There was a seismic shift within Canadian theatre on December 8, 1968. An invited audience secretly descended into the Rochdale College underground parking garage to see a clandestine production of Tom Paine.

That event heralded the beginning of a movement that would see Canadian theatre artists take control of the levers of storytelling power. First with Theatre Passe Muraille, but within a few years Tarragon, Factory and Toronto Free would start up. Those four theatres (along with Toronto Workshop Productions) constituted the burgeoning “alternative” theatre movement which proudly began creating a Canadian canon of work. 

Join us this year as we celebrate not only our cherished history as the oldest theatre in Canada devoted to developing and producing new Canadian plays. But, also join us in celebrating the glorious accomplishments of Canadian theatre for the last 50 years.