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Started in 1991, the once-popular youth drama competition ran for two decades before quietly folding in the mid-2010s

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More than a decade after its final curtain, Sault Ste. Marie’s annual youth drama festival will once again take the stage in 2026.

A list of 19 arts and culture assistance grants approved by city council this week included $3,650 for Soo-Lebrity Theatre, which is planning to relaunch Soothfest as a single-day event.

Information submitted to city councillors indicated the high-school theatre competition is planned for May.

It will be an adjudicated competitive and educational festival featuring student performances and workshops.

Started in 1991, the once-popular festival ran for two decades before quietly folding in the mid-2010s.

The Soothfest revival is just one of numerous events planned this year by Soo-Lebrity Theatre, including acting classes, development workshops and full theatrical productions supported by parents, volunteers and a committed leadership team.

The city makes $170,000 in cultural grants available each year, divided equally between two intake periods.

$85,000 was approved this week as part of the first 2026 intake.

The second intake will open in February and close on March 31.

Applications are evaluated by the city’s cultural vitality committee, using criteria established in 2021.

The program offers four kinds of grants: project, operational, festival/event, and cultural diversity, or a combination of those.

The following are descriptions of the 19 grants approved by city council at its meeting on Monday:

Soo-Lebrity Theatre – $3,650

Soo-Lebrity Youth Theatre is an incorporated not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality theatre education and performance opportunities for children and youth in Sault Ste. Marie. The organization delivers acting classes, development workshops, and full theatrical productions, supported by parents, volunteers, and a committed leadership team. Its mandate emphasizes accessibility, skill-building, confidence development, and fostering a supportive creative community for young performers. This project – Soo-Lebrity Youth Theatre Capacity-Building and Soothfest Revival Project – runs from January to December 2026. Activities include: website development (January–March 2026), program promotion and registration (February–April), a 10-week Spring Youth Development Session (April–June), planning and delivery of the revived Soothfest high-school theatre competition (May), a Fall Youth Development Session (September–November), and project evaluation/reporting (November–December). The project supports both ongoing youth programming and the relaunch of Soothfest, a one-day adjudicated event featuring student performances and workshops.

DJ Seith – $1,750

Loop Sessions Sault Ste. Marie (SSM) is an artist-led, volunteer-driven music production initiative created and facilitated by DJ Seith (Shane Erickson) and Konaphan (Jon Craig). The project brings together beatmakers, producers, and musicians of all skill levels to participate in collaborative sampling sessions. These events foster creativity, mentorship, and community building within Sault Ste. Marie’s growing electronic and hip-hop scenes. The program also maintains an active online presence, sharing participant-created beats, photos, and videos on Instagram and SoundCloud. This project runs January through December 2026. Activities include hosting Loop Sessions featuring beat-making circles, crate-digging challenges, and public sharing sessions. The project also includes two youth-focused artist workshops in local intermediate schools (February/March and September/October), designed to introduce students to music production and beat-making.

Matthew Warnock – $1,750

Dr. Matt Warnock is an internationally recognized jazz guitarist, educator, and founder of Matt Warnock Guitar (MWG), the world’s largest online jazz guitar learning platform, serving over 11 million students worldwide. With more than 2,500 performances across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, Warnock has established a strong artistic presence locally and abroad. His practice integrates performance, community-building, and high-level music education. This project is the MWG Jazz Guitar Summit 2026, a three-day event scheduled to run from Sept. 18–20, 2026. The Summit includes daytime workshops, jam sessions, ensemble coaching, and nightly public concerts at The Loft at the Algoma Conservatory of Music. The event continues the 2024 and 2025 Summits, which drew participants from the U.S., U.K., Switzerland, India, and across Canada. Activities blend education, performance, and community engagement, offering opportunities for musicians of all ages to develop skills, perform with professional rhythm sections, and build international connections.

Suzanne Deplonty – $1,750

My Colourful Messes, led by bilingual Métis artist Suzanne Deplonty, is a community-focused visual arts initiative centred on creativity, accessibility, and connection. Deplonty facilitates hands-on workshops in drawing, card-making, Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), and colouring book design. Her past work includes collaborations with Galerie Sans Clous, the Sault Ste. Marie Museum, Fringe North, Culture Days, and DJ Seith. This project expands Artist Trading Cards – Sault Ste. Marie, supporting a full year of public ATC-making events, outreach activities, and promotional distribution. The project runs January to December 2026. Activities include printing and distributing promotional postcards; redesigning and printing a new ATC informational zine; hosting six themed ATC events throughout the year at community locations; sending newsletters; monitoring supply levels; and collecting participant feedback to refine programming.

