I Am YEG Arts: Brianne Jang

As Managing Director of SkirtsAfire Festival, and as a theatre artist and photographer, Brianne Jang is committed to uplifting other creatives and bringing their work to life. Whether working behind the scenes or on stage, Brianne’s focus is women centered and dedicated to bringing underrepresented voices to the forefront. In this week’s I Am YEG Arts story, Brianne recounts her adventure co-founding a theatre company and photography practice, and gives us a primer on this year’s SkirtsAfire Festival (March 6 – 16). 

Tell us about how you got your start working in the arts and why you’ve chosen to base your career here in Edmonton. 

When I was eight, my mom put me into theatre classes, and I fell in love with acting and performing. I continued with it and went to MacEwan for the Theatre Arts program. A group of us that met at MacEwan formed a theatre company called Poiema Productions. We started creating our own work shortly after university and we toured across Canada to the Fringe Festivals. I learned a lot of on the ground skills not only using our acting skills, but things that we didn’t necessarily know at the time but were forced to learn when producing our own work. We had an incredible time and are best friends to this day. Eventually, I started working with SkirtsAfire Festival and in 2016 became the Managing Director. 

My husband and I have family all over the world, but we chose to ground ourselves in Edmonton. Initially, I followed opportunities as they came to me. I like to say yes to things that maybe scare me or that are new. That kept happening while I was figuring out what I was going to do. And eventually it changed into really feeling like I had a place in the Edmonton arts community. 

There are lots of great people making things happen in Edmonton, who are challenging ideas and trying new things. And the fact that audiences and the community want that and continually show up for that really makes Edmonton special to me. There’s a lot of passion here on both sides of the spectrum. 

You wear a lot of hats, including writer, producer, actor and photographer. What are some common themes and stories that you’re drawn to sharing through your work? 

One big thing is audience experiences. I’m drawn to shows or projects that make the viewer think or pause; something they maybe haven’t seen before; something off-kilter, maybe a bit tongue in cheek. 

I like to push or play with boundaries or expectations in my work. In my photography, I’m definitely drawn to portraits and trying to capture something real or natural. Even if it’s a staged shoot, finding something that reaches out of the picture — so the viewer can find some understanding within the image. Overall, I’ve always been drawn to women’s stories and exploring the female experience and unspoken stories. This ties in really nicely with my work with SkirtsAfire; that happened quite organically. Almost so organically that I didn’t realize that my work beforehand was necessarily connected. But looking at my whole career of artistic work, I’d say it’s very women-centered with underrepresented voices coming to the forefront on stage. 

As the co-founder of a theatre company and photography company, working collaboratively seems essential to your work. What have been some of your most memorable collaborations and why do they stand out for you? 

In my work with Poiema Productions, we would do everything together from the writing and producing to the costume design. Every part was collaborative, and we learned so much and it was challenging and rewarding. When you’re young and you haven’t done it before, the sky is the limit. There’s no kind of realistic negativity, like, ​“No, that that’ll be way too hard,” or ​“No, we’ve done that before, and it didn’t work.” It’s a lot of yeses and a lot of trying. I got to travel across the country with my best friends and perform. It was a wonderful time. Shows didn’t work all the time; we would rewrite an ending between Fringes, we would hire a stage manager in the city we were going to and meet them in a park the day before. It was wonderfully chaotic, but it all worked out and it was fun. Maybe one day we’ll get the gang back together and do a new show or tour. 

My relationship with my photography partner, Brittany [Ponto] started with a simple coffee date and me asking, ​“Can I carry your bags and shadow you around?” Immediately it turned into a friendship and partnership. It’s been over 12 years now that we’ve been working together under the name BB Collective. Over the years she’s taught me a lot and I’ve brought in my theatre background. I love shooting promotional shots for shows, it’s fun to get to hear an idea or vision and try to make it happen. With theatre productions you’re shooting for the actors; the director, who wants certain moments; for the set and lighting, so they want to see all the different stages; and the costumes, so you want some detail. I really try to keep in mind how these photos will serve different artists. 

I think I work really well collaboratively. I like working off of other people’s visions or inspirations and then challenging myself to create something. My job with SkirtsAfire is to take the Artistic Producer’s big vision and say, ​“OK, how can we make it happen?” I find it quite collaborative with the whole SkirtsAfire team. We have a very consistent, passionate team that allows us to grow exponentially. Year to year it can only get better because we can pick up from where we left off. 

Tell us more about SkirtsAfire and your role as Managing Director. What makes the festival special to you and the city? 

