The contemporary theatre

Theatre

Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...

 scene in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 revolves around companies and summer festivals based at facilities in Canadian cities.

British Columbia

• Northwest of Armstrong
  Armstrong, British Columbia
  The City of Armstrong is located in the North Okanagan of the Canadian province of British Columbia, between Vernon and Enderby. It overlooks the Spallumcheen Valley, which forms a broad pass between the Okanagan Valley to the south and the Shuswap Country to the north, and is about from each of...
  
   is the Caravan Farm Theatre
  Caravan Farm Theatre
  Caravan Farm Theatre is a professional outdoor theatre company operated by the Bill Miner Society for Cultural Advancement. The theatre is based on an farm, 11 kilometres northwest of Armstrong, British Columbia. Caravan Farm Theatre productions are always mounted outdoors in site-specific...
  
  , a professional outdoor theatre company.
• Chemainus
  Chemainus, British Columbia
  Chemainus is a community on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.Founded as a logging town in 1858, the town is now famous for its 39 outdoor murals. This outdoor gallery has given birth to 300 businesses, including a theatre, antiques dealers, and eateries. The tourist...
  
   hosts the annual Chemainus Festival.
• The heritage village of Fort Steele
  Fort Steele, British Columbia
  Fort Steele is a heritage town in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located north of the Crowsnest Highway along Highways 93 and 95, northeast of Cranbrook.-History:...
  
   includes the Wild Horse Theatre, which produces a historic revue starring professional actors during the summer months.
• Gabriola Island
  Gabriola Island
  Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, in British Columbia , Canada. Gabriola lies about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by ferry...
  
   is home to the Gabriola Theatre Festival, which produces twelve shows over one weekend in August.
• Kamloops is home to Western Canada Theatre
  Western Canada Theatre
  Western Canada Theatre is a professional theatre company located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1969 by Tom Kerr under the name Western Canada Youth Theatre....
  
  .
• North Vancouver
  North Vancouver, British Columbia
  There are two municipalities in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, that use the name North Vancouver. These are:*The City of North Vancouver...
  
   has Presentation House Theatre and Centennial Theatre.
• Prince George
  Prince George
  -British princes:* Prince George Augustus, later George II of Great Britain * Prince George William of Great Britain , son of George II* Prince George William Frederick, later George III of the United Kingdom...
  
   is the home of Theatre North West.
• Vancouver
  Vancouver
  Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
  
   is home to, among others, the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company
  Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company
  The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company is a regional theatre company, producing plays since 1962. Its first production was The Hostage by Brendan Behan, which opened on October 2, 1963...
  
  , the Vancouver Fringe Festival
  Vancouver Fringe Festival
  The Vancouver Fringe Festival is an annual alternative theatre festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada established in 1985. This event is organized and sponsored by the First Vancouver Theatrespace Society, a volunteer not-for-profit society...
  
  , the Arts Club Theatre Company, Carousel Theatre
  Carousel Theatre
  Carousel Theatre is a professional theatre company for young audiences located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company stages plays for young people, families and educators at the Waterfront Theatre and Performance Works on Granville Island and tours to elementary schools across...
  
  , Bard on the Beach
  Bard on the Beach
  Bard on the Beach is Western Canada's largest professional Shakespeare festival, which is held every year in open-ended tents on the waterfront in Vanier Park in Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
  
  , Theatre Under the Stars
  Theatre Under the Stars (Vancouver)
  Theatre Under The Stars, commonly referred to as TUTS, is one of Vancouver's largest musical theatre companies. The society presents two musicals during the summer season at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park, British Columbia.-History:...
  
  , the [Metropolitan Cooperative Theatre Society, Studio 58
  Studio 58
  Studio 58 is an intensive theatre school located in Vancouver, British Columbia. A part of Langara College's Theatre Arts Program, the school offers professional theatre training for actors and production personnel. It is the only conservatory-style theatre training program in Western Canada...
  
  , Pacific Theatre, and the Firehall Arts.
• Victoria
  Victoria, British Columbia
  Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
  
   has a major regional theatre, the Belfry Theatre
  Belfry Theatre
  The Belfry Theatre is a theatre and associated theatre company in the Fernwood neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The theatre is, in fact, a nineteenth-century church designed by Thomas Hooper.-Origins:...
  
