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?
Residency is generously supported by:
In 2020, in response to COVID-19, we added two new creation streams: explorations and finishing. Explorations allowed 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 created 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 allowed us to see if there are new ways in which we can fill gaps in how our sector supports creation. Learn more 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
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!
Header: Stewart Legere in Residency. Video by Stewart Legere