of conversations and reflections with artists such as Sébastien Heins, Owais Lightwala, and Dr. Pratim Sengupta — as well as themed columns and archives organized under tags such as "cultural history" and "Storytelling." Contributors have included Adrienne Wong, Michael Wheeler, Becky Low, Danielle Irvine, Susanna Fournier, Arthur Milner, Pam Patel, Andrea Scott, Jillian Keiley, Daniel MacIvor, Sarah Garton Stanley, Debbie Patterson, Milton Lim, Adam Pottle, and others. The site also carries project strands such as CdnStudio, TOdigital, and CdnTimes, and it promotes events and opportunities including FOLDA (Festival of Live Digital Art) job postings. SpiderWebShow frames its work around a stated mission, vision, purpose, and values. Its mission is "Empowering the global community with boundary-pushing live performance that transcends barriers and inspires profound connections." Its vision is "To lead a revolution in live performance that integrates emerging technologies, shaping a future defined by creativity and connection," and its purpose is "Through empowering live experiences, we unite, provoke, and inspire." Stated values include Creativity, Inclusivity, Exploration, Leadership, and Fun. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors that has included Bridget MacIntosh (Chair), Tia Lunn (Secretary), and directors at large Rachel Hilton and Evalyn Parry. It engages its audience through the hashtag #CdnCult and maintains a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and it solicits donations and newsletter signups. Its editorial voice is closely associated with the Canadian performance conversation, and its content spans activism, accessibility, diversity, funding, digital performance, and the state of Canadian theatre. Because SpiderWebShow is a small arts organization rather than a conventional consumer brand, detailed corporate data such as founding year, headquarters address, ownership, and financial status are not established by the available evidence. What is clear is its positioning: a digital-first, artist-driven platform and production company dedicated to hybrid live and digital performance, rooted in Canada but reaching a global online community.

SpiderWebShow Performance emerged as a Canadian live-to-digital performance hybrid company and online platform, described in its Wikidata entry as a "Canadian based live-to-digital performance hybrid company." Its website, spiderwebshow.ca, presents itself as the place "Where Canadian performance minds and the Internet intersect," positioning the organization at the meeting point of Canadian theatre and digital media. From its early years the platform functioned as a publishing and community hub. Archived posts on the site date back to at least 2016, when contributors such as Becky Low ("Trying to Learn More – Do Better," November 1, 2016), Michael Wheeler ("SpiderWebShow @ Queen's University," October 24, 2016), Danielle Irvine ("Shakespeare in Rural Newfoundland," August 16, 2016), Susanna Fournier, Arthur Milner, Pam Patel, Andrea Scott, and Jillian Keiley published essays and reflections on Canadian performance. The site organized this material under tags including "cultural history" and "Storytelling," building a searchable archive of the national performance conversation. Over time SpiderWebShow developed recurring programming strands. The "Thought Residencies" series featured artists in conversation — for example, Marcel Stewart speaking with Sébastien Heins ("It's a Sébaissance!"), with Owais Lightwala, and with Dr. Pratim Sengupta ("Code Has To Be About Love") in late 2023. Other project lines included CdnStudio, TOdigital, and CdnTimes, and the site promoted opportunities such as FOLDA (Festival of Live Digital Art) job postings and the "Class of 2020 – Fall Term Projects." The organization also maintained a "Makers Map" of practitioners and solicited donations and newsletter signups. The organization articulates a mission "Empowering the global community with boundary-pushing live performance that transcends barriers and inspires profound connections," a vision "To lead a revolution in live performance that integrates emerging technologies, shaping a future defined by creativity and connection," and a purpose "Through empowering live experiences, we unite, provoke, and inspire." Its stated values are Creativity, Inclusivity, Exploration, Leadership, and Fun. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors that has included Bridget MacIntosh (Chair), Tia Lunn (Secretary), and directors at large Rachel Hilton and Evalyn Parry. The organization communicates through the hashtag #CdnCult and maintains a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Its editorial scope spans activism, accessibility, diversity, funding, digital performance, and debates about Canadian theatre, including pieces such as "Why doesn't (does) (doesn't) (does) Canada Have a National Theatre?" by Jillian Keiley and "Money or Power Please and Thank You" by Daniel MacIvor. Because SpiderWebShow is a small arts organization, many conventional corporate details — founding year, headquarters, ownership, and financial status — are not established by the available evidence. Its history is best understood through its accumulated body of published work, residencies, and digital performance projects rather than through commercial milestones.

• 2023

  Thought Residencies episodes with Sébastien Heins, Owais Lightwala, and Dr. Pratim Sengupta were published in November 2023.

• 2022

  Site posts include "Accessible Lovefest" (December 15, 2022) and "How Is Our Art Informed By Where We're From?" (December 2, 2022).

• 2017

  Posts tagged "Storytelling" include Adrienne Wong's "Building Participation" (May 16, 2017) and Debbie Patterson's "Facing the Fuck-Ups" (January 24, 2017).

• 2016

  Archived posts on spiderwebshow.ca date to 2016, including essays by Becky Low, Michael Wheeler, Danielle Irvine, and others.

A digital-first, artist-driven Canadian platform and production company for hybrid live and digital performance, connecting the national performance community online under the banner #CdnCult.

• Thought Residencies

  A conversation and reflection series featuring performance artists and thinkers.

• CdnStudio

  A project strand on the SpiderWebShow platform.

• TOdigital

  A project strand on the SpiderWebShow platform.

• CdnTimes

  A project strand on the SpiderWebShow platform.

• Makers Map

  A directory/map of performance practitioners.

1. 1SpiderWebShow | Where Canadian performance minds and the Internet intersect.spiderwebshow.ca
2. 2cultural history | SpiderWebShowspiderwebshow.ca
3. 3About | SpiderWebShowspiderwebshow.ca
4. 4Storytelling | SpiderWebShowspiderwebshow.ca
5. 5SpiderWebShow Performancewikidata.org