Tarragon Theatre

Address	30 Bridgman Avenue Toronto, Ontario Canada
Type	performing arts centre
Capacity	Main Space: 205 Extra Space: 100
Opened	1970
Website
tarragontheatre .com

The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario , Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country. ^[1] Located near Casa Loma , the theatre was founded by Bill and Jane Glassco in 1970. ^[2] 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. ^[3] Richard Rose was appointed artistic director in July 2002, ^[3] and Camilla Holland was appointed general manager in July 2006. Mike Payette assumed the role of artistic director in September 2021 upon Rose's retirement. ^[4]

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. ^{[1] [3]} Over 170 works have premiered at Tarragon. Playwrights who have premiered their work here include Morwyn Brebner , David French , Michael Healey , Joan MacLeod , Morris Panych , James Reaney , Jason Sherman , Brendan Gall , Hannah Moscovitch , Ellie Moon and Judith Thompson .

Background [ edit ]

The theatre is housed in a building originally designed for light industrial use, including as a cribbage board factory. ^[5] It cost $9,000 to renovate.

The company's first production was David Freeman's Creeps . ^[6]

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 , Hannah Moscovitch , Wajdi Mouawad and others, as well as productions of plays by canonical playwrights such as Anton Chekhov and August Strindberg .

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. [1]

It remains one of the foremost organizations for producing new plays in Canada. ^[7] The company has received numerous awards including Governor General's Awards , Dora Mavor Moore Awards and the Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts . The company's archives are held at the University of Guelph . [2]

Artistic directors [ edit ]

• Bill Glassco (1971?1982)
• Urjo Kareda (1982?2002)
• Richard Rose (2002?2022)
• Mike Payette (2022?present)

2008-2009 season [ edit ]

• Scorched - by Wajdi Mouawad
• The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets - by Robert Wilson , Tom Waits , and William S. Burroughs
• Bashir Lazhar - by Evelyne de la Cheneliere , translated by Morwyn Brebner
• Moliere - by Sabina Berman
• East of Berlin - by Hannah Moscovitch
• Ubuntu - by The Ensemble
• The Patient Hour - by Kristen Thomson
• Another Home Invasion - by Joan MacLeod
• A Beautiful View - by Daniel MacIvor
• House of Many Tongues - by Jonathan Garfinkel

2023-2024 season [ edit ]

• 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, 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 [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• Tarragon Theatre web site
• Tarragon Theatre fonds (R10611) at Library and Archives Canada . The fonds consists of posters advertising productions staged at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto in 1972 and 1973.

43°40′30″N 79°24′47″W  /  43.674970°N 79.412995°W  / 43.674970; -79.412995