The sixth annual IndieFest by re:Naissance kicks off this week, and lovers of the performing arts (and those who want to dip into the scene) won’t want to miss it. The festival is all about revisiting and challenging traditional forms of storytelling with emerging technologies and creative practices, resulting in a delightful mix of both. This year’s theme, “Colliding Art Forms,” is a celebration of the unexpected ways artists and audiences connect.

Festival-goers can expect to see a myriad of immersive shows and exhibits this year, including the musical premiere of Inferno: A Hip Hop Opera by Omari Newton and Amy Lee Lavoie, and Willilish’d by the musical duo As and When (Thule van den Dam and Hayley Sullivan McInerney), who came to re:Naissance through last year’s cohort for emerging artists.

“In Vancouver, we often see artistic communities working in silos,” shares Debi Wong, founding artistic director of re:Naissance. “Our festival is designed to disrupt that. We believe the future of the performing arts depends on this kind of collision — not just for novelty’s sake, but as a response to the moment we’re in. The world is shifting rapidly, and artists have the opportunity to explore how different technologies and perspectives can reshape how we experience storytelling and connection.”

Theatrical arts

Inferno: A Hip Hop Opera reimagines Dante’s Inferno as a Spotify-esque headquarters, with its protagonists embarking on an epic journey to take back the rights to their work. A timely interpretation of a classic tale, inspired by the rising threat of AI and its erasure of artists.

Willilish’d is a production exploring the themes of memory, emotion, change, and motherhood. The artists will present melodies and beats created through transformed nursery rhymes and the use of a loop pedal.

Continuing their collaboration from previous years, re:Naissance and DigiBC will once again present work in the DigiBC Creative Tech Studio at the Centre for Digital Media. According to organizers, the space’s interactive theatrical design pushes the boundaries of art and technology, allowing all productions and exhibits presented here to truly come to life.

Interactive art pieces

Select exhibitions will be activated with music and performance components, such as Tyler Soon’s 120,000 LED light sculpture, Voxelite. The sculpture is inspired by the musical game RIFT, where buttons, music, and movement are catalysts for corresponding light patterns and storytelling.

Audiences can also interact with Imagining Good Futures: Thunderbird Dreams, a mural that depicts stories from multiple generations of Indigenous artists. Created by IM4 Media Lab, the mural invites Indigenous youth, Elders, artists, and technologists to explore the ideas of sustainability, unity, and kinship.

Finally, festival attendees can look forward to Future Mythologies, an annual presentation of excerpts of new works in development. This year, the presentation showcases Notebook, a collaborative project by Chapel Sound Art Foundation and the Electronic Music Incubator program that explores the intersections between new sounds and folklore.

IndieFest kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 and runs until Nov. 29, 2025, and it’s not the only local arts event coming up in the next few days. The Eastside Culture Crawl is another celebration of local talent and creatives worth checking out this upcoming weekend.

Catch a show, take part in a crawl, and support local artists!

IndieFest by re:Naissance

When: Thursday, Nov. 20 to Nov. 29, 2025
Time: Varies per show
Where: 577 Great Northern Way
Cost: Tickets vary per show, free admission is available to Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis peoples

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Isabelle Vauclair

Staff Writer, Vancouver – Isabelle is a West Coast native with an appreciation for Vancouver’s natural landscape, patio scene, and community spaces. She loves to discover new hidden gems in her neighbourhood and share them with readers across the city.

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