Residency is a structured two-year program (sometimes longer!) providing groups/artists with the necessary space, funding and mentorship to craft ideas still in their infancy into finished works that are provocative, innovative, and ambitious. We look for good ideas, drawing us to projects led by directors, designers, composers, choreographers, architects, visual artists, and even a neurologist. Residency facilitates a highly collaborative artistic process that starts by asking what do you need?
We are currently accepting applications for new projects. Click here for more information.
Residency is generously supported by:
In 2020, in response to COVID-19, we added two new creation streams: explorations and finishing. Explorations allows artists to spend a year supported in their pursuit of burning questions that may impact a larger work, or the future shape of their practice. Finishing creates an opportunity for an artist to take a work that has been in development for years into an intensive period of design and technical experimentation. Both streams allow us to see if there are new ways in which we can fill gaps in how our sector supports creation. Learn more about explorations and finishing alums here.
"When I got to The Theatre Centre all I had was the seed of an idea. That idea has slowly grown, moved in many directions, sped up and slowed down, and weathered some storms. The Theatre Centre has stayed the course, sheltered my idea at times. I'm not sure where else an artist like me would have found the kind of long-term support that would enable my idea to blossom."
Ian Kamau
Residency Artist
Call for Residency Artists
The Theatre Centre’s Residency Program is at the very heart of what we do: a structured two-year program (sometimes longer!) providing groups/artists with the necessary space, funding, and mentorship to craft ideas still in their infancy into finished works that are provocative, innovative, and ambitious. Residency facilitates a highly collaborative artistic process by asking artists “what do you need?” The program supports new work in a variety of artistic disciplines led by directors, designers, composers, choreographers, architects, visual artists, or even neurologists. We are looking for big ideas in their earliest stages.
Residency has its roots in the R&D (Research & Development) program, established by The Theatre Centre in 1983, and later developed into its current evolving form by Franco Boni and Jennifer Tarver in 2004. This has led to a long history of providing a home for artists who have had difficulty finding a home for their practice elsewhere. Most often, Residency has supported and continues to support artists working at the edge or intersections of practice.
Some things to note:
- Residency is not a program designed for emerging artists. We certainly welcome applications from a range of experience, but we have found that Residency is of particular benefit to artists with an established practice of creation.
- This program was created to fill a gap in the ecology of new work creation that wasn’t supported by most playwright development programs at the time. Residency at The Theatre Centre focuses on work that requires physical space for creation, and has often provided artists with the rare opportunity to build a work in the space in which it will eventually be produced.
- Artists must either reside in Canada or be working in partnership with a Canadian company/group.
Time Commitment:
Focused Residency work periods occur throughout the year and are scheduled with the artists. Residency artists work in the building during these times and publicly share the results of – and questions arising from – their process after each work period in our much-loved Residency Showings. Artists working in the building also have the opportunity to access one another as resources to further the growth and development of each other’s work. Cross pollination can be one of the most exciting and unexpected elements of Residency at The Theatre Centre.
Be warned, we always receive many submissions to Residency calls. As a result, we try to ensure that the process of putting an application together is as light on work as possible. Your main goal is to get us excited about the thing you’re excited about. Proposals should be no more than 3 pages in length and should include:
- Brief history of you or your company
- What is your idea or burning question?
- Why does your idea/process require the support of this Residency program? (Think specifically of our resource of space: why this program, and not a playwright-in-residence grant elsewhere?)
- How does this idea sit within your overall body of work or progression of your practice?
- One or two links to support material, ie. video, sound files, photos, etc.
Please email your application with subject Residency as one PDF (no google doc links please). Support materials should be linked within this document and not provided as attachments.
Deadline: May 15, 2025 by 11:59pm EST.
Only successful applicants will be contacted for an interview in May/June. We have room for 1-2 new Residency projects (depending on the scale of projects selected) beginning in the fall of 2025.
The Theatre Centre is committed to equity practices. We encourage applications from queer, transgender and two-spirited people, First Nations, Inuit & Métis, people of colour, and people with disabilities.
