Performing Arts in Canada

Ottawa Storytellers

What is storytelling? Storytelling is among the most ancient of arts. To hear a story is to be touched in heart and mind, in body and spirit. The storyteller gives the tale; the listener receives it, responding out of his or her own being. The story comes alive. It flourishes and grows. Storytellers tell many different types of tales: myths, legends and folktales (from many cultures), fairy tales, true tales, tall tales, old tales, new tales, funny tales, sad tales, and anything in between. Storytelling is very different from story reading. A storyteller learns / internalizes the story and then recreates it from memory, using voice and body to convey his or her understanding of the story's meaning and nuances. The result, when the storyteller is skilled in his or her craft, is a vibrant re-creation of the story for both teller and audience. Storytelling is an age-old art in revival, with festivals and events in many communities. As such it is now recognized and supported by such bodies as the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Ottawa.

1 to 10 staff

Paper Street Theatre Co

Under the direction of improviser and storyteller Dave Morris, The Paper Street Theatre co. creates improvisation that feels like theatre. By studying great playwrights, and theatrical styles then performing them with no script, our ensemble sets out to change what people often perceive improvisation to be. Some of what we do may be comedy, but first it will be theatre.

11 to 50 staff

Peterborough Folk Festival

Mark your calendars for August 14-17, 2025 for four days of music, culture and community as we come together on the hillside at Nicholls Oval Park next to the mighty Otonabee River.

1 to 10 staff

Plug 'n' Play Music Academy

Founded in 2018 in the heart of Toronto, Plug 'n' Play Music Academy is a nurturing haven for music enthusiasts of all ages, beginning their musical journeys as young as 4 years old. We believe in more than just teaching notes; we aim to instill a lifelong passion for music. Our inclusive family atmosphere ensures every student feels valued and supported, with dedicated instructors who mentor and guide them on their musical journey. At the core of our curriculum are Electronic Keyboard and Piano programs, complemented by a strong focus on orchestral arrangements and musical theory. This holistic approach equips our students with not only the technical skills to excel but also a profound understanding of the art of music. Furthermore, our dedication to excellence is underscored by annual preparations for renowned examinations from institutions like the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), London College of Music (LCM), and Trinity College of London (TCL). Additionally, our biennial concerts serve as a vibrant celebration of our student's musical growth and accomplishments, showcasing their talents to a captivated audience and fostering a deep sense of achievement and confidence. At Plug 'n' Play Music Academy, we're not just shaping musicians; we're nurturing a melodic future filled with passion, knowledge, and artistic expression.

1 to 10 staff

Prochaine Station

Prochaine Station est là pour vous faciliter l’accès à de nouvelles productions en conte. Chaque spectacle offre une expérience insolite avec le public. Chez Prochaine Station, vous trouverez les créations de plusieurs conteuses et conteurs : Mafane, Stéphane Guertin, Jérome Bérubé, Céline Jantet et La Quadrature. Vous trouverez dans le catalogue différentes possibilités d’accueillir du conte, du spectacle intimiste à l’écoute publique de créations sonores.

1 to 10 staff

Queen's Musical Theatre

Queen’s Musical Theatre is a student-run club that stages two musical productions every year. By involving students in every facet of production and performance, we strive to provide an environment conducive to positive learning for students. QMT is proud to invite students from all faculties at Queen’s to get involved. We also provide, when possible, enrichment opportunities for students interested in musical theatre by organizing events such as workshops, theatre road trips, and social events.

11 to 50 staff

Rabid Marmot Productions

Off-beat yet endearing; witty yet insightful; odd yet innovative: if you have experienced some or all of these symptoms, you'll know you've come into contact with a Rabid Marmot Production. An Edmonton-based theatre collective, Rabid Marmot Productions strives to infect audiences with lethal doses of theatrical originality – developing the voice of emerging Canadian playwrights through new works, producing established productions with a Rabid Marmot "twist," and creating dramatic discussion opportunities between artist and audience.

1 to 10 staff

Regroupement Des Organismes Culturels Et Artistes Lavallois Rocal

Le Regroupement d’organismes culturels et d’artistes lavallois (ROCAL) rassemble les forces vives du milieu artistique lavallois professionnel. Carrefour d’idées et d’innovation, pleinement engagé dans sa communauté, il mise sur la force du regroupement et de la collaboration. Le ROCAL compte une quinzaine d'organismes membres qui œuvrent dans tous les domaines artistiques, de la littérature jeunesse à la musique, en passant par le théâtre, les arts visuels et médiatiques, la danse et la mise en valeur du patrimoine. Depuis sa fondation en 2011, le ROCAL travaille à l’établissement d’un Centre de création artistique professionnelle (CCAP) qui sera implanté dans le Quadrilatère Montmorency du centre-ville de Laval, un contexte urbain en pleine transformation. Plusieurs développements sont prévus dans ce secteur qui regroupe déjà une diversité d’institutions culturelles et d’enseignement. Le ROCAL est à une étape charnière de son développement. L’évolution de son mandat se traduit notamment par la mise en chantier de nouveaux projets et d’études, une offre de services élargie, l’embauche de nouvelles ressources, en plus de garder le cap sur sa mission première : la concrétisation du CCAP.

