The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in
Toronto, Ontario
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 ancho ...
, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary
playwriting
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
in the country.
["Tarragon Theatre"](_blank)
''The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available fo ...
'', September 3, 2008. Located near
Casa Loma
Casa Loma (improper 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 fina ...
, the theatre was founded by Bill and Jane Glassco in 1970.
Bill Glassco
William Grant Glassco, (August 30, 1935 – September 13, 2004) was a Canadian theatre director, producer, translator and founder of Toronto's Tarragon Theatre.
Born in Quebec City, Quebec, he studied at the University of Toronto, Princeton ...
was the artistic director from 1971 to 1982. In 1982,
Urjo Kareda
Urjo Kareda (February 9, 1944 – December 26, 2001) was an Estonian-born Canadian theatre and music critic, dramaturge and stage director.
Kareda was born in Tallinn, Estonia. His parents fled the
Soviet occupation of Estonia in the autumn of ...
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,
and Camilla Holland was appointed general manager in July 2006.
In 1987, Tarragon purchased and renovated the building that has been its home since 1971. There are two playing spaces: Mainspace (205 seats), 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
,
David French,
Michael Healey
Michael Healey is a Canadian playwright and actor. He graduated from the acting programme at Toronto's Ryerson Theatre School in 1985. His acting credits include the plays of Jason Sherman (''The League of Nathans'', ''Reading Hebron'' and ''Thr ...
,
,
Morris Panych
Morris Stephen Panych (born 30 June 1952) is a Canadian playwright, director and actor.
Early life
Panych was born in Calgary, Alberta and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. He studied at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Univers ...
,
James Reaney
James Crerar Reaney, (September 1, 1926 – June 11, 2008) was a Canadian poet, playwright, librettist, and professor, "whose works transform small-town Ontario life into the realm of dream and symbol." Reaney won Canada's highest literary a ...
,
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 prod ...
,
Brendan Gall
Brendan Gall (born September 2, 1978) is a Canadian writer, actor and producer living in Los Angeles, California.
Early life and education
Gall graduated from the George Brown Theatre School.
Career
Gall has written and/or produced for the t ...
,
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 Mi ...
,
Ellie Moon and
Judith Thompson
Judith Clare Thompson, OC (born September 20, 1954) is a Canadian playwright who lives in Toronto, Ontario. She has twice been awarded the Governor General's Award for drama, and is the recipient of many other awards including the Order of Canad ...
.
Background
The theatre is housed in a building originally designed for light industrial use—for instance, it was once a cribbage board factory.
It has championed the work of Canadian playwrights
David French,
Michel Tremblay
Michel Tremblay (born 25 June 1942) is a French-Canadian novelist and playwright.
Tremblay was born in Montreal, Quebec, where he grew up in the French-speaking neighbourhood of Plateau Mont-Royal; at the time of his birth, a neighbourhood wit ...
,
Judith Thompson
Judith Clare Thompson, OC (born September 20, 1954) is a Canadian playwright who lives in Toronto, Ontario. She has twice been awarded the Governor General's Award for drama, and is the recipient of many other awards including the Order of Canad ...
, Jason Sherman,
Michael Healey
Michael Healey is a Canadian playwright and actor. He graduated from the acting programme at Toronto's Ryerson Theatre School in 1985. His acting credits include the plays of Jason Sherman (''The League of Nathans'', ''Reading Hebron'' and ''Thr ...
and others, as well as productions of plays by canonical playwrights such as
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
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 sixty p ...
.
The theatre holds two performances venues, containing approximately 200 and 100 seats respectively. One of their rehearsal halls can also be used as a performance area, seating 60.
It remains one of the foremost organizations for producing new plays in Canada.
Artistic directors
*
Bill Glassco
William Grant Glassco, (August 30, 1935 – September 13, 2004) was a Canadian theatre director, producer, translator and founder of Toronto's Tarragon Theatre.
Born in Quebec City, Quebec, he studied at the University of Toronto, Princeton ...
(1971–1982)
*
Urjo Kareda
Urjo Kareda (February 9, 1944 – December 26, 2001) was an Estonian-born Canadian theatre and music critic, dramaturge and stage director.
Kareda was born in Tallinn, Estonia. His parents fled the
Soviet occupation of Estonia in the autumn of ...
(1982–2002)
*
Richard Rose (2002–present)
2008-2009 season
*''
Scorched'' - by
Wajdi Mouawad
Wajdi Mouawad, OC, (born 1968) is a Lebanese-Canadian writer, actor, and director. He is known in Canadian and French theatre for politically engaged works such as the acclaimed play ''Incendies'' (2003). His works often revolve around family t ...
*''
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 the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
, and
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...
*''
Bashir Lazhar'' - by
Évelyne de la Chenelière, translated by
*''
Moliere'' - by
Sabina Berman
Sabina Berman Goldberg (born August 21, 1955, in Mexico City) is a writer and journalist. Her work deals mainly with issues related to diversity and its obstacles. She is a four-time winner of the National Playwriting Award in Mexico (Premio Naci ...
*''
East of Berlin'' - by
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 Mi ...
*''
Ubuntu
Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: ''Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All the ...
'' - by
The Ensemble
*''
The Patient Hour'' - by
Kristen Thomson
Kristen Thomson (born 1966) is a Canadian actress and playwright.
Thomson was born in Toronto, Ontario. She is known for her one-woman play ''I, Claudia'', which was adapted to film in 2004. In that play and film, Thomson plays all of the roles ...
*''
Another Home Invasion'' - by
*''
A Beautiful View'' - by
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, Nov ...
*''
House of Many Tongues'' - by
Jonathan Garfinkel
References
External links
Tarragon Theatre web siteTarragon Theatre fonds (R10611)at
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...
. 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