for
artists
We currently support artists through the following programs:
At Theatre Direct, we are excited to explore new theatrical forms and invent innovative ways to tell stories! If you are an emerging artist with an idea you want to explore, we invite you to come be part of it all!
OAC
Recommender
Grants
for
Theatre
Creators
Theatre Direct is thrilled to participate in the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators this season.
Every year this program offers us the unique opportunity to discover incredible artists creating new works for young audiences.
We seek applications from artists devising new TYA projects/works that are a catalyst for creating community, including but not limited to form-breaking work that is site-specific, immersive, participatory and/or involves interactive digital media.
We prioritize applications from equity-seeking groups, including those who identify as: Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Nonbinary, Queer, Disabled and intersections of those identities.
Questions?
Email Artistic Director Lisa Marie DiLiberto at
2026 RGTC Recipients
Why Don’t We Together: Family Edition is an immersive audio-visual experience featuring original short audio stories for young audiences. The project takes place within a custom-built structure called “The Hut”, where, with the touch of a button, audiences can select between an array of stories, all accompanied by rich sound and lighting designs. The project will have its premiere at The Niagara Children’s Festival May 2026!
Don Quixote is a story about imagination colliding with reality, glorious failure, and insisting on wonder in a world that no longer rewards it. In Don Quixote: A Clown Show, this literary classic isn’t tamed, it shines. Blending clown with devised theatre, the piece explores how imagination can soften harsh facts of life, while celebrating risk, vulnerability, and the joy of collective play.
Rat Pack is a community based art installation/performance that focuses on finding creativity, play, and home in our surroundings and in what we already have. Join two rats (and maybe even help them) as they transform a space full of garbage into a joyous landscape for play and exploration.
An immersive audio play inside Salem Chapel Church. A teenager, stuck in grief, finds their way back to joy through the help of a freedom seeker’s voice deep inside the walls of Salem Chapel Church.
Reimagining Colonial Circus—an experimental clown and theatre piece created for adults—for young audiences.
Created By Kids For Kids engages kids aged 6-12, and their adults, empowering them to be involved as curators and contributors to a piece of multi-disciplinary theatre that is made for them; a participatory, immersive collective creation that grows and changes each time it is presented.
Eliza Martin will be developing a theatrical adaptation of children’s picture book In the Clouds, written and illustrated by Canadian paper-diorama artist Elly MacKay, with the support of dramaturg/director Rebecca Ballarin. This piece will be part of Look Up – a new intergenerational community-engaged arts program that includes an interactive installation, and artistic workshop series alongside performances of the theatrical adaptation.
coffee &
collaborations
Book a time to meet in-person over coffee (or another appropriate beverage of your choice) with Theatre Direct’s Executive Artistic Director, Lisa Marie DiLiberto and Artistic Producer Brian Postalian at Theatre Direct’s office.
Consider Coffee and Collaborations a theatrical first date. We want to get to know you, your work, and, obviously, your favourite colour. It’s also an opportunity for you to get to know us, our work, and, yes, our favourite colour. The goal being to find avenues for collaboration in a casual and fun environment.
Inquire to book one of our bimonthly meeting times by e-mailing Artistic Producer, Brian Postalian, at brian@theatredirect.ca.
*We define emerging artists as: anyone who self-identifies as an emerging artist no matter their age, who finds themselves early in their artistic practice.
NEW
TYA
SHOW
DEVELOPMENT
We believe the future of Theatre for Young Audiences is inventive, playful, and artist-driven. Through our new work development initiatives, Theatre Direct supports artists in bringing their stories to life—from early idea to full production. Together, we explore new forms of theatre and create experiences that engage, challenge, and delight young audiences.
Recent partners include Animacy Theatre Collective (Finding Home: A Salmon Journey, touring Ontario) and their next creation A Raccoon Solstice (premiering 2026/27).
Rehearsal
Studio
Studio H
Just a hop, skip, and a jump from our office at 1 Wiltshire Ave, Studio H is Theatre Direct’s dedicated programming and creation space. Opened in 2022, Studio H has become a home for experimentation, laughter, and connection. The space hosts rehearsals, residencies, workshops, and performances for young people, emerging artists, and community audiences from across the city and around the world. It’s where new TYA work takes shape and artists gather to explore bold, imaginative ideas together.
Contact studioh@theatredirect.ca for booking inquiries.
Studio Partner: Smile Theatre
Since 2024, Theatre Direct has shared Studio H with Smile Theatre, a long-standing company dedicated to bringing live performance to seniors and care communities. Together, we’ve transformed Studio H into a multi-generational creative hub that celebrates the power of theatre to connect people of all ages.
Company in Residence: Pheonix The Fire
Pheonix The Fire is Studio H’s current Company in Residence. Founded in 2020 in Toronto, they are a Deaf-led company using art to break down barriers, ignite cultural fusion, and empower underrepresented voices.
Facilitator
Development
At Theatre Direct, we’re passionate about supporting emerging facilitators as they explore new ways of working with young people.
Our Facilitator Development program invites early career theatre artists to design and deliver original workshop concepts for teens as part of Drama Club, Theatre Direct’s weekly after-school theatre program.
Facilitators receive mentorship and support from Theatre Direct’s artistic team throughout the process—from concept development to delivery—and gain valuable feedback directly from teen participants. The program is designed as a collaborative space for experimentation, reflection, and growth, where facilitators can test new ideas, refine their facilitation practice, and build community with other artists.
Honoraria provided.
To express interest in future facilitator opportunities, please contact Next Draft Artistic Producer, Madeleine Brown, madeleine@theatredirect.ca.
ARTISTS-
IN-
RESIDENCE
We are proud to welcome Lauren Welchner & Monica Bradford-Lea from Spicy Day as Creators-In-Residence this season at Theatre Direct thanks to support from the Ontario Arts Council.
They will work with Theatre Direct developing their hit show
A Period Piece for Young Audiences.
