{"id":223,"date":"2024-09-24T14:07:50","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T14:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/behind-the-colas-theater-name\/"},"modified":"2024-10-04T01:13:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T01:13:09","slug":"behind-the-colas-theater-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/behind-the-colas-theater-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind The Colas Theater name"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>A simple and elegant name that directly highlights Fabienne Colas and her commitment to culture and the arts. Using Fabienne Colas&#8217; name honors her influence and commitment to diversity and inclusion in the arts. It represents a lasting legacy, while celebrating her accomplishments as a festival creator and cultural activist for 20 years now.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>The Colas Theater is also:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>A tribute to a pioneer of diversity in the arts<\/strong><br \/>Fabienne Colas has dedicated her career to promoting diversity and inclusion in the arts and film industry, both in Canada and internationally. Naming it &#8220;The Colas Theater&#8221; honors her pioneering work and her lasting impact on the cultural industry.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\">\r\n<li><strong>Recognition of her commitment to inclusion<\/strong><br \/>By naming the theater after Fabienne Colas, the Fabienne Colas Foundation highlights her exceptional dedication to providing a platform for Black and diverse artists who are often underrepresented. This name embodies the foundation&#8217;s core mission: creating a space where all voices can be heard.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"3\">\r\n<li><strong>A symbol of inspiration for future generations of artists<\/strong><br \/>Fabienne Colas has broken many barriers as an actress, producer, and entrepreneur. <strong>The Colas Theater<\/strong> becomes a symbol of inspiration for emerging artists, particularly those from marginalized communities, showing them that success is possible despite obstacles.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"4\">\r\n<li><strong>Celebration of outstanding cultural leadership<\/strong><br \/>The name <strong>The Colas Theater<\/strong> would emphasize Fabienne Colas&#8217; unique cultural leadership, having created a global movement with her Black Film Festivals. Associating this theater with her name celebrates her influence in the international cultural sphere.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"5\">\r\n<li><strong>A name that carries credibility and international recognition<\/strong><br \/>Fabienne Colas is a well-respected and recognized figure, both in Canada and internationally. <strong>The Colas Theater<\/strong> carries that credibility and prestige, drawing attention to the productions hosted there and boosting the foundation\u2019s visibility and its global mission.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"6\">\r\n<li><strong>A leadership model for women and racialized minorities<\/strong><br \/>The name &#8220;Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Colas&#8221; will send a strong message about the leadership role of women and racialized minorities in the arts. It will serve as a model for these communities, illustrating that their contribution to culture and the artistic industry is not only recognized but also valued through concrete initiatives.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Fabienne Colas<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Fabienne Colas, MBA<\/strong>, is an award-winning actress, filmmaker, producer, entrepreneur, and advocate for massive inclusion in film and the arts. In 2024, she received an <strong>Honorary Doctorate from Concordia University\u2019s Faculty of Fine Arts<\/strong> for her work promoting cultural diversity; as well as the <strong>Coronation Medal of King Charles III<\/strong>, from the <strong>Senate of Canada<\/strong>, in recognition of his services and his exceptional contribution to the community, to Quebec and to Canada.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>For over 20 years, Colas has been a visionary change-maker and fearless advocate for diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism, helping to transform the Canadian film industry by challenging the status quo and amplifying Black voices in Canada and abroad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Beginning her career as a model and crowned Miss Haiti in 2000, Colas quickly gained fame, winning the Ticket d\u2019Or (Haiti) for best actress in 2001 for the film <em>Barikad<\/em>. After moving to Quebec in 2003, she starred in various films and TV series, including her directorial debut <em>Minuit<\/em> (2008). Facing industry barriers, Colas created opportunities by founding the global Black Film Festival movement, providing a platform for thousands of Black artists.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Dubbed the \u2018Queen of Festivals,\u2019 Colas has launched <strong>12 festivals<\/strong> across Canada and beyond. Through the <strong>Fabienne Colas Foundation\u2019s Festwave Institute<\/strong>, she offers free training and incubator programs to emerging Black artists, addressing the lack of inclusion in the film sector. Her executive-produced documentary series, <strong><em>Being Black in Toronto<\/em><\/strong><strong> and <\/strong><strong><em>Being Black in Halifax<\/em><\/strong>, broadcast on CBC, has earned numerous <strong>Canadian Screen Awards<\/strong> for Black filmmakers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Colas\u2019s advocacy extends beyond the arts. After Haiti\u2019s earthquake, she successfully lobbied both the <strong>Canadian and Quebec governments<\/strong> to make immigration easier for Haitians, reuniting thousands of families in Canada. She also secured <strong>free phone calls<\/strong> to Haiti for a month from <strong>Videotron<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Her leadership has earned her several prestigious awards, including a <strong>Medal from Quebec\u2019s National Assembly<\/strong> for fighting racism and discrimination (2015). She was named one of <strong>Canada\u2019s Top 40 under 40<\/strong> in 2018, and <strong>Canada\u2019s Top 100 Most Powerful Women<\/strong> in 2019. In 2022, she received the <strong>Visionaire Award<\/strong> at the <strong>Black Academy\u2019s Legacy Awards<\/strong> broadcast on the <strong>CBC<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Colas has been using her voice and platform to champion equity, diversity &amp; inclusion, community building, and socio-economic empowerment for racialized communities for two decades. She continues to leverage the power of the arts for positive social change and strong economic impact for a more cohesive society.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A simple and elegant name that directly highlights <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classifiee"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Fabienne-Colas-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Fabienne-Colas-600x600.png","author_info":{"display_name":"webdevwdc","author_link":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/author\/webdevwdc\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theatrecolas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}