Velvet Wells, Equity Consultant

Velvet Wells (they/them) is available to consult with you, your theatre or organization, on disrupting anti-Black racism and bystander intervention. Bio at the end of the page

Story Sharing Social (2025-2026)

Velvet is the Program creator, manager, and facilitator of the twice monthly story sharing social hosted by Bruce House, in partnership with Qu’ART – Ottawa Queer Arts Collective

Access Activator (2025)

Velvet was a Community Mentor with the premiere Access Activators program at Toronto Metropolitan University

Practicing Disruption (2024)

Get out of freeze and fawn! Improve your confidence in disrupting discrimination through an interactive workshop with Velvet Wells. Details on its dedicated page

Velvet is available to consult with and train individuals and organizations on difficult conversations, as well as offering moderation services.

Black Pledge Collective (2022-present)

Velvet is an active member of the Black Pledge Collective, fulfilling facilitation and project roles as required

Mapping Our Connections & Knowledge (2025)

A community engagement workshop as part of the Our Cities on Our Stages symposium, co-presented by Bad Dog Theatre and The Theatre Centre

All Together Now (2025)

Black Pledge Collective, in partnership with Choral Canada presented All Together Now (March-May 2025)

Born from Choral Canada and the Black Pledge Collective’s joint training and collaborative work with CPAMO (Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario), this initiative is designed to support leaders in driving transformation within their choral and group singing organizations through the lens of Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Decoloniality, and Anti-Racism (ADEI-DAR).

Velvet Wells and Sedina Fiati co-facilitate this online pilot program in English

Beyond Black Squares (2024-2025)

Velvet Wells and Sedina Fiati co-facilitated, two three-hour Beyond Black Squares workshops for the Dora Mavor Moore Award jurors as part of our strategic partnership with TAPA

PACTcon (2023-2025)

Black Pledge Collective joined PACTcon for the second year in a row, as part of our strategic partnership with PACT. At this conference, held in Kjipuktuk / Halifax, Velvet co-hosted an open gathering for Black artists and arts workers. We had passionate conversations about the local theatre landscape. Velvet also co-facilitated a session with Sedina Fiati and Ren Niles, calling on PACT members to imagine a thriving future for Black artists and arts workers. Look for visual feedback on the Black Pledge site. We also shared updates on the Black Pledge and shared information about “Reclamation”, our upcoming gathering in Tkoronto / Toronto

MemberConnect (2025)

Velvet Wells and Sedina Fiati (both with Black Pledge Collective), in collaboration with Robin Sokoloski (Mass Culture) and Lisa Greave (Atlantic Presenters Association) co-facilitated a Community Engagement session for the annual MemberConnect conference

Beyond Black Squares (2024)

Co-facilitated by Sedina Fiati and Velvet Wells, this three hour workshop helps segments of the live performance space disrupt anti-Black racism in their space. Together, we led hybrid, virtual, and in person sessions for PACT, TAPA, SMarts Conference, and many of our pledge signing organizations

Community/ Room Agreements (2022-23)

Black Pledge members, including Velvet Wells, facilitated multiple Stratford Festival director-actor groups through the development of their mindful room agreements

Bio (2025)

Velvet is an award-winning queer, Black facilitator, creator-producer, and lyrical comedian based in Ottawa, on the unceded and unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. Through their work with Teamland and Black Pledge Collective, Velvet designs and delivers impactful DEI workshops that support organizations in building more inclusive, equitable, and accountable cultures.

Their recent facilitation includes sessions on DEI in corporate spaces, disrupting antiBlack racism in live performance and professional environments, and an interactive bystander intervention workshop titled Practice Dismantling Racism.

In Fall 2025, Velvet was a Community Mentor for Toronto Metropolitan University’s Access Activators inaugural program.

Drawing on both lived experience and evidence-informed practices, Velvet creates engaging, reflective, and practical learning environments that encourage meaningful dialogue and lasting change. Outside of facilitation, they perform and teach improvisational comedy.

In 2024, they piloted their anti-racism/anti-oppression workshop “Practice Dismantling Racism”,, designed as an interactive practice space using applied improvisation. They are proud of their Disability Files contribution “Accessibility, One Person at a Time.” 

Select Testimonials

ImprovisAsian Festival Trista Mrema
Chris MeadNicole Mischler
Kristen McKenzie

Improv Equity Panel Appearances