  , as well as a professional company, Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre. Intrepid Theatre
  Intrepid Theatre
  Intrepid Theatre is a not-for-profit organization in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, that produces the annual Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival, Uno Fest: Canada’s Singular Live Theatre Event, and a year-round series of international theatre presentations and premieres for local independent...
  
   is a local alternative company and organizes both the Uno Festival and the Victoria Fringe Festival.

Alberta

• Calgary
  Calgary
  Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
  
   is home to Theatre Calgary
  Theatre Calgary
  Theatre Calgary, theatre company in Calgary, Alberta, established as a professional company in 1968.-History:The origin of the company dates back to the 1940s, when students of Betty Mitchell, a drama teacher at Calgary's Western Canada High School, established an amateur group known as "Workshop...
  
  , a mainstream regional theatre; Alberta Theatre Projects
  Alberta Theatre Projects
  Alberta Theatre Projects is a Canadian theatre production company, founded in 1972, based at the Martha Cohen Theatre in Calgary, Alberta....
  
  , a major centre for new play development in Canada; Vertigo Mystery Theatre; and One Yellow Rabbit
  One Yellow Rabbit
  One Yellow Rabbit is an adult-oriented contemporary theatre company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.One Yellow Rabbit began as a small troupe in 1982 and has grown into one of Canada's best-known theatrical voices at home and abroad. Blending elements such as drama, dance, poetry and monologue,...
  
  , a touring company. Calgary is also home for expert marionetteer, Ronnie Burkett
  Ronnie Burkett
  Ronnie Burkett is a Canadian puppeteer, best known for his original theatrical plays for adults, performed with marionettes...
  
  . Calgary is the base of operations of Loose Moose Theatre
  Loose Moose Theatre
  The Loose Moose Theatre Company , is a theater company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was co-founded in 1977, by Keith Johnstone and Mel Tonken. LMTC has an international reputation for developing the theatrical style of improvisation and specifically the work of Keith Johnstone...
  
  , which performs improvisational theatre
  Improvisational theatre
  Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
  
  . Other companies, some of which specialize in new plays, include Sage Theatre, Downstage Theatre, and Lunchbox Theatre.

• Edmonton
  Edmonton
  Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
  
   is best known for the Edmonton International Fringe Festival
  Edmonton International Fringe Festival
  The Edmonton International Fringe Festival produced by the Fringe Theatre Adventures is an annual event held every August in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada....
  
  , the first and largest fringe theatre festival in North America. The major live venue is the Citadel Theatre
  Citadel Theatre
  The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, located in the Downtown Core on Churchill Square.-History:Originally the "Old Salvation Army Citadel", the Citadel was bought by Joseph H. Shoctor, James L. Martin, Ralph B. MacMillan, and Sandy Mactaggart, and the...
  
  . The neighborhood of Old Strathcona
  Old Strathcona
  Old Strathcona is an historic district located in south-central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Once the commercial core of the separate city of Strathcona, the area is now Edmonton's main arts and entertainment district, and in 2007 was named Alberta's second "Provincial Historic Area"...
  
   contains the Theatre District, where Catalyst Theatre
  Catalyst Theatre
  Catalyst Theatre is a theatre company in Edmonton founded in 1977. Catalyst Theatre creates and tours new work developed under Artistic Director Jonathan Christenson in collaboration with Resident Designer Bretta Gerecke...
  
  , Walterdale Playhouse, and the Varscona Theatre
  Varscona Theatre
  The Varscona Theatre is a live performance venue in the Old Strathcona neighborhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. A former firehall, since 1994 the Varscona has been operated by a consortium of small theatre companies, including Rapid Fire Theatre, Shadow Theatre and Teatro la Quindicina...
  
   (home of several companies: Teatro la Quindicina
  Teatro la Quindicina
  Teatro la Quindicina is a theatre company founded by Canadian playwright Stewart Lemoine in 1982 at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. The company is best known for producing Lemoine's original works but also produces a new comedy by an Edmonton-based playwright each season...
  
  , Shadow Theatre
  Shadow Theatre
  The Shadow Theatre is an Edmonton-based theatre company born of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival in 1990.-History:Shadow Theatre was incorporated in 1992, operating under the governance of a volunteer Board of Directors...
  
  , Rapid Fire Theatre
  Rapid Fire Theatre
  Rapid Fire Theatre is an improvisational theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The company’s goal is to provide affordable, high-energy improvisation and alternative theatre to audiences in Edmonton and beyond, while providing exciting opportunities for its participants.-History:The...
  
