Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre (FAST)

Mission: FAST builds community through the creation and presentation of timely, professional theatre that engages, awakens, and resonates with audiences in Antigonish and the surrounding rural communities. Their primary focus is to produce high-quality theatre in the summer season, and expand creative capacity with year-round supplemental programming featuring diverse performing arts and artists from across Canada. Canadian stories are front and centre, and by including international plays, artists and audiences gain a global perspective. FAST offers theatre experiences for all ages, including theatre for young audiences and dynamic educational outreach programs. FAST nurtures the next generation of theatre artists by hiring emerging artists to work alongside established artists, amplifying underrepresented voices, and providing a home for local artists.

Vision: The company is currently leading the FAST Forward initiative- a community-driven effort to develop a new, fully accessible performing arts centre in partnership with visual arts leaders and local institutions. Grounded in collaboration, inclusion, and sustainability, FAST envisions a thriving cultural hub that will serve as a home for performance, creation, and belonging for generations to come.: Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre (FAST) is a nationally recognized professional theatre company based at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Since 1987, FAST has been the cultural heart of northeastern Nova Scotia, producing award-winning theatre and year-round community programming that strengthen connection, inspire compassion, and spark change through the performing arts. As a registered non-profit charity, FAST nurtures artists, students, and audiences through mentorship, education, and accessible experiences that reflect the stories of our region and beyond.

Mandate: FAST builds community through the creation and presentation of timely, professional theatre that engages, awakens, and resonates with audiences in Antigonish and the surrounding rural communities. Their primary focus is to produce high-quality theatre in the summer season, and expand creative capacity with year-round supplemental programming featuring diverse performing arts and artists from across Canada. Canadian stories are front and centre, and by including international plays, artists and audiences gain a global perspective. FAST offers theatre experiences for all ages, including theatre for young audiences and dynamic educational outreach programs. FAST nurtures the next generation of theatre artists by hiring emerging artists to work alongside established artists, amplifying underrepresented voices, and providing a home for local artists.

Vision: The company is currently leading the FAST Forward initiative- a community-driven effort to develop a new, fully accessible performing arts centre in partnership with visual arts leaders and local institutions. Grounded in collaboration, inclusion, and sustainability, FAST envisions a thriving cultural hub that will serve as a home for performance, creation, and belonging for generations to come.