As the Civic Theatre in Nelson opens its doors to four Kootenay-based artists for the inaugural artist-in-residency program, Sarah Kapoor shares that she didn't plan on returning to Creston for more than a year.

What she did plan was to take her maternity leave to move home and help her mother move out of the family's house. Six years later, she's still working remotely and living in the Kootenays.

The silver lining of the pandemic, for Kapoor, hastened the inevitable end of commuting inter-provincially for work.

"In terms of timing, it's amazing," Kapoor said of taking part in the residency.

Now, with the Civic Theatre's artist program, Kapoor is reframing where and how she works. Kapoor grew up with the sense that you had to leave Creston to be able to accomplish something. She's learned that's not the case. A storyteller and documentary filmmaker by trade, she's researching production potential in the Kootenays -- and looking for her A-team.

Find our story on another artist-in-residence, author Pat Henman, here.