Directors Bio: Paula Thiessen calls Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada) home. This is her first film, inspired by the community of artists that lives and survives here, far from the cultural influences of Canada’s major cities.
Director’s Statement: Although I am a first-time filmmaker, I am struck by how many of my creative pursuits (writing, collage, photography, poetry) have contributed to the creation of this documentary. I hope this film will bring to life a piece of the explosive artistic past of a rural Canadian town, while inspiring and affirming emerging experimental artists of today, who may not live in large metropolitan centres. The story of Kam Theatre Lab shows the challenges of working and surviving as an arts collective, but I hope it will also show how crucial the support of free-form experiment and play is to the development of innovative artists.
