The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary

playwriting A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwright" ...

in the country."Tarragon Theatre"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

'', September 3, 2008. Located near

Casa Loma Casa Loma (Spanish for "Hill House") is a Gothic Revival castle-style mansion and garden in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a historic house museum and landmark. It was constructed from 1911 to 1914 as a residence for financier S ...

, the theatre was founded by Bill and Jane Glassco in 1970. Bill Glassco was the artistic director from 1971 to 1982. In 1982, Urjo Kareda took over as artistic director and remained in that role until his death in December 2001. Richard Rose was appointed artistic director in July 2002. Mike Payette assumed the role of artistic director in September 2021 upon Rose's retirement, with Lisa Li joining as Executive Director in June 2024. In 1987, Tarragon purchased and renovated the building that has been its home since 1971. There are two performance spaces: the Mainspace (205 seats), and The Extra Space (113 seats). Tarragon is well known for its development, creation and encouragement of new work. Over 170 works have premiered at Tarragon. Playwrights who have premiered their work here include

Morwyn Brebner Morwyn Brebner is a Welsh playwright, television writer and producer,"Brebner, Morwyn"

, David French, Michael Healey,

Joan MacLeod Joan MacLeod (born 1954) is a Canadian playwright.Joan MacLeod
Canadian Theatre Encyclo ...

, Morris Panych, James Reaney,

Jason Sherman Jason Sherman (born July 28, 1962, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian playwright and screenwriter. After graduating from the creative writing program at York University in 1985, Sherman co-founded What Publishing with Kevin Connolly, which produc ...

, Brendan Gall,

Hannah Moscovitch Hannah Moscovitch (born June 5, 1978) is a Canadian playwright who rose to national prominence in the 2000s. She is best known for her plays ''East of Berlin'', ''This Is War'', "Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story", and ''Sexual Misconduct of the Mid ...

, Ellie Moon and Judith Thompson.

Background

The theatre is housed in a building originally designed for light industrial use, including as a cribbage board factory. It cost $9,000 to renovate. The company's first production was David Freeman's ''Creeps''. Tarragon has championed the work of Canadian playwrights David French, Michel Tremblay, Judith Thompson, Jason Sherman, George F. Walker, Morris Panych, Carole Frechette, Michael Healey,

Daniel MacIvor Daniel MacIvor (born July 23, 1962) is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director, and film director. He is probably best known for his acting roles in independent films and the sitcom '' Twitch City''. Personal MacIvor was born in Sydney, ...

, Wajdi Mouawad and others, as well as productions of plays by canonical playwrights such as

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

and

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

. Urjo Kareda founded the theatre's Playwrights Unit in 1982. The Spring Arts Fair showcased works in progress, including an early version of Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt's ''2 Pianos, 4 Hands'', which later toured around the world. The theatre holds two performances venues, containing approximately 200 and 100 seats respectively. One of the rehearsal halls can be used as a performance area, seating 60. The 2020–21 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and productions were moved online, including audio recordings of plays available through a CBC podcast. It remains one of the foremost organizations for producing new plays in Canada. The company has received numerous awards including

Governor General's Awards The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

Dora Mavor Moore Awards The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...

and the Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts. The company's archives are held at the

University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...

Artistic directors

* Bill Glassco (1971–1982) * Urjo Kareda (1982–2002) * Richard Rose (2002–2021) *Mike Payette (2021–present)

Managing directors

* Mallory Gilbert (1971–2005) * Camilla Holland (2006–2012) * Gideon Arthurs (2012–2014) * Susan Moffat (2014–2018) * Andrea Vagianos (2018–2024) * Lisa Li (2024–present)

2008-2009 season

*'' Scorched'' - by Wajdi Mouawad *'' The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets'' - by Robert Wilson,

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

, and William S. Burroughs *'' Bashir Lazhar'' - by Évelyne de la Chenelière, translated by

Morwyn Brebner Morwyn Brebner is a Welsh playwright, television writer and producer,"Brebner, Morwyn"

*'' Moliere'' - by Sabina Berman *'' East of Berlin'' - by

*''

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed primarily of free and open-source software. Developed by the British company Canonical (company), Canonical and a community of contributors under a Meritocracy, meritocratic gover ...

'' - by The Ensemble *'' The Patient Hour'' - by Kristen Thomson *'' Another Home Invasion'' - by

Joan MacLeod Joan MacLeod (born 1954) is a Canadian playwright.Joan MacLeod
Canadian Theatre Encyclo ...

*'' A Beautiful View'' - by

*'' House of Many Tongues'' - by Jonathan Garfinkel

2023-2024 season

*''The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time'' - written and performed by Walter Borden, directed by Peter Hinton-Davis *''A Poem for Rabia -'' written by Nikki Shaffeeullah, co-directed by Clare Preuss and Donna-Michelle St. Bernard *''Winthrop Park'' - written by Morris Panych, directed by Jackie Maxwell *''Guilt (A Love Story)'' - written and performed by

Diane Flacks Diane Flacks is a Canadian comedic actress, screenwriter and playwright. Early life and education Flacks was raised in the Jewish faith. Her early education took place in Jewish parochial schools. Flacks studied drama at Leah Posluns Institu ...

, directed by Alisa Palmer *''3 Fingers Back'' - written by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, co-directed by Cole Alvis and Yvette Nolan *''El Terremoto -'' written by Christine Quintana, directed by Guillermo Verdecchia *''Come Home – The Legend of Daddy Hall'' - written by: Audrey Dwyer, directed by: Mike Payette

References

External links

Tarragon Theatre web site

Tarragon Theatre fonds (R10611)
at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

. The fonds consists of posters advertising productions staged at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto in 1972 and 1973. {{Coord, 43.674970, N, 79.412995, W, region:CA-ON_type:landmark, display=title Theatre companies in Toronto Theatres in Toronto 1970 establishments in Ontario