Riley Greco – $1,750

Riley Greco is a Sault Ste. Marie-based visual artist with a BFA from Algoma University (2010) and an extensive exhibition history locally, nationally, and internationally. Her practice includes painting, mixed media, and expressive cooler-focused portraiture. Greco has exhibited at the Art Gallery of Algoma, Scott Coffee Co., Galleria Caffe in Serbia, the Downtown Plaza, and various other venues. Riley has also collaborated with numerous local businesses and nonprofits, including the Sault Area Hospital Foundation, Metis Nation of Ontario, The Art Hub, New North Greenhouses, and Feeding Your Soul Café. “A Room Full of Flowers” complements the city’s ongoing efforts to activate the Downtown Plaza as a vibrant cultural hub. By transforming this public space into a temporary floral art installation, the project contributes directly to the city’s goals of enhancing community engagement, promoting cultural vitality, and showcasing the arts as a key part of local identity and downtown revitalization. Estimated attendance ranges from 1–250 people, depending on the final project format. The project advances community engagement, cultural participation, and local arts visibility through accessible visual arts programming.

Rebeka Herron – $1,750

Rebeka Herron is an award-winning disabled mixed-race Latina filmmaker and founder of Rusty Halo Productions, with a multidisciplinary background in directing, producing, writing, animation, and digital media. Her career includes extensive credits across feature films, animated shorts, television and digital series, with projects screened internationally at festivals such as Cinéfest Sudbury, Girona Film Festival Emerging Lens, Fringe North, Soo Film Festival, and numerous children’s film festivals. She is also the co-founder and festival director of the Sault Film Festival, supporting local artistic development and industry growth. Herron proposes Alebrijes, a new animated short film continuing her practice of producing culturally grounded, family-oriented, visually rich storytelling. The ACAP project will occur within the 2026 calendar year, following required stages of development, production, post-production, and distribution. The project aims to enhance cultural visibility, expand local filmmaking opportunities, and strengthen Sault Ste. Marie’s creative sector through the production of an original animated work.

Black Fly Jam – $8,500

Black Fly Jam is an incorporated not-for-profit organization with more than 36 years of presenting live music and arts programming in the Sault Ste. Marie region. Led by executive director Robin MacIntyre, technical director Enn Poldmaa and a dedicated board, the organization focuses on delivering high-quality, intimate “listening room” concerts, mentorship opportunities for emerging musicians, and community partnerships that strengthen the local arts ecosystem. This project is a year-long series of Black Fly Jam Presents concerts and workshops running throughout 2026, with performances scheduled from Jan. 26, 2026, through December 2026. These events take place primarily at The Loft at Algoma Conservatory of Music and involve both concerts and educational sessions for youth, students, instructors, and community musicians.

Ashley Aikens McIntosh – $5,600

The applicant’s work spans family-friendly drag story times, adult drag events, Pride programming, workshops, and regional performances. This ACAP supported initiative includes a series of drag-based programs and events scheduled throughout 2025, with activities running from early 2026 through New Year’s Eve 2026. Event types include monthly community story times, seasonal shows such as Drag Does Disney, Pride-related programming for June 2026, and a major New Year’s Eve drag event, for which early planning is already underway.

Piecing It Together Shows – $7,100

Piecing It Together Shows (PITS) is an unincorporated not-for-profit collective based in Sault Ste. Marie that focuses on presenting live music, multi-arts programming, and community-building events. Led by organizer Nicole Dyble – whose extensive background includes coordinating festivals, live music series, and community events – PITS aims to strengthen the local arts ecosystem by creating accessible, all-ages and multi-genre cultural experiences. The organization’s mandate emphasizes supporting emerging artists, fostering community connection, and expanding cultural offerings throughout Sault Ste. Marie. This project includes a series of live music events taking place from September to October 2026, with activities beginning Sept. 4, 2026, and concluding Oct. 16, 2026. These events occur across multiple venues, including Broers Jansen, the Downtown Plaza, The Art Hub, and PITS Pop-Up’s dedicated programming spaces. Partnerships play a key role in delivering the project. PITS collaborates with local businesses, venue partners, the Downtown Plaza, and community arts allies.

