Productions Onishka

What Productions Onishka does

Productions Onishka is a Montreal-based Indigenous performing arts company founded in 2011 by artistic director Émilie Monnet. The company creates multidisciplinary contemporary theater productions that integrate stage performance, sound design, video, and Indigenous languages (including French, Anishnabemowin, English, Spanish, and Portuguese). Its portfolio spans more than 15 original works, including the Marguerite trilogy (a stage play, an immersive sound-walk through Old Montreal, and a podcast series), Okinum (a three-language immersive theater piece), Nigamon/Tunai (a Canada-Colombia Indigenous artistic exchange platform active since 2010), and the Indigenous Contemporary Scene (ICS), a nomadic platform for Indigenous performing arts that has produced editions in Montreal and Scotland. The company operates with a small core team of 1-10 people and relies on a network of artistic collaborators, community partners, and external contractors.

Productions are distributed through coproduction agreements with theaters (Espace GO, Centre du Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui, Théâtre Le Diamant, National Arts Centre) and premieres at international festivals (Festival TransAmériques, Edinburgh International Festival, Festival d'Avignon). The company serves three primary customer segments: performing arts festivals and theaters seeking touring-ready Indigenous contemporary work; Indigenous artists and communities seeking platforms for artistic expression and cross-cultural exchange; and general public audiences attending performances, sound walks, and podcasts in Montreal and international cities. Direct community presentations in Indigenous territories (French Guiana, Colombia) extend distribution beyond traditional theater circuits.

The business model is grant-funded and structured as a non-profit organization. Revenue derives from Canada Council for the Arts, Quebec Arts Council (CALQ), and Montreal Arts Council grants; foundation support (Cole Foundation, NAC National Creation Fund); coproduction and co-presentation fees from partner theaters and festivals; and donations for solidarity initiatives. Pricing is set by partner venues and festivals rather than by the company directly. The firm is founder-led by Émilie Monnet with Kimberly Guillaume-Kacou as Administration Director; no external investors, parent companies, or equity stakes are disclosed.

Name

Productions Onishka

Legal name

Productions Onishka

Website

https://onishka.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Productions Onishka is a Montreal-based Indigenous performing arts company founded in 2011 that creates multidisciplinary theater, sound-walks, and podcasts in multiple Indigenous and European languages, serving international festivals, theaters, and Indigenous communities through coproduction arrangements and grant funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Productions

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Other Performing Arts Companies (71119)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

Keywords

• Indigenous performing arts
• Contemporary theater productions
• Multidisciplinary performance art
• Immersive sound installations
• Indigenous cultural exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant funding and arts council support: Onishka receives sustained operational and project funding from the Canada Council for the Arts (Conseil des arts du Canada), the Quebec Arts Council (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec), and the Montreal Arts Council (Conseil des arts de Montréal). The National Arts Centre's National Creation Fund supports specific productions. These grants constitute the primary financial foundation.
2. Coproduction and co-presentation fees: Revenue generated through coproduction arrangements with partner theaters (Espace GO, Centre du Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui, Festival TransAmériques) where production costs and box office revenue are shared.
3. Donations and fundraising campaigns: Onishka organized a fundraising campaign for Ingakuna Estéreo community radio (collected via Zeffy platform), demonstrating a donations-based revenue stream for solidarity initiatives. Funds collected are passed through to the partner community radio.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Productions Onishka is a Montreal-based Indigenous performing arts production company that creates, produces, and tours contemporary theatrical works, sound walks, immersive installations, and podcasts centered on Indigenous narratives, languages, and histories. The company operates two cross-continental artistic platforms — Indigenous Contemporary Scene (ICS) and Nigamon/Tunai — facilitating artistic exchanges between Indigenous communities in Canada, Colombia, and beyond. Productions are delivered through coproduction arrangements with partner theaters and festivals in Canada, France, Germany, Scotland, and the Americas.

