Teacher & Arts Educator

Weyni Mengesha is a committed educator, mentor of new talent, and a producer of youth arts initiatives.  She has led the Directors' Lab 2018 at Rumble Theatre as Master Director. Directors’ Lab is an integral component of Rumble’s Mentorship Program, designed to catalyze relationships between emerging and established artists and facilitate young artists’ transition to a professional career.

Mengesha was the co-director of the acclaimed A.M.Y. Project, training young women in performance arts since it's inaugural showcase in 2005 until 2011.  She remains on their advisory committee. She also co-founded Sound the Horn in 2004 and was artistic director of the organization for seven years. STH provided artistic training for hundreds of young Ethiopian and Eritrean artists living in Canada. STH was also responsible for curating and producing an annual showcase called the Selam Youth Festival, which featured artists from across North America in music, dance, theatre and visual arts. She continues to be a guest teacher for artistic training programs across North America, including The National Theatre School of Canada, Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Soulpepper Theatre.

 

Weyni Mengesha 2018 Directors Lab
The AMY Project is Artists Mentoring Youth. Discover The AMY Project and our commitment to performance training, connecting community, and growing careers for young women in Toronto, Canada. See what AMY is all about by visiting our website for more information: http://www.theamyproject.com/ Video shot and edited by Bee Charmer Productions.
Held in Toronto, Canada annually, this event brings together a wide-array of multi-talented performers from across the city and beyond. The goal is to feature a diverse arrangement of afro (ethiopian/eritrean) performance artistic displays while making the message clear, 'protect yourself, know yourself, love yourself'. The Sound the Horn Youth Leaders (2008) featured in this video are: Elene Mekete Rutina Mekonnen Araya Mengesha Boonaa Mohammed Abeeyu Mulugetta Adey Mulugeta Semhar Woldegesus Helen Yohannes (This video was captured and edited by Mark Valino)

Rumble Theatre Directors' Lab (2018)

The Lab is a workshop for emerging directors who want to get rigorous with the foundations of their craft. Over five days, the participants discussed principles of directing, examined and analyzed a text, rehearsed scenes with professional actors, and reflected on the processes. They also learned more about the designer-director relationship during sessions with some veteran Vancouver designers.

The A.M.Y. Project (2005 - 2011)

The AMY Project builds the leadership, confidence, and unique voice of young women in Toronto by providing them with performance training, connections to artistic mentors, experience working in a professional theatre, and support towards the early growth of their careers.

 

 

Sound The Horn and the Selam Youth Festival
(2004 - 2011)

SOUND THE HORN was a festival dedicated to educating and empowering Ethiopian and Eritrean youth through the arts. Starting in 2004, we had been activating a new generation of young leaders through our annual Selam Youth Festival, Sound the Horn Leadership Program, and in 2010 the first ever Selam Visual Arts Festival.

In the first five years the Selam Youth Festival grew from an evening of performance to a three-day event and committed to staying current and relevant to youth by mentoring and training the next generation of young leaders to curate, produce and perform in the festivals and annual events.