Urban Ink

Urban Ink Urban Ink uplifts Indigenous and diverse voices through storytelling and performance. Always was, always will be, sacred Indigenous land.

Since 2001, Urban Ink – along with our circle of artists – have broken barriers through stimulating story, performance, and media. As we look ahead to our future, we strive to continue an Indigenized practice that centres Indigenous and diverse voices, making space for our communities across Turtle Island. OUR MISSION
Urban Ink uplifts Indigenous and diverse voices through storytelling and perform

ance. OUR VALUES
Community: We create relationships rooted in inclusivity, diversity, and reciprocity. Integrity: We strive to be humble, accountable, and truthful, and encourage care and respect in our circle. Bravery: We honour the courageous creators, change makers and storytellers who bravely share their voices and ground us in stories of who we have always been and who we could become. OUR LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the territory that we travel through and share our stories on. To the Traditional Owners, Elders, Ancestors, and Young Leaders of these territories: We acknowledge, with full respect, the strength of Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) and communities who are continuing to practice culture, connecting and reconnecting to land; and we acknowledge the power and excellence of Indigenous peoples and communities fighting to protect and look after Land, Community, Language and Lore, in the face of ongoing colonial interruptions and cultural genocide. In particular we acknowledge and pay our respects to the sovereign peoples of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl’ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) on whose unceded land Urban Ink is based.

Starwalker received 10 (!!) nominations from which recognizes the best in Film and Television from the province of Brit...
05/29/2026

Starwalker received 10 (!!) nominations from which recognizes the best in Film and Television from the province of British Columbia. We couldn’t be happier to be in the company of these other incredible films this year! 💫💃

We are so grateful to be seen and recognized by our industry, in categories that highlight the work of so many incredible members of the team. Starwalker is an Indigenous, Q***r story from Vancouver’s Eastside, and we are honoured to have our team In The Starlight 🥹✨

The nominees are!

Corey Payette
BEST DIRECTION & BEST SCREENWRITING

Jeffrey Follis
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Christian Díaz Durán
BEST PICTURE EDITING

Ian Mrozewski & Parham Banafsheh
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Wes Swales, Corey Payette, Alex Penney, Sean Bayntun, Coby Degroot, Scott F. Thompson
BEST SOUND

Anna Shearing, Chloe Bohonos, Jennifer Stenner, Ana Pflug
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Alaia Hamer, Tiffany Bishop,Sarah Sosick, Halley Fulford
BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Jessica Hawkins, Brandon Wou, Victoria Mcnair, Isabel Cooke, Candice Harvey
BEST MAKE-UP

Jessica Hawkins, Alaia Hamer, Devon Perez
BEST HAIRSTYLING

05/21/2026

“Loons” by Cris Derksen 💛

Video of Cris Derksen performing at the Vancouver Playhouse for the TRANSFORM Festival in November 2025.

How does the creature manifest within and how do we track, hunt, and transform it?We are thrilled to announce the Vancou...
05/06/2026

How does the creature manifest within and how do we track, hunt, and transform it?

We are thrilled to announce the Vancouver premiere of Cheyenne Scott’s Wolf Cull at the Historic Theatre from April 1-11, 2027 as part of The Cultch’s Warrior Festival🐺
Wolf Cull, is an edgy modern thriller where young Indigenous women utilize their traditional knowledge and relationship with the land to overcome their internal trauma. In the near future five young women – Rebel, Leader, Brawn, Wildcard and Skeptic – are drawn by a shared dream to the hunting grounds, where they uncover mysterious tracks that challenge their skills and the group’s fragile unity. A story of hope that empowers the women to defeat the shapeshifting creature.

Wolf Cull has been in development with Urban Ink since 2019 which has included a workshop production of the show as part of the 2025 TRANSFORM Festival at the Vancouver Playhouse, and we’re so excited for Vancouver audiences to experience it!