In all parts of the hiring process, please let us know about any access needs by emailing [email protected].
Applications will be received by our producers Liza Hersh and Angelo Pileggi and assessed by Aislinn Rose, General & Artistic Director, and Liza Paul, Associate Artistic Director.
Email submissions only:
[email protected]
Thank you so much to BMO Financial Group for their long term support of Residency! Thank you to the Metcalf Foundation for allowing us to open new opportunities for Explorations and Finishing.
Click here to view or download a PDF of this call for artists.
We believe in offering artists time – time to try, time to fail, time to discover all of the things their ideas will not become. Residency provides money, space, and mentorship, building lasting relationships that extend beyond Residency’s end. Each year we offer space free of charge, technical expertise, mentorship, producing support, and access to other artists also in Residency, opening the doors to collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas.
Due to the nature of Residency in which we follow the lead and the needs of the artists in the program, we do not have a regular call for new projects or participants. We put out calls for submissions when space in the program becomes available, and you’ll hear about it first from our newsletter.
We’d love if you join the artists on the journey. Showings happen three times over the course of the year, giving artists the opportunity to share their work and test ideas, and giving you a chance to see the work develop and engage with the creative process. If you’ve been to a showing, you already know to expect the unexpected—scenes, readings, music, questions, games, conversations—nothing is off-limits. The path to the piece is rarely a straight line and we wholeheartedly encourage experimentation along the way.
The work that comes out of Residency has been innovative, deeply personal, and often challenges traditional ideas of what theatre is. To be the first to know about a Residency showing, production, or a call for applications, subscribe to our newsletter.
Due to the nature of Residency in which we follow the lead and the needs of the artists in the program, we do not have a regular call for new projects or participants. We put out calls for submissions when space in the program becomes available. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear when a call goes out!
Audition Notice: The Observer Effect
Written by: Nehal El-Hadi ◉ Directed by: Daniele Bartolini
The Observer Effect is a new work written by Nehal El-Hadi in Residency at The Theatre Centre.
We are looking for 8 non-union performers to participate in a two-week workshop culminating in an invited and recorded performance of The Observer Effect.
We are interested in people with non-acting backgrounds, especially if your work is similar to those in the performance; tour guides, paramedics, teachers, security guards and public speakers. We are also very interested in working with university students with experience or interest in performance and/or activism.
The workshop will take place at The Theatre Centre and adjacent Lisgar Park from June 3-15 with weekends off, except for the performance date. Exact scheduling will be determined with performers based on roles and availability.
Auditions will take place on April 22 & 23 from 6-10PM at The Theatre Centre. Slots will be booked in conversation with performers after submission.
Synopsis
In the future, 14 years from now (2038), an audience gathers to participate in an urban history walking tour of a public square. The tour guide recounts the sanitised events of the 2028 privacy riots, which occurred in response to two events: the creation of a biometric database for residents of the city (ostensibly for efficient delivery of city services), and the local police force being granted access to private live camera feeds. As the group move through the square, they learn that the impact was far more wide-reaching and insidious than the official version of events.
Submission Guidelines
Please use the form below to submit a RESUME, HEADSHOT and 30 SECONDS OR LESS INTRO VIDEO. We’d just love to get a sense of who you are IRL.
If you have any questions on submissions or the project, please email Producer Alexis Eastman at [email protected].
Fees
All performers will be paid at a rate of $25/hr (+ HST if app.) for workshop time and $250 for the performance on June 15. Hours will be determined based on role and performer availability and total fees will be commensurate to or improve upon CTA minimums for workshops.
Roles
TOUR GUIDE 1 — NOA
Any gender. Early- to mid- 40s liberal.
Any gender. Early- to mid- 40s liberal.
The first guide for the walking tour. Covert member of Blaxites resistance movement (wears all black with discrete Blaxites logo). Attended the 2028 Toronto Privacy Protests as an organizer. Currently an urban studies professor at the University of Toronto.
TOUR GUIDE 2 — SAJ
Any gender. Early- to mid- 40s, liberal, with a no-nonsense vibe.
