Company of Sirens is a Canadian feminist theatre company formed in 1986. Company of Sirens developed the feminist play ''The Working People's Picture Show''.

History

Company of Sirens was officially founded in 1986 by Lina Chartrand,

Aida Jordão Aida Jordão is a Portuguese-Canadian playwright, theatre director, and academic. She is a co-founder of the feminist theatre group, Company of Sirens, and she co-created '' This is For You, Anna'', a germinal Canadian feminist theatre play. Ea ...

, Catherine Glen,

Lib Spry Lib Spry is a Canadian director, playwright, and academic. She is a co-founder of Company of Sirens and Straight Stitching Productions and served as the artistic director of Passionate Balance. Career In 1986, Spry co-founded the feminist thea ...

, Shawna Dempsey, and Cynthia Grant. Grant came to work with the new company after leaving

Nightwood Theatre Nightwood Theatre is Canada's oldest professional women's theatre and is based in Toronto. It was founded in 1979 by Cynthia Grant, Kim Renders, Mary Vingoe, and Maureen White and was originally a collective. Though it was not the founders' ori ...

to work with a theatre that was more political and had more of a collective structure. The women founded Company of Sirens after coming together to work on a commission from Organized Working Women. ''The Working People's Picture Show'' (''WPPS'') was commissioned by Organized Working Women in 1985 to celebrate their 10th anniversary and began as a ten-minute piece. The show developed into a full-length play and subsequently toured Ontario. In 1987, they performed ''WPPS'' on

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

with sponsorship from Canadian Action for Nicaragua and the March 8 Coalition. Company of Sirens continued to perform ''WPPS'' in various contexts for at least six years after its premiere. Lois Sweet of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' described ''WPPS'' as "blatantly pro-union ndpro-feminist". In 1991, Company of Sirens received a $12,500 grant from

Metro Toronto The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, which ...

's arts budget. This funding was criticized by ''Toronto Star'' arts critic, Gina Mallet, whom the company felt to have a prejudice against small, independent, theatre.

Production history

1987 * ''The Working People's Picture Show'' 1988 * ''The Working People's Picture Show'' at From The Ground theatre festival 1990 * ''Shelter From Assault'', as part of a fundraiser for The Denise House 1991 * ''Djuna: What of the Night'' written and directed by Cynthia Grant and Svetlana Zylin * ''Whenever I Feel Afraid'' 1992 * ''Penelope'' by

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

, Cynthia Grant, Peggy Sample, and Susan Seagrove 1993 * ''Little Miss Easter Seals'' written by Lina Chartrand, directed by Cynthia Grant 1994 * ''The Catharine Wheel'' written by Ingrid MacDonald, directed by Cynthia Grant, show co-sponsored by

Buddies In Bad Times Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is a Canadian professional theatre company. Based in Toronto, Ontario and founded in 1978 by Matt Walsh, Jerry Ciccoritti, and Sky Gilbert, ''Buddies in Bad Times'' is dedicated to "the promotion of queer theatrical ex ...

1996 * ''A Canadian Monsoon'' written and directed by Sheila James 1998 * ''The Destruction of Eve'' by Svetlana Zylin

Awards

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Dora Mavor Moore Award 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 estab ...

s - Theatre for Young Audiences , Outstanding Performance by a Female , ''Whenever I Feel Afraid'' , , for Ellen Ray Hennesey , rowspan="3" , , - , rowspan="2" , 1998 , rowspan="2" , Dora Mavor Moore Awards - Independent Theatre , Outstanding Sound or Music , rowspan="2" , ''The Destruction of Eve'' , , for

Connie Kaldor Connie Isabelle Kaldor, (born 9 May 1953) is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter. She is the recipient of three Juno awards. Early life and education Kaldor was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. She graduated from Campbell Collegiate in Regina in 1972 ...

and

David Sereda David Sereda (born ) is a Canadian musician, singer, playwright, pianist and composer. Sereda was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He graduated from the Playhouse Acting School in Vancouver (1977) under teacher Powys Thomas, and has since wor ...

, - , Outstanding Production , {{nom ,

Notable performers

* Susan Hogan (''Djuna: What of the Night'' - 1991) * Henriette Ivanens (''Little Miss Easter Seals'' - 1993) *

Kim Renders Kim Renders (January 14, 1955 – July 17, 2018) was a Canadian writer, director, actor and designer and a founding member of Nightwood Theatre, the oldest professional feminist theatre company in Canada. Early life Renders was born in Toronto ...

(''Djuna: What of the Night'' - 1991) *

Shakura S'Aida Shakura S'Aida is a Canadian blues vocalist, songwriter and actress. She is sometimes credited Shakura. History Shakura S'Aida was born in Brooklyn and lived in Switzerland before moving to Canada. S'Aida was lead singer of the 13-piece worl ...

(''The Destruction of Eve'' - 1998)

References

Feminist theatre Theatre companies in Toronto 1986 establishments in Ontario 20th-century theatre 21st-century theatre Women in theatre Canadian theatre company production histories