The Plummet Summit returns to the Varley Art Gallery
Shadowpath Theatre brings back The Plummet Summit, an unconventional gathering where artists, cultural workers, and arts supporters come together to dream, collaborate, and explore new possibilities in York Region and beyond.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the 2026 summit returns to the Varley Art Gallery in Unionville as an “anti-conference” that replaces passive listening with participation, experimentation and collective creation. The summit explores how collaboration can strengthen artistic practice and build a more connected and sustainable cultural sector.
This year’s themes include artist mental health and creative wellness, embracing failure as a tool for growth, leadership by underserved populations, financial transparency, empathy and the arts, ableism in the arts, female leadership, and thriving creatively in suburban regions.
“The Plummet Summit encourages attendees to embrace failure as part of creative growth,” says artistic director Alex Karolyi, who founded Shadowpath in 2002. “It’s an invitation to fall on purpose. To take a risk, learn something and try again with new knowledge.”
The event features interactive sessions including live performances, artist auditions and pop-up points of view from multidisciplinary artists, local organizations and businesses supporting the arts. Artists gain opportunities to perform for live audiences while the broader community discovers the depth and diversity of York Region’s creative talent.
The summit also expands on Shadowpath’s Cultural Audit of York Region, examining cultural support and infrastructure across the region’s nine municipalities.
“It is high time that we ask our municipalities why arts and culture are being supported differently across the region,” says Karolyi. “If York Region is growing, our cultural infrastructure needs to grow with it.”
The Plummet Summit offers artists tangible ideas, resources and partnership opportunities alongside creative wellness practices and collective dreaming.
Shadowpath Theatre, now in its 23rd year, is an award-winning professional theatre company known for immersive, place-making storytelling. Through The Plummet Summit, Shadowpath continues its commitment to breaking theatrical boundaries and creating new ways for artists and communities to connect.
The summit takes place Sept. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. Attendance is free, but donations are optional Donations of $25+ receive a charitable tax receipt.
Visit shadowpaththeatre.ca for more information.
Photo: Participants connecting and sharing ideas at last year’s The Plummet Summit. (Photo courtesy of Atoosa Moshashaee)