THE CHALLENGE
For its 75th anniversary, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet commissioned Going Home Star - Truth and Reconciliation, a new full length ballet tied to one of Canada’s most discussed political and social issues, the traumatic legacy surrounding Indigenous residential schools. The challenge for this national publicity campaign was to position the RWB’s newest creation to the media and general public as a respectful and commemorative work telling a part of the story of this Canadian legacy without being seen as a white, European art form exploiting a First Nations story.
THE SOLUTION
The campaign worked in extremely close collaboration with Indigenous Associate Producer, Tina Keeper, the local community of Residential School Survivors and First Nations Elders as guides throughout the campaign. All members of the ballet company attended traditional Indigenous ceremonies as well as a cultural sensitivity training seminar so the creative team and dancers could more deeply understand the subject matter they were performing and speaking about. Key Indigenous spokespeople provided media commentary to provide support for the RWB’s artistic endeavour.
THE IMPACT
Ballet received the most media coverage of all work in the ballet’s 75-year history with more than 60 positive media stories generated on national and local networks including CBC The National, CTV National, APTN, The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s Magazine, CBC q, Dance International magazine and more. Ticket sales for the world premiere skyrocketed as the media coverage went live on the wide array of traditional and contemporary channels outlined by Jane’s communications strategy. As a result of this campaign, she was awarded the 2015 Canadian Public Relations Society Manitoba Communicator of the Year award.
See select media coverage here.