1 to 10 staff

Robin In The Hood Medieval Festival

Robin in the Hood Medieval Festival believes that education should be interactive. Our mandate is to provide a safe environment where education and entertainment work together for our community to learn and grow. The Robin in the Hood Medieval Festival is an annual family-friendly event which transforms Gibson Park in Elmira, Ontario, into 12th century Nottingham, England. Audiences of all ages are dazzled by knights in battle, jesters, musicians, and, of course, archery. Numerous merchants line vendor’s row selling jewelry, leather goods, armour, toys and other period novelties, while actors portraying the people of Nottingham entice visitors to play games, watch shows or keep an eye out for Robin Hood and the Sheriff. The festival is a two day event. It begins with an education day on Friday, attended by over grade four students learning about medieval life. These students rotate through a series of hands-on workshops exploring history. Our festival day on Saturday opens the park to the public. Visitors can follow the intriguing storyline developing in the tournament ring, participate in medieval activities, or launch siege weapons. The Robin in the Hood Medieval Festival, founded in is a not-for-profit organization overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors. The festival is the product of the work of hundreds of performers and volunteers including students, community members and professional performers. It would not be possible without the support of our community, our sponsors, and you! See you in Nottingham!

1 to 10 staff

Rubberband

1 to 10 staff

Sargam Ubc

Sargam UBC is UBC's only Indian music band! We explore the art of Indian classical music by bringing elements of Carnatic and Hindustani music styles into various other styles of music ranging from Bollywood to popular english songs. What results is transformative, innovative fusion pieces that we perform at musical events and showcase at our big annual concert: Raagini.

51 to 200 staff

Shakespeare On The Saskatchewan Festival Inc

A not-for-profit, registered charity incorporated in 1985, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival Inc. continues to provide exciting contemporary and traditional productions of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries in the heart of Treaty 6 territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis. Each summer, at least two full-length plays are performed in repertory by professional artists in large tents on the banks of the beautiful South Saskatchewan River in the heart of Saskatoon. The festival runs from the first week in July until mid-August. Matinees are performed during certain weekdays and all weekends. See our show schedule for detailed information. Each season, our barren riverbank perch is amazingly transformed into a summer cultural paradise combining main stage performances with numerous festive activities. The month of May will see the raising of our main stage tent, with its 280 seat capacity along with our smaller tents, collectively known as the Elizabethan Village, which house the Community Stage. During the month of June, the energetic activity of crew and cast prepare the site and rehearse in great anticipation of the season's opening. Our site also features Sir Toby’s Tavern and Riverside Deck – the only riverside tavern in Saskatoon. In addition to performances taking place on the main stage, companion activities such as Medieval Feasts, multicultural celebrations, workshops, tours, art displays, special matinees, and the Community Series offer great variety for our patrons. Our Community Stage is Saskatoon’s only summer-long free performance venue for emerging local artists, community groups, and individuals providing valuable public exposure and recognition not readily available elsewhere.

1 to 10 staff

Shot Of Scotch Vancouver

Shot of Scotch was first formed in February 2011 in New York City as a venue for experienced, premier level competitive Scottish Highland dancers to continue to dance with the high level of precision they have trained for so many years to acheive. In the fall of 2012, two of the founding members independently moved to Vancouver, BC so Shot of Scotch is now an international group, with one branch established in NYC and a newer branch in Vancouver. Both groups have a primary focus on performance, but also offer some non-competitive highland lessons. Along with a strong technical background, Shot of Scotch Vancouver brings innovation, showmanship, and a love of sharing their passion for highland dancing to every audience they perform for. Under the Artistic Direction of Susan Nase, Shot of Scotch Vancouver strives to create new, exciting, contemporary dance pieces while maintaining a high standard of technique, but also remaining true to the deep Scottish roots of the centuries old art form of Highland dance. Whenever possible, Shot of Scotch Vancouver is thrilled to collaborate with musicians and artists of other disciplines. The dancers all have solid backgrounds in competitive highland dance, and many are teachers, but also have a wide range of skills including Scottish country dance, singing, guitar, fiddle, tap dance, acting etc. that allows exploration far beyond the expected bounds of a Scottish highland dance troupe. Shot of Scotch Vancouver can been seen regularly all across the lower mainland has been invited to perform Internationally, dancing alongside top callibre artists from all across the globe at Tartan Week (New York City, USA 2018), the Nanchang International Military Tattoo (Nanchang, China 2017) and the 8th International Body Music Festival (Paris, France 2016).