Product overview

Productions Onishka is an Indigenous creation company based in Montreal that produces contemporary performing arts works. The company's portfolio centers on theatrical performances, audio experiences, and community programming focused on Indigenous narratives and cultural exchange. Key products include the 'marguerite' trilogy (stage play, sound journey, and podcast), 'Nigamon/Tunai' (performance and collaboration platform), and the 'Indigenous Contemporary Scene' platform featuring multiple annual editions. The company also produces individual works such as 'okinum,' 'kiciweok,' 'tsekan,' 'recompose,' and various installations. Productions Onishka operates as a unified portfolio of creative works rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Indigenous Contemporary Scene (ICS): A nomadic platform produced by Onishka that presents Aboriginal creators in the living arts. It is a place for exchange and conversation about their concerns and realities, bringing together artists from various nations and territories.
• Nigamon/Tunai
• Okinum

Products and services

• Recompose Collaborative performance featuring young Indigenous artists exploring contemporary world issues through theater, film, and electronic music.
• Wishes / Souhaits Photographic and sound immersive installation exploring Indigenous women's empowerment and self-imagination.
• Tsekan Theatrical performance exploring Indigenous prophecy through technology, combining poetry, Indigenous languages, and multimedia.
• Marguerite : le feu
• Marguerite : la pierre Auditory walking experience (déambulatoire sound tour) through Old Montreal exploring the history of slavery in New France through the story of Marguerite Duplessis. Designed for cultural tourism, festival, and venue programming audiences.
• Nigamon/Tunai (performance and platform) Theatrical performance and ongoing artistic platform since 2010 for collaboration between Indigenous communities in Canada and Colombia, exploring water protection and resistance against extractivism. Available with audio translations in four languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese).
• Neecheemus Festive multi-evening event featuring Indigenous and Black women artists exploring themes of love and eroticism from Indigenous perspectives, intended for theater and festival programming.
• Okinum Immersive theatrical experience in three languages (French, Anishnaabemowin, English) combining theater, sound, and video, exploring inner dams, dreams, and Indigenous identity through circular dramaturgy.
• Bird Messengers Interdisciplinary performance bridging Indigenous storytelling with technology, featuring multimedia visuals and electro-acoustic sound for festival and theater audiences.
• Kiciweok Theatrical event featuring thirteen Indigenous artists sharing words from their respective Aboriginal nations, celebrating Indigenous language resilience through lexicon-based performance.
• This Time Will Be Different Performance-based installation denouncing Canadian government discourse on Indigenous peoples and critiquing the reconciliation industry.
• Songs of Life, Songs of Mourning Performance collaboration between Rwandan women drummers and Indigenous singers in Montreal, reflecting on genocide's imprints.
• Indigenous Contemporary Scene (ICS) Nomadic platform presenting Indigenous creators in performing arts, featuring multiple annual editions with various partners, including international editions in Scotland.
• Marguerite : la traversée (podcast series) Four-episode podcast series distributed via Transistor Media, completing the Marguerite triad project alongside the stage play and sound walk.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nigamon/Tunai toured to 3+ countries (Canada, Colombia, France) and 8+ cities including Edinburgh, Munich, Vancouver, and Portland
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Festival TransAmériques (FTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Coproduction partner and co-presenter for Nigamon/Tunai (Montréal premiere, May 2024). Presented work-in-progress stage of Nigamon/Tunai in June 2023. Supported Aki/Alpa conferences.
• Edinburgh International FestivalmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Presented the European premiere of Nigamon/Tunai from August 15-18, 2024, marking a major international distribution milestone.
• Espace GOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Primary Montreal-based theater coproduction partner for multiple productions including Marguerite: le feu (2022), Neecheemus (2023), and Nigamon/Tunai (2024). Espace GO serves as host venue for artist residencies and co-presenter of performances.
• Centre du Théâtre d'Aujourd'huicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Coproduction partner for Marguerite: la pierre (sound walk) and residency host for Okinum. Co-presented Marguerite: la pierre with Fondation PHI.
• Festival d'AvignonmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Presented Marguerite: le feu in the Cloître Benoît XII du Palais des papes during Festival d'Avignon (July 7-11, 2023), France's premier theater festival.
• National Arts Centre / Centre national des ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Presented Okinum (English version, September 2021) and upcoming Marguerite: le feu (June 2025) at the NAC's Théâtre Babs Asper. Supported Nigamon/Tunai through the National Creation Fund.
• Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh Fringe FestivalmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019ICS 2019 created a platform for Indigenous artists from Canada within the Edinburgh festival circuit, including Summerhall, CanadaHub, and Charlotte Square venues.
• Imago Théâtre (Munich)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Presented Okinum (English version) at Muenchner Kammerspiele, Munich (Germany) in November 2022 as part of the 'Water, Earth and I' festival.
• Fondation PHImajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCopresenter of Marguerite: la pierre with Centre du Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui. Provided venue (451 Rue Saint-Jean) for sound walk departure and hosted guided tours and roundtable discussions.
