About

Fresh Meat is a playground for Ottawa's theatre makers, giving local individuals and collectives of all levels of experience a unique opportunity to test new ideas in front of an audience. We present world premieres exclusively, and seek out projects that are original and innovative, and that test the traditional boundaries of live performance. Past Fresh Meat participants have used the festival as a launch pad for theatrical works intersecting with a variety of genres, including dance, poetry, burlesque, clown, pantomime, performance art, standup, sketch comedy, storytelling, and many more.

Founded in 2012, Fresh Meat has supported the creation of over 112 new works and paid out more than $115,500 to local theatre makers. By giving artists a place to experiment, Fresh Meat plays a key role in the steady stream of exciting new work being created in Ottawa. Seedlings planted at Fresh Meat have grown into full length productions produced at venues and festivals across the country, including The National Arts Centre, Winnipeg’s FemFest, Victoria’s Intrepid Theatre, Ottawa’s undercurrents Festival, national Fringe festivals, and more.

Official Mandate

Fresh Meat supports and showcases a diverse group of local artists each year by providing an accessible platform on which to create and perform new, innovative short works. The festival brings together local artists of all backgrounds, theatrical practices, and levels of emergence, and makes space for the lived experiences of all Canadians. 

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that the land on which we operate is the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people. We encourage everyone in our community to learn more about the land on which you stand, the land on which you grew up, and the land to which you may travel throughout the nation we now call Canada, by visiting www.native-land.ca.