Sault Newcomers – $3,000

Sault Newcomers is an unincorporated not-for-profit collective dedicated to creating inclusive, multicultural arts and cultural experiences for residents of Sault Ste. Marie. Led by community organizer and project lead Mansi Goyal, the group focuses on newcomer inclusion, cultural celebration, and cross-community connection through events that highlight diverse traditions and artistic expression. Their track record includes major cultural gatherings such as the Diwali Gala Party series, Colour Blast Holi festivals, and community vendor markets, each of which engages hundreds of participants and supports local artists, performers, and businesses. The project, Rang-E-Shaadi: A Celebration of Indian Culture, Weddings and Togetherness, is a multi-day cultural festival scheduled for March 2026, with planning beginning November 2025 and post-event evaluation concluding April 2026. The festival will take place in downtown Sault Ste. Marie and will feature outdoor tents, art booths, cultural décor, performances, Indian wedding traditions, vendor stalls, and community engagement activities

West Fest – $4,900

The West Village Revitalization Project (WVRP) is an incorporated not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the cultural, social, and economic vibrancy of Sault Ste. Marie’s West Village neighbourhoods. Incorporated in July 2025 and led by directors Claudia Daniels, Travis Daniels, and Amanda Richard, the organization’s mandate emphasizes community-based events, place-making initiatives, beautification projects, and collaborative programming with residents, artists, and local businesses to foster civic pride and neighbourhood revitalization. This project, West Fest 2026, is a large-scale community festival designed to bring residents together through music, entertainment, family activities, and vendor engagement. This project plan indicates a full-day event taking place in 2026, featuring multiple musical performers — such as Cameron Oliver, Lucy’s Diner, Matthew James, Jupiter Marvelous, Golden Scoundrels, and Handsome Sandwich — and a dedicated Kids Day component with partners like Northern Gellyball, Entomica, local fire services, and community face painters.

Gabriel George – $5,200

Gabriel George is a multidisciplinary visual artist with interest in creating a large-scale outdoor public art installation inspired by Theyyam, a ritual art form from Kerala, India. His artistic practice blends cultural symbolism, vibrant colour palettes, and contemporary fabrication methods to create immersive, community-centered works. His application included detailed concept renderings showing the proposed installation’s scale, cultural motifs, and integration of Indigenous and South Asian visual traditions. The project is scheduled to run from April 2026 to September 2026. Over this period, the artist will design, fabricate, and install a 12-foot by eight-foot by three-foot sculptural artwork, accompanied by an LED display illustrating different Theyyam forms and Anishinaabe Indigenous artist regalia. The final installation will be presented in a public outdoor setting intended to support cross-cultural dialogue and community celebration. The project includes several partnerships, including collaborations with Indigenous artists, cultural advisors, and community organizations that support intercultural exchange. The visual renderings depict Indigenous performers interacting with the installation, reinforcing the project’s intention to honour shared storytelling across cultures.

Algoma Conservatory of Music – $8,500

The Algoma Conservatory of Music (ACM) is an incorporated not-for-profit and registered charity that has operated continuously since 1971, serving as a major regional centre for music education, performance, and recording. The conservatory supports hundreds of students annually through private lessons, group classes, youth orchestras, choirs, master classes, and community music programs taught by 17 professional instructors. Its mandate includes providing high-quality instruction, hosting world-class touring artists, and contributing to the cultural life of Sault Ste. Marie through concerts, recordings, and educational outreach. This project is an annual operating request supporting ACM’s 2026 season, which includes more than 30 concerts, cross-genre programming, recording initiatives, and expanded music education offerings. The project period aligns with the 2026 calendar year, beginning January 2026 and ending December 2026. Funding will directly support concert production, recording, equipment maintenance, instructor fees, youth programming, and community education services.

Entomica – $8,500

Entomica, formally operating as the Sault Ste. Marie Insectarium, is an experiential, hands-on natural history museum located inside the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre. Its mandate is to inspire curiosity, foster conservation awareness, and deliver interactive insect-based educational experiences to residents and visitors of Sault Ste. Marie. The organization provides public tours, school programs, community outreach, science-based workshops, and live-insect demonstrations for audiences of all ages. Funded activities run from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2026, and aims to stabilize operations, expand educational programming, and implement key components of Entomica’s strategic and business plans. These include new curriculum-linked school programs, public tours, outreach initiatives, volunteer training, insect husbandry improvements, special events, fundraising workshops and community partnerships. Entomica collaborates extensively with community partners such as the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, Algoma University, Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board, Science North, NORDIK Institute, local artists, business sponsors, and tourism partners.