We are a theatre and multidisciplinary arts festival featuring the work of women and nonbinary folks who are comfortable in a space that centers the experiences of women. It’s a 10-day festival in conjunction with International Women’s Day every March. We were founded in 2012 in response to the severe underrepresentation of women in the arts at a professional level. We work to celebrate and elevate the profile of these artists. The festival takes place in Old Strathcona and the French Quarter at various venues. We have a mainstage play that runs the full festival and then surrounding that we have various programming that can be music, dance, visual art, design, spoken word, comedy and workshops. 

I joined in 2016, and before that, I was a performer in the festival and later was hired as a photographer. I got to know the Co-founder and Artistic Director at the time, Annette Loiselle, and in fall 2016 when she needed a new Managing Director, she approached me. I was pregnant with my first child, but I felt very good about taking the opportunity even though I was due in January. I brought my daughter who was about two months old at the time to the festival. I now have two kids, and every year they come and check out the festival. It’s special to me that I’ve grown my family around my career with SkirtsAfire. 

Annette retired from the position after a full year of transition and succession last year, which just goes to show her incredible planning and organization to set us up for success. I work alongside the Artistic Producer Amanda Goldberg. There is a lot of crossover in our roles as far as planning, organizing and decision making. I support the vision of the Artistic Producer and take care of how to make things happen. 

It’s an honour to be a part of creating that platform for other artists. There are so many local artists that deserve those opportunities. We put a spotlight on those underrepresented voices that deserve an audience. It’s not a responsibility I take lightly. I appreciate the ability of a grassroots organization like ours that can have a direct connection to the artists. 

What excites you the most about this year’s festival? For folks who are new to SkirtsAfire, what is a good show to start with? 

This is a big year. It’s our 13^th annual festival and we’re continuing to work towards a more accessible festival. We have three ASL-interpreted performances and we’re working with Carly Neis, our accessibility consultant, to improve our communications and measures. Once again, we’ll have a relaxed performance of our mainstage play. 

Dance Nation by Clare Barron is this year’s mainstage play. It’s the first work Amanda Goldberg is directing for the festival. It’s a fun piece about a group of teen dancers preparing for competition. The actors playing them are all ages, from their early twenties up to their sixties. 

The Shoe Project is immigrant and refugee women’s stories of coming to Edmonton through the lens of a pair of shoes. It started as a national project with satellite versions across Canada and this will be the fourth iteration in Edmonton. Workshop West Playwrights Theatre brought it here first and they’re still a supporter of it along with our partner YWCA Edmonton. Being in the room listening to these women’s stories is just one of the most powerful and impactful things I’ve ever been a part of. I really encourage people to come and see it. 

Every year, our Indigenous-led programming is close to my heart. This year it’s led by Sissy Thiessen Kootenayoo and Michelle Nieviadomy. Ocêpihkowan: It Has Roots is a multidisciplinary show, with film, storytelling, dance, song, and poetry. It’s about Sissy’s personal experience with chronic pain and PTSD, anxiety and depression, and how life-affirming cultural practices and teachings help to pull her out of her darkest moments. 

There’s our classic programming like emBODYment, which is dance and aerial. Songs in the Sanctuary at Holy Trinity Anglican church with choral performances and headliner, Kaeley Jade. We have a comedy night. We have The Key of Me at Chianti with music and food. I’d say, go to the website and pick through the schedule and try a few things. 

Tell us a little bit about what you’re currently working on and what you hope to do next. 

I’m hoping to find a dedicated studio space for my photography for people to come to. I want to continue to challenge myself and to try new things and give myself the time to do that. I always want to get better and expand my skill set and push myself for the arts community as well, and what I can offer them. I also would like to eventually get back into performing. 

My current schedule works well while raising a young family. Down the road, I’m considering either writing or creating my own work with a few ideas that I’ve had for a while or being a part of a production. 

About Brianne Jang 

Brianne was born in Edmonton, Alberta and has been involved in the theatre world since she was young. After graduating from the Theatre Arts Program at Grant MacEwan University, Brianne was fortunate to have the opportunities to travel around the world. She is co-founder of Poiema Productions, a local non-profit theatre company that has kept her busy writing, producing, and acting. She is also the co-founder of the photography company, BB Collective. Brianne has a passion for bringing theatre and live performances to life. She continues to love learning more about each aspect of the creation process as she takes on different roles in the community, and is so excited to be on board with SkirtsAfire Festival since 2016!