  , Die-Nasty
  Die-Nasty
  Die-Nasty is a live improvised soap opera, running weekly in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 1991. Die-Nastys improv comedy format features a continuing storyline and recurring characters, live music, and a director who sets up scenes for the audience in voiceover.The cast of Die-Nasty...
  
  , and Oh Susanna!
  Oh Susanna!
  Oh Susanna! is a live improvised variety show/talkshow, presented monthly in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, at the Varscona Theatre in Old Strathcona. Performances are generally the last Saturday of the month at 11pm...
  
  ) are located. Other well-known companies, some of which specialize in new plays, include Workshop West Theatre, Northern Light, and Theatre Network. Edmonton is also known for its prestigious BFA conservatory acting program at the University of Alberta

• Lethbridge
  Lethbridge
  Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
  
   is the home of New West Theatre, a professional theatre company.

• Rosebud
  Rosebud, Alberta
  Rosebud, Alberta is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Wheatland County. It is located on Highway 840, approximately northeast of Calgary and southwest of Drumheller...
  
  , located one hour east of Calgary
  Calgary
  Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
  
  , is home to Rosebud Theatre
  Rosebud Theatre
  Rosebud Theatre, located in the hamlet of Rosebud, Alberta, Canada, is the only professional rural theatre in Alberta. It produces four mainstage shows a year, attracting over 40,000 people per year to the hamlet of about 100 people....
  
  , Alberta's only rural professional theatre.

Saskatchewan

• Regina
  Regina, Saskatchewan
  Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
  
   features Saskatchewan's largest professional theatre and Canada's only permanent arena theatre, the Globe Theatre
  Globe Theatre, Regina
  The Globe Theatre in Regina, Saskatchewan, was founded in 1966 by Ken and Sue Kramer. It was the first professional educational theatre company and the only professional theatre company in Saskatchewan.-Background:...
  
  .

• Saskatoon
  Saskatoon
  Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
  
   is home to Persephone Theatre
  Persephone Theatre
  Persephone Theatre, is a theatre company based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The theatre company was founded in 1974 by Janet and Susan Wright and named after the greek goddess Persephone. The first season performances were held at the Mendel Art Gallery, with the second season at the...
  
  , as well as Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan
  Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan
  Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan is an annual summer Shakespeare in the park theatre festival founded in 1985, which takes place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada...
  
  .

Manitoba

• Winnipeg
  Winnipeg
  Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
  
   is the home of Le Cercle Molière
  Le Cercle Molière
  Le Cercle Molière is the oldest running theatre in Canada. It is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and was founded in 1925. In 2005, it began to raise funds to build a new venue in its historic home of St. Boniface.-History:...
  
   (the oldest continuously running theatre company in Canada), the Manitoba Theatre Centre
  Manitoba Theatre Centre
  Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is Canada's oldest English-language regional theatre. Next to the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, MTC has a higher annual attendance than any other theatre in the country...
  
   (Canada's oldest English-language regional theatre), the Pantages Playhouse, Fantasy Theatre for Children (Manitoba's oldest children's theatre), Merlyn Productions, Prairie Theatre Exchange
  Prairie Theatre Exchange
  The Prairie Theatre Exchange is a professional theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It has its origins with the Manitoba Theatre School started by the Manitoba Theatre Centre in 1960....
  
  , Rainbow Stage
  Rainbow Stage
  Rainbow Stage is Canada's longest-surviving outdoor theatre, located in the natural setting of Kildonan Park in north Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:It opened 7 July 1954 presenting operettas and musicals using local performers...
  
  , Theatre Projects Manitoba, the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
  Winnipeg Jewish Theatre
  Winnipeg Jewish Theatre is a theatre based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was founded in 1987 and is the only professional theatre in Canada dedicated to Jewish themes....
  
  , and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

Ontario

• Thunder Bay
  Thunder Bay
  -In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
  
   has Magnus Theatre
  Magnus Theatre
  The Magnus Theatre - The Dr. S. Penny Petrone Centre for the Performing Arts in Thunder Bay, Ontario was founded in 1971 and is Northwestern Ontario's professional theatre company....
  
  , The Dr. S. Penny Petrone
  Penny Petrone
  Dr. Penny Serafina Petrone was a Canadian writer, educator, patron of the arts, and philanthropist. She was the daughter of Luisa Sisco and Luigi Petrone and sister to the recognized and distinguished lawyer Alfred Petrone. She was born in Port Arthur, Ontario .She attended St...
  
