Empowering Indigenous Culture Creators.
The only school of its kind.
CIT offers a three year, full-time conservatory-style post-secondary education with an optional 4th year where students have the opportunity to create a work of their own.
Our programming is designed to prepare students for a future in theatre and performing Arts, drawing from a distinctively Indigenous cultural foundation.
Our training is rooted in Indigenous teachings, knowledge, perspectives and ways of knowing while adapting to contemporary and Western theatre and performance techniques.
Explore our program!
Our curriculum offers training in the areas of acting, voice and movement as well as Indigenous cultural classes in dance, song and oral history. Our training reconnects students with important and frequently overlooked aspects of Indigenous culture, offering distinctive and authentic forms of artistic expression.
Meet our instructors!
Additionally, the program offers professional development, pairing students with working actors and creators offering a collaborative space in which to train and share knowledge, and adding essential mentoring to the training opportunities.
Join us for a show!
Every year CIT hosts a number of shows and events, from showcases to large scale theatrical productions. We also have a number of different workshops that take place throughout the year so be sure to check in with us every once in a while to keep up to date with all things CIT.
Thinking of joining us next semester?
“CIT provides an extremely valuable, one might even say 'essential', service to the Native community. It brings out the very best in the young people it works with, thus launching them into lives that are constructive, meaningful and substantial; lives that will then affect their own home communities in ways that are nothing but positive.
Bravo to CIT.”
— Tomson Highway, Playwright
Don’t take it from us…
“I remember so well that first summer (at CIT), the students going up on stage for their first time, the camaraderie with the other teachers - it was pretty empowering. I fell in love with the process during that summer - plays, theatre, acting - that led me on a whole new path as a young person; I was only twenty-one at the time.”
— Gary Farmer
“I strongly recommend this program for anyone who is interested. CIT doesn't just teach you about theatre, it teaches you a lot about things you otherwise might not know about yourself. Theatre helped me find my voice and it gave me the confidence to be a performing musician.”
— Lucie Idlout
“CIT played a huge role in my performing career I was lucky enough to attend an intensive month long course in Banff Alberta and receive training from top professionals, from our community. It was empowering, enlightening and an all around profound experience that has stayed with me to this day.”