Arts & Culture

Branscombe artist-in-residence returning home to B.C.

By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Published 2:09 PST, Fri March 11, 2022

Last Updated: 12:13 PDT, Mon April 11, 2022

B.C.-born and raised performing artist Krystal Kiran is coming full circle.

This year’s Branscombe House artist-in-residence, Kiran is returning to B.C. to run a year of programming for Richmondites. Branscombe House is an early settler home that hosts an artist annually as part of the city’s arts and culture lineup.

“For me, the world of art and theatre really feels like home,” says Kiran. “I was fortunate to get my start quite early on in life. I started dancing when I was three, and theatre when I was 12 or 13. Art imitates life and life imitates art, and it’s all connected for me.”

Born in Penticton, Kiran also spent time in India visiting her father’s family. After graduating high school she moved to Toronto.

“I never really felt like I fully belonged in one place,” says Kiran. “I felt like I belonged either nowhere or everywhere.”

Her big break came early, at age 19, when she performed on Broadway in the musical Bombay Dreams. Working with Indian composer A.R. Rahman, who penned the show’s music, had been Kiran’s dream since childhood. 

She’s grateful that the Branscombe House residency allows her to work with community members with no cost barrier, as audiences are often limited to those who can afford tickets. And returning to her home province where she got her performing start—as a dancer at the Pacific National Exhibition—is something Kiran also appreciates.

Programming runs through December and includes a combination of weekly classes, bi-weekly events, and monthly workshops. Kiran also hopes to run some lengthier summer sessions leading up to the creation of a piece of community theatre.

“I really want to engage the community in creating a piece of theatre, and for that to be a community project,” says Kiran. “Everything leading up to that is helping people, giving them the skillset, the tools, and the experience of what that’s going to entail.”

Through dance classes, wellness classes, workshops, writing sessions, acting classes, and open music-making rehearsals, Kiran wants to meet community members over the coming months. And after two years of the pandemic, she hopes to create a space of healing for people.

“My programming is going to attract people that are processing a lot of stuff, so I want to be gentle in that process, bringing people back together and really creating a space of support,” she says.

And as the first Branscombe House artist-in-residence who’s a performer, as well as the first artist-in-residence of colour, Kiran says accessibility is an important factor.

“When I look at the spaces, I think of who’s being invited in and who feels like they belong in a space,” she says. 

Kiran wants her offerings to be accessible to a variety of different people and also plans to offer guest workshops with other artists. 

“I’ve been thinking about how do you create a space of cross-cultural allyship amongst communities,” she says. “Richmond is very diverse (with a) lot of different communities of people. My real curiosity is, how do we get people engaging with each other through these practices?”

And although Kiran’s residency won’t culminate in a mural or statue that can serve as a physical reminder of her time at Branscombe House, she wants to impact the community in another lasting way.

“The one really big thing I hope after my residency is over is that (the city) gets a lot of applicants for future residencies who are from BIPOC communities who haven’t been represented in the space,” she says. “If I’ve been able to bring those people into the space (and they) think it’s something they can do too, that’s something tangible to me.”

Kiran also hopes to create opportunities for joy through her sessions. Safety measures and precautions will be taken so that people feel they’re in a clean and sanitized space. 

“Taking the first step, coming out of a different circumstance, especially (one) that we’ve been in for so long—I can understand how that’s going to be a bit daunting,” says Kiran. “People should know they are supported, we’ve got an open space, I hope to see them there and create with the community of Richmond.”

At the same time, she’s at work on a one-woman show that she plans to finish during her residency and perform in the fall. 

After her residency, Kiran says her bucket list includes performing in Hamilton. Pre-pandemic, she was planning to move to India and had hoped to work again with Rahman. And she’d love to have a teaching space to continue to offer programs for kids and adults.

To learn more about Kiran, click here. To learn more about the Branscombe House artist residency, click here.

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