   Centre for the Performing Arts, a regional professional theatre company.

• Sudbury has the regional theatre companies Sudbury Theatre Centre
  Sudbury Theatre Centre
  The Sudbury Theatre Centre is a professional theatre company, located in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.Following an Ontario government report in 1967 which recommended the creation of a theatre company in Sudbury, local arts patrons Sonja Dunn, Carolyn Fouriezos, Bill Hart, Bob Remnant and Peg Roberts...
  
   and Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario
  Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario
  Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario is a Canadian professional theatre company. Located in Sudbury, Ontario, the company produces French language stage productions from this city for its community, for Ontario, for Canada and overseas too....
  
  .

• Blyth
  Blyth, Ontario
  Blyth is a community in the municipality of North Huron, Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It is located southwest of the town of Wingham on Huron Road 4 and geographically south of the town of Lucknow....
  
   is the home of the Blyth Festival Theatre
  Blyth Festival Theatre
  The Blyth Festival, located in Blyth, Ontario, Canada, specializes in the production and promotion of Canadian plays.-History:The organization was started by James Roy, playwright Anne Chislett and local newspaper editor Keith Roulston in 1975...
  
   and Centre for the Arts.

• London
  London, Ontario
  London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
  
   is home to the Grand Theatre
  Grand Theatre, Ontario
  The Grand Theatre is a professional theatre located at 471 Richmond Street just south of Dufferin Avenue in London, Ontario, Canada.Its main auditorium has a seating capacity of 839 with a regular season running from September to May...
  
  .

• Stratford
  Stratford, Ontario
  Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
  
   is best known for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

• Niagara-on-the-Lake
  Niagara-on-the-Lake
  Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...
  
   is best known for the Shaw Festival
  Shaw Festival
  The Shaw Festival is a major Canadian theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the second largest repertory theatre company in North America...
  
  .

• Toronto
  Toronto
  Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
  
   has a large and vibrant theatre scene, with many different companies, some producing large-scale Broadway-style productions (produced by companies like Mirvish Productions
  Mirvish Productions
  Mirvish Productions is a Canadian based theatrical production company and promoter.The company was founded in 1987 by David Mirvish, son of Toronto retailing icon and owner of the Royal Alexandra Theatre Ed Mirvish....
  
  ), and others producing smaller-scale plays by Canadian and other playwrights. Some of the major theatre companies of Toronto include: Canadian Stage Company, Tarragon Theatre
  Tarragon Theatre
  The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country. Located near Casa Loma, the theatre was founded by Bill and Jane Glassco in 1970. Bill was the Artistic Director from 1971 to 1982. In 1982, Urjo Kareda took over as...
  
  , Theatre Passe-Muraille, the Factory Theatre
  Factory Theatre
  Factory Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, founded as Factory Theatre Lab in 1970 by Ken Gass and Frank Trotz.Factory was the first theatre to announce that it would exclusively produce Canadian plays, but it soon became a widely emulated policy by other theatre companies...
  
  , Soulpepper Theatre Company
  Soulpepper Theatre Company
  Soulpepper Theatre Company is a Toronto, Ontario-based theatre company dedicated to presenting classic plays.-History:Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists who dreamed of a company that would produce lesser known theatrical classics. Soulpepper has since become an important part...
  
  , and Buddies in Bad Times
  Buddies in Bad Times
  Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is a Canadian professional theatre company.Based in Toronto, Ontario and founded in 1978 by Matt Walsh, Jerry Ciccoritti, and Sky Gilbert, Buddies in Bad Times is dedicated to "the promotion of queer theatrical expression"....
  
  . Toronto has several theatre festivals during the year, including Summerworks and the Toronto Fringe Festival
  Toronto Fringe Festival
  The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual theatre festival, featuring uncensored plays by unknown or well-known artists, taking place in the theatres of Toronto. Several productions originally mounted at the Fringe have later been remounted for larger audiences, including the Tony Award-winning...
  
  . Important smaller companies include Native Earth, Nightwood Theatre
  Nightwood theatre
  Nightwood Theatre is Canada's oldest professional women’s theatre company. Based in Toronto, it was founded in 1979 by Cynthia Grant, Kim Renders, Mary Vingoe and Maureen White....
  
  , Necessary Angel, Crow's Theatre, DNA Company, Lonely Cake and Volcano
  Volcano
  2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
  
  .