Second tour guide who Replaces the first guide after they’ve been made (also wears all-black with a Blaxites logo + anti-surveillance gear, like an ISHU scarf). Attended the 2028 Toronto Privacy Protests as an organizer.
Any gender. Early- to mid- 40s, liberal, with a no-nonsense vibe.
Second tour guide who Replaces the first guide after they’ve been made (also wears all-black with a Blaxites logo + anti-surveillance gear, like an ISHU scarf). Attended the 2028 Toronto Privacy Protests as an organizer.
ZANE
Male, racialised, early- to mid-20s (25 in performance), wears red t-shirt and black jeans.
A tour audience member. Had attended the Toronto Privacy Riots at 15 on a school trip with Civics and Citizenship course. Zane is writing a book about the experience — he is attending the tour as part of his research. Zane’s life was constrained, disrupted and regulated by the constant surveillance: kept in a constant state of debt by manipulated credit cards and insurance costs; his educational opportunities were limited as he wasn’t allowed admission into any left-leaning colleges; he has been subjected to constant harassment and seemingly random and impromptu constant carding-like encounters.
Male, racialised, early- to mid-20s (25 in performance), wears red t-shirt and black jeans.
A tour audience member. Had attended the Toronto Privacy Riots at 15 on a school trip with Civics and Citizenship course. Zane is writing a book about the experience — he is attending the tour as part of his research. Zane’s life was constrained, disrupted and regulated by the constant surveillance: kept in a constant state of debt by manipulated credit cards and insurance costs; his educational opportunities were limited as he wasn’t allowed admission into any left-leaning colleges; he has been subjected to constant harassment and seemingly random and impromptu constant carding-like encounters.
ALLI & ASH
Female, Black, early 20s (23 in performance).
Female, Black, early 20s (23 in performance).
Identical twins, wearing blue jeans and matching grey hoodies. The twins are hanging out in the park playing (skateboarding, basketball, etc.). ASH had attended the Toronto Privacy Riots with friends at 13, ALLI remained at home. Facial recognition during the protests marked ASH’s face with ALLI’s details, and in situations where ID is required, ALLI’s life has been curtailed in a similar manner to ZANE’s. Noticing this, the ALLI uses ASH’s identity to access municipal, provincial and federal services, including health care, but this is a crime under Canadian law. Both are carded regularly.
CAL
Male, late 20s, accented.
Food delivery on bicycle. Arrived in Canada as a minor seeking asylum, encounters the tour as he’s trying to deliver food. Wears blue jeans and a high-visibility cyclist vest over a fluorescent yellow, long-sleeved t-shirt.
Male, late 20s, accented.
Food delivery on bicycle. Arrived in Canada as a minor seeking asylum, encounters the tour as he’s trying to deliver food. Wears blue jeans and a high-visibility cyclist vest over a fluorescent yellow, long-sleeved t-shirt.
LEN
Female, mid-20s.
An urban studies student of Noa at the University of Toronto. Attending the walk on Noa’s invitation because of her interest in the history of Toronto.
Female, mid-20s.
An urban studies student of Noa at the University of Toronto. Attending the walk on Noa’s invitation because of her interest in the history of Toronto.
SECURITY GUARDS — RYE & MAL
Two security guards in uniform; members of a designated private security company subcontracted by the City and under the supervision of Toronto Police Services specifically to keep an eye on Toronto residents flagged during the Toronto Privacy Protests. They are dressed like rent-a-cops, overinflated sense of ego but a bizarre belief in citizen control in the name of public safety; take a perverse delight in holding private information about citizens; this pair could be funny but are mean.
Two security guards in uniform; members of a designated private security company subcontracted by the City and under the supervision of Toronto Police Services specifically to keep an eye on Toronto residents flagged during the Toronto Privacy Protests. They are dressed like rent-a-cops, overinflated sense of ego but a bizarre belief in citizen control in the name of public safety; take a perverse delight in holding private information about citizens; this pair could be funny but are mean.
PARAMEDICS
Two paramedics in uniform.
Two paramedics in uniform.
Header: Stewart Legere in Residency. Video by Stewart Legere