Soulpepper is a theater company based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. It is the largest non-profit theater in the city.

History

Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatrical classics. Soulpepper has since become an important part of Toronto's theater scene. It often presents Canadian interpretations of works by noted playwrights such as Harold Pinter,

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...

, Samuel Beckett,

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

and Anton Chekhov. Soulpepper's founding members are

Martha Burns Martha Burns (born 23 April 1957)"Martha Burns ret ...

, Susan Coyne, Ted Dykstra,

Michael Hanrahan Michael Hanrahan was an American politician. From the town of Granville, Wisconsin, Hanrahan lived in the community of Good Hope, Wisconsin. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisco ...

, Stuart Hughes,

Diana Leblanc Diana Leblanc (born 1943) is a Canadian television and film actress, best known to US audiences for her portrayal of Frannie Halcyon in the TV miniseries ''More Tales of the City'' (1998) and its follow-up ''Further Tales of the City'' (2001). ...

Diego Matamoros Diego Matamoros is a Canadian actor who has performed in theatre, television, film, radio, and voice animation, both across Canada and in the United States. In 1998, he won a Gemini award for his performance as Dr. Goldman in CBC Television's min ...

, Nancy Palk,

Albert Schultz Albert Hamilton Schultz (; born July 30, 1963) is a former Canadian actor, director and the founding artistic director of Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company. He resigned his position with Soulpepper after sexual allegations against Schultz bec ...

Robyn Stevan Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 t ...

, William Webster, and Joseph Ziegler In 2005, the Soulpepper Theater Company moved into its permanent building, the

Young Centre for the Performing Arts The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is a theatre in the Distillery District in downtown Toronto, Canada. It is a brand-new theatre built into 19th-century-era Victorian industrial buildings. It is home to the Soulpepper Theatre Company and th ...

. The joint project with the

George Brown College George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and ...

theater school was designed by local firm

KPMB Architects KPMB is a Canadian architecture firm founded by Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, Marianne McKenna, and Shirley Blumberg, in 1987. It is headquartered in Toronto, where the majority of their work is found. Aside from designing buildings, the firm a ...

and is located in Toronto's historic

Distillery District The Distillery District is a commercial and residential district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, east of downtown, which contains numerous cafés, restaurants, and shops housed within heritage buildings of the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery. ...

. In January 2018, founding artistic director Albert Schultz was publicly accused of sexual misconduct by four professional actresses who worked with him at Soulpepper. The women involved are

Kristin Booth Kristin Booth (born August 28, 1974) is a Canadian actress, born in Kitchener, Ontario. She graduated with Honours BFA from Ryerson Theatre School at Ryerson Polytechnic University in 1997. Career Kristin Booth grew up in Kinkora, near the S ...

, Diana Bentley, Hannah Miller and Patricia Fagan. Lawsuits on their behalf were filed against both Schultz and Soulpepper. Schultz resigned his position as artistic director on January 4, 2018. The lawsuits were settled out of court in July 2018.

The Academy

Soulpepper's goal is to play a significant role in the development of future generations of theater artists through the Soulpepper Academy. This full-time, paid training program was launched in 2006. Selected through a nationwide search, 8 artists undertake a one-year residency to further develop their skills under the guidance of leading theater practitioners, further their careers through involvement in Soulpepper productions, teach in the classrooms of the local community, mentor youth and develop a collective creation. The Soulpepper Academy program is divided into two phases. The first is focused on training and pedagogy, while the second shifts to performance/production with ongoing training. The Academy was on hold and under review in 2018, but has since resumed.

Awards

Dora Mavor Moore Awards The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped es ...

*''Parfumerie'': Outstanding Production (2010) *''Parfumerie''; Outstanding Direction of a Play/Musical, Morris Panych (2010) *''Parfumerie''; Outstanding Original Set Design, Ken MacDonald (2010) *''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?''; Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role, Diego Matamoros (2010) *''A Raisin in the Sun''; Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role, Alison Sealy-Smith (2009) *''Top Girls'': Outstanding Direction of a Play, Alisa Palmer (2008) *''The Time of Your Life'': Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role, Joseph Ziegler (2008) *''The Time of Your Life'': Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role, Stuart Hughes (2008) *''Leaving Home'': Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role, Jane Spidell (2007) *''Our Town'': Outstanding Production of a Play (2006) *''Translations'': Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role, Michael Simpson (2005) *''No Man's Land'': Outstanding Performance, William Hutt (2003) *''The Bald Soprano''/''The Lesson'': Outstanding Direction of a Play, Jim Warren (2001) *''Platonov'': Best Production; Outstanding Performance, Diego Matamoros (2000) *''Platonov'': Outstanding Direction of a Play, László Marton (1999) *''Endgame'': Best Production; Outstanding Sound Design, Richard Feren (1999)

Other awards

*2015 - Premier's Awards for Excellence in the Arts, Arts Organization Award *2008 - DareArts Foundation Cultural Award to Albert Schultz, in recognition of his outstanding work in empowering and educating at-risk youth *2006 - Toronto Arts Council Foundation William Kilbourn Award to Albert Schultz, for contribution to the cultural life of the city *2006 -

City of Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award to Albert Schultz, recognizing excellence and professionalism in the performing arts *2005 - City of Toronto Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award to Martha Burns *2004 - Leonardo da Vinci Award for creativity & innovation in the arts, to Albert Schultz *2003 - Salute to the City Award, for outstanding contribution to the cultural life of Toronto, to Albert Schultz *2002 - Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, for outstanding contributions to the community, to Albert Schultz *2002 -

Arts and Letters Club The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto (usually just called ''The Arts and Letters Club'') is a private club in Toronto, Ontario, which brings together writers, architects, musicians, painters, graphic artists, actors and others working in or with a ...

Award to Susan Coyne & Albert Schultz, recognizing worthy members of the artistic community *2001 - Joan Chalmers National Award for Artistic Direction, to Albert Schultz *1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 - Lieutenant Governor's Awards for the Arts, recognizing achievement in fundraising *1999 - Mayor Mel and Marilyn's Youth Award, for mentoring emerging artists or youth

References

{{reflist

External links

Soulpepper Theatre Company official site

Soulpepper Theatre Company at the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Theatre companies in Toronto Organizations established in 1998