• Kingston
  Kingston, Ontario
  Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
  
   is home to its own professional company, Theatre Kingston
  Theatre Kingston
  Theatre Kingston is a theatre company located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.Founded in 1990 as Theatre Beyond by Paul Gelineau, the company became The People's Theatre Kingston in 1992 and had two more Artistic Directors under that name—Kathryn MacKay and Kathleen LeRoux...
  
  , the Vagabond Repertory Theatre Company, as well as many amateur and student theatre groups. In nearby Gananoque
  Gananoque, Ontario
  Gananoque is a town in Leeds and Grenville County, Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,287 year-round residents in the Canada 2006 Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" because of the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River, Gananoque's most...
  
  , the Thousand Islands Playhouse
  The Thousand Islands Playhouse
  The Thousand Islands Playhouse is a highly successful summer theatre company located in Gananoque, Ontario, Canada.The Thousand Islands Playhouse was founded in 1981 by Greg Wanless and a collection of local actors and graduates from Queen's University including Timm Hughes, Joan Gardiner, Mo Bock,...
  
   features professional productions in two venues.

• Ottawa
  Ottawa
  Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
  
   is home to the multi-venue National Arts Centre
  National Arts Centre
  The National Arts Centre is a centre for the performing arts located in Ottawa, Ontario, between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal...
  
   and the smaller Great Canadian Theatre Company
  Great Canadian Theatre Company
  The Great Canadian Theatre Company, known for short as GCTC, is a professional theatre company based in Ottawa, Canada. It was established in 1975. The company specialises in the production of Canadian plays....
  
  , and holds the Ottawa Fringe Festival
  Ottawa Fringe Festival
  The Ottawa Fringe Festival, founded in 1997, is a celebration of the non-mainstream performing arts. Held indoors and out, it is a ten-day event, held in June.-Performance Spaces:Performances all take place in downtown Ottawa...
  
  . The Ottawa Little Theatre
  Ottawa Little Theatre
  The Ottawa Little Theatre, originally called the Ottawa Drama League at its inception in 1913, is the longest-running community theatre company in Canada. Based in the national capital, it presents eight plays per year from September through May....
  
  , founded in 1913, is the longest-running community theatre company in Canada

Quebec

• Montréal
  Montreal
  Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
  
  's theatre scene is split between French- and English-language theatre. The National Theatre School of Canada
  National Theatre School of Canada
  The National Theatre School of Canada is a private college located in Montreal, Quebec.Established in Montreal in 1960, the National Theatre School of Canada offers professional training in English and French in a setting that unites all the theatre arts: acting, playwriting, directing, set and...
  
   is based there, and the Montréal Fringe Festival is held there every June.

• Québec City
  Quebec City
  Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
  
   is the home of Robert Lepage
  Robert Lepage
  Robert Lepage, is a playwright, actor, film director, and stage director from Québec City, Québec, and is one of Canada's most honoured theatre artists.- Life and work :...
  
  's company Ex Machina.

Northwest Territories

• Yellowknife
  Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
  Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories , Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River...
  
   is home to the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, a small theatre with just over 300 seats.

New Brunswick

• Moncton has the restored Capitol Theatre
  Capitol Theatre (Moncton)
  The Capitol Theatre in Downtown Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada is an 800 seat, restored 1920s-era vaudeville house on Main Street that serves as the centre for cultural entertainment for the city...
  
  , one of only eight theatres of the ca. 1922 Pantages/Vaudeville design in the nation.

• Saint John
  Saint John, New Brunswick
  City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
  
   has the restored Imperial Theatre, an historic ca. 1913 modern adaptation of the Italian Renaissance
  Italian Renaissance
  The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
  
  .

• Fredericton is host to The Playhouse, a gift to the people of New Brunswick
  New Brunswick
  New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
  
   by Lord Beaverbrook in 1964.

• Theatre New Brunswick is a provincial theatre company.

Prince Edward Island

• Charlottetown
  Charlottetown
  Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
  
   is home to the Confederation Centre of the Arts
  Confederation Centre of the Arts
  The Confederation Centre of the Arts is a cultural centre dedicated to the visual and performing arts located in the city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.-History:...
  
  , with its 1,100 seat mainstage theatre being one of Atlantic Canada's pre-eminent performing arts facilities.

