Theatre Centre announces new artistic and community events for 2026 Spring/Summer

March 20, 2026

The Theatre Centre announces the return of Community BBQ & Hangout, and a 7-week intensive development in Residency for Versus by Adam Lazarus, followed by sneak peek performances.

March 19 to May 17, 2026 — Preservation, presented by Volcano Theatre in association with The Theatre Centre

PRESERVATION, an exhibition of new multidisciplinary artworks by four internationally acclaimed Palestinian artists: dancer and choreographer Marah Haj; filmmaker Moaz Hosni; installation and multidisciplinary artist Shahd Itbakhi; and photographer Hosny Salah. Commissioned by Volcano, and curated by theatre maker and Volcano Associate Artist, Rimah Jabr, Preservation seeks to foreground the points of view of artists at risk of erasure due to war, genocide, and/or targeted violence.

April 13 to June 1, 2026 — Screen, Sketch, Share at The Theatre Centre Café/Bar

The Theatre Centre is one of host organizations for the ArtWorksTO: Newcomer Program, which provides newcomer creatives with training, mentorship, and paid work opportunities in media arts or arts education.

Our ArtWorks TO artist is Jim Libiran — a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist working across film, journalism, poetry, and community arts. A former broadcast journalist who reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Mindanao, he brings sociological rigor and lived experience to his storytelling.

Screen, Sketch, Share is a relaxed film-based workshop series designed to help people reconnect, especially in a city where more and more of us live solo, move fast, and quietly carry a lot. The idea is simple: we watch a film together, we draw while we watch, then we talk. The conversation becomes easier, softer, and more honest because we’re not starting from “what do you think?” but from “what did you feel?”

May to September 2026 — Tiny Concert Series, beginning with Songs of Liberation by John Kameel Farrah

John Kameel Farah is a Palestinian-Canadian composer who combines elements of Baroque and Arabic music, improvisation and electronic soundscapes, to create music he calls “Arabic-Baroque-Futurism”. In his concerts, he draws on themes of resistance, liberation and Near-Eastern history, sharing his perspectives on Palestinian and Near-Eastern history and identity.

This performance will kick off a number of smaller events that we’re calling our Tiny Concert Series for local Torontonians in the west end, increasing the community’s access to shared arts and culture experiences. We will be hosting free and low-cost, outdoor music events over the spring/summer months, moving them indoors if the weather is poor. The music programming will span a range of genres including R&B, baile, soul, reggae, and jazz and will feature the dynamic talents of local musicians.

May 15, 2026 — A 24-hour reading of Palestinian poetry

From early morning (00:00) May 15th to midnight May 15th (23:59), join us for 24 hours of Palestinian poetry marking Nakba Day. This event is free. Come and go as you wish. Join us to hear readings of vital poetry, of life and resistance.

Presented by Poetry for Palestine Toronto and The Theatre Centre. More collaborators to be announced.

May 2026 — Versus by Adam Lazarus Residency Period

From the creative team that brought you Daughter and The Art of Building a Bunker, Versus is a bouffon-inspired experience that examines a common feeling in the world that we’re all grappling with: feeling overcommitted, overworked, undervalued, overstimulated, undernourished, and pulled in a million directions by friends, family, work, politics, health, and enlightenment.

Following a narrative that is both real & surreal, Versus showcases the mundane horror of human existence. Life is funny. Life is not funny.

“I’m so happy to be finally presenting Versus this November.
which has been in the works for many, many years, with
support from The Theatre Centre from day one.”

— Adam Lazarus at the Community Meal

Versus will have a 7-week intensive development phase in Residency, followed by a sneak peek showing. Don’t miss your chance to say you saw it before anyone else! Tickets are extremely limited.

This run will kick off with The Theatre Centre fundraiser on May 21. Tickets for the fundraiser and early bird tickets is on sale now (and extremely limited!)

Versus will be premiering at The Theatre Centre in November 2026! Look out for our announcement this summer.

Friday, July 17, 2026 5-8 pm — Community BBQ & Hangout

Community Meals are a long-standing tradition in The Theatre Centre community. Let’s be honest, not much happens at The Theatre Centre without food. Our 2024 Community BBQ was a huge success: we planned for 300 guests and ended up feeding 800, and we’re all set to welcome even more people this summer!

Made possible through the City of Toronto’s ‘Community Celebration Support Fund’, this outdoor event will feature hot dogs (while supplies last), hamburgers, and live music!

September 2026 — HEAVEN by Sasha Ivanochko, Presented in association with The Theatre Centre

Heaven is a critically acclaimed contemporary dance work choreographed by Sasha Ivanochko. This remount project arrives at an auspicious moment, marking both the 20th anniversary of the work and Ivanochko’s appointment to the 100th Class of Guggenheim Fellows. Heaven explores the pursuit of connection — the impulse to dissolve into the other. The 60 minute trio is performed naked and in silence. Stripped of added sound and costume, the work invites audiences into an intimate encounter with the body — its limits, its desires, its failures, and its need for connection — offering a viewing experience that is direct, unmediated, and deeply human.

Details coming soon!

Residency is at the heart of everything we do. During this period, our Residency artists will continue to develop their projects. Learn more about our artists and what they’re working on on our website.

Residency is generously supported by BMO.