Thinking Rock Community Arts – $8,400

Thinking Rock Community Arts is an incorporated not-for-profit arts organization based in Thessalon and serving the North Shore region of Algoma. Founded in 2013, the organization works across Robinson-Huron Treaty Territory in partnership with Indigenous, settler, and newcomer communities. Its mandate is to co-create multidisciplinary, intergenerational, community-engaged arts projects that foster cultural understanding, social change, and creative collaboration. This ACAP project supports Thinking Rock’s ongoing work from January 2026 to September 2026, aligned with its annual operating budget. During this period, TRCA will deliver a range of community-engaged arts activities including: Social Fabric (a multi-year textile-arts project), Making Nights, Social Fabric Drop-Ins, Elders Circles, Communio-Bees, Open Houses, and outreach programming. These initiatives bring people of all ages, Nations, and backgrounds together to learn stitching, mending, handwork traditions, community storytelling, and collaborative arts-making.

Ontario Culture Days – $6,000

Ontario Culture Days (ONCD) is an incorporated not-for-profit arts service organization that delivers the annual Ontario Culture Days Festival across the province. Governed by a multi-regional board of directors and supported by significant public, private, and earned revenue streams, ONCD partners with municipalities, artists, cultural organizations, and community groups to offer accessible, multidisciplinary cultural programming. Its mandate focuses on community engagement, cultural participation, professional artist support, and amplifying local creative sectors. This project establishes a 2026 Sault Ste. Marie Festival Hub, part of ONCD’s provincial hub network. Activities will run throughout Fall 2026, coinciding with the annual Culture Days Festival. Programming includes exhibitions, artist talks, community-engaged workshops, cultural celebrations, and partnerships with key local institutions.

Centre Francophone – $2,300

The Centre Francophone de Sault-Sainte-Marie, incorporated in 1982 as a cultural non-profit organization, is dedicated to promoting and enriching Franco-Ontarian culture through social, cultural, and educational programming. Its mandate emphasizes strengthening francophone identity, fostering cooperation between francophone, anglophone, and multicultural groups supporting newcomers in integrating into the community. The centre delivers socio-cultural activities that highlight French language, heritage, and community vitality. This project, “Rendez-Vous des Cultures Francophones / Rendez-Vous of Francophone Cultures,” is a multi-day arts and gastronomy festival designed to celebrate diverse francophone cultures through workshops, concerts, culinary exchanges, and cultural dialogue. The project aims to promote artistic diversity, strengthen intercultural connections, and showcase francophone artistic and culinary traditions. Activities will include cultural exchanges, artistic workshops, culinary demonstrations, roundtable discussions, and a final exhibition.

Sault Blues Society – $1,600

The Sault Blues Society (SBS) is an incorporated, volunteer-run not-for-profit organization founded in 2010 and dedicated to preserving, promoting and presenting blues music in Sault Ste. Marie. The society supports both emerging and established musicians by offering performance, mentorship, and professional development opportunities, and has delivered more than 63 live blues events and sold over 5,000 tickets in the last 15 years. SBS also strengthens the local cultural economy by hiring local musicians, sound technicians, printers, and venues, while providing charitable support through community events such as Blues for Food. This project, “Sault Blues Society Events and Presentations 2026,” runs from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2026, and contains a series of events up to seven nights of entertainment.

Sault Film Festival – $3,000

The Sault Film Festival is an incorporated non-profit organization guided by a three-member board of directors and committed to developing, promoting, and presenting film culture in Sault Ste. Marie and across northern Ontario. Its mandate includes organizing an annual festival of northern Ontario films, delivering workshops and seminars, and encouraging film production, education, and distribution throughout the region. The organization supports diverse creators, including emerging filmmakers, students, underrepresented artists, and those working across documentary, narrative, and digital media forms. This 2026 project includes three major program components: Summer Screenings, the annual Sault Film Festival and a series of professional development workshops. Activities include a two-night outdoor film series at Bellevue Park in August, the seventh annual November film festival showcasing local, northern Ontario, and international filmmakers, and entry-level one-to-three-day workshops led by industry professionals.