Nova Scotia

• Halifax has the Neptune Theatre
  Neptune Theatre (Halifax)
  The Neptune Theatre is the largest professional theatre company in Atlantic Canada with a capacity of 497 and is located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It performs a mixture of new and classical plays....
  
  , Shakespeare by the Sea
  Shakespeare by the Sea, Halifax
  Shakespeare by the Sea is a professional theatre company and registered society in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Founded in 1994, it specialises in performing the works of William Shakespeare...
  
   and Canada's longest continuously running community theatre The Theatre Arts Guild
  The Theatre Arts Guild
  The Theatre Arts Guild of Halifax, Nova Scotia, is Canada's oldest continuously operated community theatre. In 1931 the Little Theatre Movement and the Halifax Dramatic and Musical Club merged to found the TAG...
  
  , as well as the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
  Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
  The Dalhousie Arts Centre, at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, contains a number of theatres, an art gallery, classrooms, and a sculpture garden. It is the premier performing arts venue in the Halifax area, and was opened officially in November, 1971.The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium is the...
  
  . See Culture of the Halifax Regional Municipality#Theatre.

• Wolfville
  Wolfville, Nova Scotia
  Wolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772....
  
   was home to the Atlantic Theatre Festival
  Atlantic Theatre Festival
  The Atlantic Theatre Festival was a professional theatre company located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Theatre Festival presented a "broad range of critically acclaimed theatre classics" during the summer in Wolfville's Festival Theatre, the former town hockey arena which was converted...
  
  .

• Glace Bay
  Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
  Glace Bay is a community in the eastern part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It forms part of the general area referred to as Industrial Cape Breton....
  
   has the Savoy Theatre, a cultural centre for Cape Breton Island
  Cape Breton Island
  Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
  
  .

• Antigonish
  Antigonish, Nova Scotia
  Antigonish is a Canadian town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous highland games in North America.-History:...
  
   has Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre, and Theatre Antigonish Antigonish.

Newfoundland and Labrador

• St. John's
  St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
  St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
  
   has the RCA (Resource Centre for the Arts), an artist-run company that is based at the LSPU Hall. It also has the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre, with a 1,000 seat main theatre.

• Clarenville, Newfoundland is the home to The New Curtain Theatre Company, which operates as a year-round professional theatre based out of The Loft Theatre at the White Hills Ski Resort in Clarenville (2 hours west of St. John's).

Summer Festivals

Major summer theatre festivals include:

• Gabriola Theatre Festival (Gabriola Island, British Columbia)

Bard on the Beach

Bard on the Beach

Bard on the Beach is Western Canada's largest professional Shakespeare festival, which is held every year in open-ended tents on the waterfront in Vanier Park in Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...

 Shakespeare Festival, based in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia.

• The Blyth Festival Theatre
  Blyth Festival Theatre
  The Blyth Festival, located in Blyth, Ontario, Canada, specializes in the production and promotion of Canadian plays.-History:The organization was started by James Roy, playwright Anne Chislett and local newspaper editor Keith Roulston in 1975...
  
  , based in Blyth
  Blyth, Ontario
  Blyth is a community in the municipality of North Huron, Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It is located southwest of the town of Wingham on Huron Road 4 and geographically south of the town of Lucknow....
  
  , Ontario
• The Stratford Festival of Canada
  Stratford Festival of Canada
  The Stratford Shakespeare Festival is an internationally recognized annual celebration of theatre running from April to November in the Canadian city of Stratford, Ontario...
  
  , based in Stratford
  Stratford, Ontario
  Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
  
  , Ontario.
• The Shaw Festival
  Shaw Festival
  The Shaw Festival is a major Canadian theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the second largest repertory theatre company in North America...
  
  , based in Niagara-on-the-Lake
  Niagara-on-the-Lake
  Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...
  
  , Ontario.
• The Thousand Islands Playhouse, based in Gananoque, Ontario.
• The Charlottetown Festival
  Charlottetown Festival
  The Charlottetown Festival is a seasonal Canadian musical theatre festival which runs from late May to mid-October every year since 1965.Named after its host city, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, since its inception the festival has showcased Canada's most popular and longest-running musical,...
  
  , based in Charlottetown
  Charlottetown
  Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
  
  , Prince Edward Island.
• Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre
  Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre
  Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre runs every year from July through September, in the town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Founded in 1987, FAST presents a summer-long repertory season with a range of productions which appeal to all age groups.-External links:...
  
