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Springworks Festival recently wrapped up here at Factory163. Springworks Festival is an indie festival of juried performances, ranging from theatre and cabaret to dance to poetry and spoken word to visual theatre to puppets and everything in between. More than 100 performances take place over 11 days in the Stratford area. We had several performances everyday at the Factory, including the official Springworks opening with Sharron Matthews cabaret and the closing party with Val Hawkins and The Downie Street Collective.

Witnessing Factory163 transform with every performance was truly magical. The space seemed to take on the story of each performance, changing to fit each show. Even during one day the mood in the Factory could shift dramatically as the performances called for it. Just the tech and set up for the Sama Kutra had onlookers in tears of laughter, never mind the actual show. The Immigrant had the audience transfixed in silence as Giuseppe Condello’s corporeal mime performance held the stage captive. Essentia filled the space with emotion and had viewers in awe as contemporary dancers Janelle Hacault and Hilary Crist took over the stage with their strength and grace. The wide range of performances in the space allowed for many changes in mood and tempo. Each performance sincerely brought something incredibly unique and special and the Factory reflected that well.

The conclusion of the festival was bittersweet, as the closing party was absolutely phenomenal however it meant an entire year until the next Springworks Festival.

Until next year Springworks!