How does the creature manifest within and how do we track, hunt, and transform it?We are thrilled to announce the Vancou...
05/06/2026

How does the creature manifest within and how do we track, hunt, and transform it?

We are thrilled to announce the Vancouver premiere of Cheyenne Scott’s Wolf Cull at the Historic Theatre from April 1-11, 2027 as part of The Cultch Warrior Festival! 🐺

Wolf Cull, is an edgy modern thriller where young Indigenous women utilize their traditional knowledge and relationship with the land to overcome their internal trauma. In the near future five young women – Rebel, Leader, Brawn, Wildcard and Skeptic – are drawn by a shared dream to the hunting grounds, where they uncover mysterious tracks that challenge their skills and the group’s fragile unity. A story of hope that empowers the women to defeat the shapeshifting creature.

Wolf Cull has been in development with Urban Ink since 2019 which has included a workshop production of the show as part of the 2025 TRANSFORM Festival at the Vancouver Playhouse, and we’re so excited for Vancouver audiences to experience it!

After 12 years of visionary leadership, Corey Payette will conclude his tenure as Artistic Director of Urban Ink in Octo...
05/05/2026

After 12 years of visionary leadership, Corey Payette will conclude his tenure as Artistic Director of Urban Ink in October 2026.

Corey’s time with the company has helped shape Urban Ink into a nationally recognized platform for Indigenous and culturally diverse performance. As he transitions from the role, Corey will focus on composing, directing, and developing new work across theatre, music, and film.

Urban Ink will begin a national search for its next Artistic Director in the coming months.

What an incredible journey it has been. As we look back on the final performance of Corey Payette’s powerful new musical...
04/22/2026

What an incredible journey it has been. As we look back on the final performance of Corey Payette’s powerful new musical, On Native Land, we at Urban Ink want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who joined us at the York Theatre.

Thank you for coming out, sharing in this world premiere, and engaging so deeply with these vital stories of identity and connection to land.

We also want to celebrate the remarkable creative team and artists, from the visionary story and music by Corey Payette, to the beautiful design, to the stunning performances by our cast and musicians. This production was made possible through the collaboration of Raven Theatre, The Cultch, and every individual who poured their heart into bringing this vision to the stage over the last 7 years of development.

Tell us in the comments what you enjoyed most about On Native Land, we’d love to hear from you!

Thank you for being part of this story. We look forward to seeing you at our next production 🪶

Last few shows for On Native Land! If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s still tickets left! Head to thecultch.com/event/o...
04/20/2026

Last few shows for On Native Land!

If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s still tickets left! Head to thecultch.com/event/on-native-land/

If you have watched , share what you loved about the performance in the comments below! ⬇️

04/20/2026

An emotional curtain call for On Native Land’s final performance 🥹

Thank you to every audience member who came and experienced the incredible artistry displayed by our creative team, musicians, and this CAST!

We’re so grateful to this beautiful company of storytellers for bringing this story to life for the first time. Chi miigwetch!

What a week it has been. ♥️From opening night to the incredible response from audiences and critics, we’re still taking ...
04/17/2026

What a week it has been. ♥️
From opening night to the incredible response from audiences and critics, we’re still taking it all in.
Today we’re sharing some behind-the-scenes moments from the filming of our trailer.
📸Photos by Matt Reznek
There are only 4 more chances to experience On Native Land this weekend before we close on Sunday.
Don’t miss it.
Get your tickets now — link in bio

04/17/2026

It’s the final weekend of performances for On Native Land and the cast is already spinning out 🙂‍↔️

Don’t miss the show! Only 4 more opportunities to see it on stage:

- Friday April 17, 7:30pm (some tickets left!)
- Saturday April 18, 2 pm
- Saturday April 18, 7:30 pm
- Sunday April 19, 2 pm (best availability!)

Address

111 Hastings Street W # 220
Vancouver, BC
V6B1H4

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+16046920885

Website

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