  , based in Antigonish
  Antigonish, Nova Scotia
  Antigonish is a Canadian town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous highland games in North America.-History:...
  
  , Nova Scotia.
• Shakespeare by the Sea
  Shakespeare by the Sea, Halifax
  Shakespeare by the Sea is a professional theatre company and registered society in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Founded in 1994, it specialises in performing the works of William Shakespeare...
  
  , based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• The Magnetic North Theatre Festival
  Magnetic North Theatre Festival
  The Magnetic North Theatre Festival is an annual festival celebrating theatre and related performing arts in Canada operated by the Canadian Theatre Festival Society in partnership with the National Arts Centre. The festival is held Ottawa every two years, with it being held in other Canadian...
  
  , based in Ottawa
  Ottawa
  Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
  
  , Ontario and held annually, alternating between Ottawa and another Canadian city.
• The Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan
  Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan
  Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan is an annual summer Shakespeare in the park theatre festival founded in 1985, which takes place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada...
  
   Festival in Saskatoon
  Saskatoon
  Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
  
  , Saskatchewan
  Saskatchewan
  Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
  
  

Canada also has more fringe theatre

Fringe theatre

Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...

 festivals than any other country, forming a summer fringe circuit running from the St-Ambroise Montréal Fringe in June and heading westward to the Vancouver Fringe Festival

Vancouver Fringe Festival

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is an annual alternative theatre festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada established in 1985. This event is organized and sponsored by the First Vancouver Theatrespace Society, a volunteer not-for-profit society...

 in September. The circuit includes the two largest fringe festivals in North America, the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and the Edmonton International Fringe Festival

Edmonton International Fringe Festival

The Edmonton International Fringe Festival produced by the Fringe Theatre Adventures is an annual event held every August in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada....

. Other fringe theatre festivals include the Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival

Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival

The newly named PotashCorp Fringe Theatre Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. A fringe festival is not censored, and not juried, and provides live theatre inexpensively, and a public busking forum for musicians...

, the Calgary Fringe Festival

Calgary Fringe Festival

The Calgary Fringe Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Calgary, Alberta.-History:The earliest Fringe-type drama festival in Calgary was the Plan B Festival, held in 2000 at a variety of locations in both Calgary's downtown and the neighbouring community of Inglewood...

, the London Fringe Theatre Festival (Ontario)

London Fringe Theatre Festival (Ontario)

London Fringe Theatre Festival is a Canadian annual fringe theatre and related arts festival in London, Ontario. Founded in 1999, it runs for ten days at the end of June. Prior to 2009 it began on the province's Civic holiday weekend, but was moved that year to take advantage of the east-to-west...

, the Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival and the Atlantic Fringe Festival

Atlantic Fringe Festival

The Atlantic Fringe Festival is held annually inlate August / early September in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Since 1991, the festival has been a showcase for non-mainstreamtheatre...

.

See also

• List of Canadian playwrights
• List of Canadian plays
• National Theatre School of Canada
  National Theatre School of Canada
  The National Theatre School of Canada is a private college located in Montreal, Quebec.Established in Montreal in 1960, the National Theatre School of Canada offers professional training in English and French in a setting that unites all the theatre arts: acting, playwriting, directing, set and...
  
  
• Charlottetown Festival
  Charlottetown Festival
  The Charlottetown Festival is a seasonal Canadian musical theatre festival which runs from late May to mid-October every year since 1965.Named after its host city, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, since its inception the festival has showcased Canada's most popular and longest-running musical,...
  
  
• Studio 58
  Studio 58
  Studio 58 is an intensive theatre school located in Vancouver, British Columbia. A part of Langara College's Theatre Arts Program, the school offers professional theatre training for actors and production personnel. It is the only conservatory-style theatre training program in Western Canada...
  
  
• Theatre Under the Stars
  Theatre Under the Stars
  Theatre Under The Stars or TUTS may refer to:*Theatre Under The Stars - musical theatre company in Vancouver, British Columbia*Theatre Under The Stars - musical theatre company in Houston, Texas...
  
  
• Vancouver Playhouse

External links

• ArtsAlive.ca|Théâtre Français
• Playwrights Canada Press
• Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
• The Canadian Theatre Record
• L.W. Conolly Theatre Archives at University of Guelph, Archival and Special Collections, which holds more than 120 archival collections related to Canadian theatre
• SIBMAS: International Directory of Performing Arts Collections and Institutions
• The Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project