Shahin Sayadi acting in the 2015 theatre production Chess with the Doomsday Machine.

Shahin Sayani to depart Prismatic Arts Festival after 14 years

He is leaving the multidisciplinary event for BIPOC creators at the end of 2022.

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Founder and executive director of the Prismatic Arts Festival Shahin Sayadi announced today that he will be leaving the organization at the end of 2022. After founding the festival in Dartmouth in 2008, Sayadi has overseen Prismatic's growth into one of Canada's largest multidisciplinary events for BIPOC creators of theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts and more.

In a press release, Sayadi is quoted as saying he accomplished his goals for the festival, including treating artists with the respect they deserve. "We wanted quality before quantity and we have achieved that by listening to the artists that we work with," he says. "We paved our own path in a way that was authentic to us. Prismatic is proof that it can work, despite the numerous challenges."

A Haligonian originally from Iran, Sayadi has been living in Los Angeles since 2016. He is also the founder of OneLight Theatre company, which has projects in Halifax, Toronto and LA.

Taking Sayadi's place at the helm of the fest starting in 2023 will be current artistic director Raeesa Lalani.

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Victoria was a full-time reporter with The Coast from April 2020 until mid-2022, when the CBC lured her away. During her Coast tenure, she covering everything from COVID-19 to small business to politics and social justice. Originally from the Annapolis Valley, she graduated from the University of King’s College...