• O'Kaadenigan Wiingashk CollectivemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented ICS 2019 in Scotland with Onishka. Co-founded by Patti Shaughnessy, the collective collaborated on conceptualizing the Creators Exchange on the Land and curating the Scotland edition.
• Boom Arts (Portland)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPresented Okinum (English version) at the PuSH Festival companion event in Portland, Oregon (February 2023).
• Centre dramatique KokolampoemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoproduction partner and residency host for Nigamon/Tunai in Saint-Laurent du Maroni, Guyane française. Provided creative residency and premiere venue.
• Transistor MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoproducer of the Marguerite: la traversée podcast series (4 episodes), distributing the audio content through Transistor Media's platform.
• National Sound Scene (Scène nationale du son)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoproducer of the Okinum podcast, handling executive production in collaboration with Onishka and NAC Aboriginal Theatre.
• La Fabrique culturelle (Télé-Québec)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaborative production partner for the Okinum podcast, providing distribution through La Fabrique culturelle's digital platform.
• The Corner ShopminorMarketing PartnerPress relations agency for ICS 2019 Scotland edition, handling international media coverage.
• OBORO galleryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPresented Wishes/Souhaits photographic and sound installation from September 16 to October 21, 2017.
• MAI (Montréal Arts interculturel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted residencies and presented Bird Messengers (during ECLECTIK event) and This Time Will Be Different (Welcome to Indian Country). Key partner for Indigenous contemporary arts programming.
• OFFTA (Observatoire de la fascination)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPresented Tsekan (2016), Okinum, and ICS programming at OFFTA festival. Long-standing venue partner for Indigenous contemporary performance in Montreal.
• Banff Centre for Arts and CreativitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNigamon/Tunai benefited from a residency within the Indigenous Dramaturgies Circle program at Banff Centre, supporting creative development.
• Soverdi (Société de verdissement du Montréal métropolitain)minorOthersSupported eco-conception approach for Nigamon/Tunai by lending 10 trees to be planted in the community as part of the production's environmental commitment (Plan Climat Montréal 2020-2030).
• Studio 303minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThis Time Will Be Different was developed through a carte blanche residency at Studio 303 in 2016.
• Jamais LumajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoproducer of Kiciweok with Centre du Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui and Onishka, presenting the lexicon performance in December 2019.
• Engrenage Noir / LEVIERmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoproducer of Songs of Life, Songs of Mourning / Chants de deuil, chants de vie, facilitating the cross-cultural artistic collaboration between Indigenous and Rwandan artists.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Red Sky Performance: Toronto-based Indigenous dance and theater company creating contemporary performance works that fuse Indigenous and Western vocabularies. Directly comparable as a Canadian Indigenous performing arts producer with international touring ambitions.
• Native Earth Performing Arts: Canada’s oldest Indigenous theater company, producing Indigenous-led stage works and running a dedicated artistic training program. Closely comparable as an Indigenous producing company with an institutional funding base and festival circuit reach.
• Kaha:wi Dance Theatre: Six Nations–based Indigenous dance theater company creating contemporary works that draw on Haudenosaunee and broader Indigenous traditions. Comparable as a Canadian Indigenous performing arts company producing original, tourable multidisciplinary work.
• Signal Theatre: Indigenous-led Canadian theater company creating multimedia stage works that explore Indigenous identity, memory and futurisms. Comparable in scale, thematic focus and multidisciplinary performance approach.
• Why Not Theatre: Toronto-based innovative theater company known for multilingual and large-scale international coproductions (e.g., RISER, Prince Hamlet). Comparable in its boundary-pushing, internationally touring, multilingual performance approach.
• Volcano: Toronto-based producer of genre-defying, experimental Canadian theater with a strong record of international touring and coproduction. Comparable as a small Canadian producing company pursuing innovative, festival-circuit work.

Broad incumbents

• NAC Indigenous Theatre: National Arts Centre’s dedicated Indigenous theater program, producing and presenting Indigenous performance at Canada’s flagship stage. Comparable as an Indigenous theater producing entity and a strategic partner/funder for Onishka productions.

Regional players

• Centaur Theatre: Montreal’s flagship English-language theater company producing contemporary Canadian and international work. Comparable as a Montreal-based producing company with institutional partners and an international repertoire.
• Compagnie Jean Duceppe: Long-established Montreal French-language theater company producing a season of contemporary and classical works. Comparable as a Montreal theater company operating on institutional funding and coproduction models.
• Théâtre de Quat’Sous: Montreal experimental theater company with a long history of presenting innovative contemporary performance and supporting emerging artists. Comparable as a Montreal-based experimental producing company with a similar scale and aesthetic positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ProductionsOnishka
• Instagraminstagram.com/onishka_sca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Productions Onishka