1 to 10 staff

Simply Swagg Dance Studio Aka The Freshfactory

We are Canada's Largest Street Dance Studio servicing over 600 youth in and around Toronto. We are located at 80 Milner Avenue in Scarborough, Ontario. Our goal as a company is to provide a safe and supportive environment for our youth to learn the craft of dance free of judgment. Our talented youth have garnered over views worldwide along with features on Canada's Got Talent, The Ellen Show, Joe Biden & Prince Harry performance to name a few! Dance Disciplines: Hip Hop | R&B | House Dance | Breaking | Funkstyles | Krump | Competitive Fitness: Boxing - Zumba - Yoga - Reggaecise

1 to 10 staff

Sing The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival

SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival is Canada's premiere a cappella festival (singing without instruments), dedicated to celebrating Canadian and international vocal artists. SING! illustrates that the voice knows no constraints of genre, language or cultural background; inspires and educates youth; and fosters a new and revitalized patronage for vocal arts. We are Canada's leaders in the a cappella community, increasing accessible opportunities for development through outreach to group leaders in education and networking, involving local talent in auxiliary events and showcases, and fostering connections and collaborations. SING! is inspiration, collaboration and innovation. SING! innovates with curated concerts, collaborations, interdisciplinary performances, and unique pairings between genres, musical backgrounds and cultural traditions. SING! builds programming with nonconventional use of space – creating unique performance experiences for audience members and vocalists, both in large group capacities and intimate settings including religious institutions, restaurants, large open-air stages, and concert halls.

11 to 50 staff

Smile Theatre

Smile Theatre (The Smile Company - Theatrical Productions) is a registered charity that exists to enrich the lives of seniors in care by presenting meaningful, well-crafted, professional performances created just for them.

1 to 10 staff

Spect'art Rimouski

Spect'Art Rimouski, diffuseur pluridisciplinaire et gestionnaire de la Salle DESJARDINS-TELUS, a pour mission d'offrir à la population régionale une programmation annuelle de spectacles professionnels touchant tous les volets des arts de la scène ainsi que des activités de médiation culturelle.

11 to 50 staff

Starfish Productions

Starfish Productions is an organization that seeks to make a difference by producing research-informed art and arts-based research. We are firm believers in collaboration and working with those affected by the problem. We partner with liked-minded organizations to co-create projects that give a voice to lived experience and to spark change for complex social issues. Furthermore, we are strong believers in evaluation supporting progress. We use an integrated evaluation approach in all of our projects to ensure ongoing learning and evidence-based decision-making. We also do external consulting to support other organizations in reaching their goals by helping design and/or conduct project evaluations. Lastly, we lead capacity building workshop on research-informed art production and evaluation.

1 to 10 staff

Storytelling Toronto

Storytelling Toronto was brought to life in 1979 as the Storytellers School of Toronto. It was founded by seven storytellers who wanted to encourage the renaissance of oral storytelling in modern society. The very first program offered was a storytelling course taught by the late Alice Kane, and ever since the organization has continued to teach, explore, and celebrate the traditional art of oral storytelling. Over the years thousands of people have taken our courses, taken part in our workshops, attended our programs, and even more have come to the Toronto Storytelling Festival — enjoying stories told by local, national, and international storytellers. From experienced, seasoned elders to young tellers experimenting with the nature of spoken narrative, Storytelling Toronto is a creative centre for story-lovers who share a passion for and a vision of storytelling as an transformative art in contemporary life.

1 to 10 staff

Studio House Barrie

Studio House provides heels dance training & performance programs, photography services, and drop-in dance classes, all designed to build confidence and provide opportunities for growth in a safe & welcoming community. Note: currently all classes/programs are 18+.

1 to 10 staff

Studio Theatre Perth

Live music, shows, productions, concerts, plays and events at the Studio Theatre, Perth, Ontario. Book your tickets online. A volunteer-run, not for-profit charity, we bring captivating performances, inspiring workshops, and unforgettable experiences to the heart of Lanark County.

51 to 200 staff

Summerworks

SummerWorks is a leader, collaborator and community builder at the forefront of contemporary performance – asking crucial questions; nurturing artistic innovation; and presenting new works that reflect the complexity and diversity of our society. Our year-round activities and summer Festival offer four distinct streams of programming designed to provide unique supports to creative projects and processes while offering audiences a dynamic choice in how they engage with the work. SummerWorks Presentations Fully-developed new works, offering a snapshot of contemporary performance. SummerWorks Lab A place for exploration, experimentation and process where new work is incubated or shared at crucial stages of development. SummerWorks Exchange Encapsulating professional development and industry activities including workshops, conversations, mentorship and pitching opportunities. Public Works Free performances, bringing artists and audiences together to experience public space in new ways.

11 to 50 staff

Surging Tide Magazine

Surging Tide is an online literary magazine founded in 2020 by Emma Miao and Tiffany Cheung. We are dedicated to providing youth a outlet for creative expression. We aim to engage and empower the Canadian student literary community and inspire them to create art as an avenue for greater change. Surging Tide is open for submissions from Canadian student writers and artists. We publish 2-3 issues per year. We welcome the celestial and ethereal. The striking and nebulous. The surge in the tide.

11 to 50 staff

The Hopeworks Connection

Our Core Values: WE BUILD Love, Faith and Hope through Christian Values. WE RESPECT all People. WE EMPOWER Youth and the People who Love them. WE COMMIT to Excellence, Integrity and a Strong Work Ethic. WE POSITIVELY Focus on the African-Canadian Community. WE ENGAGE the Power of the Performing Arts and Academic Support to Encourage, Motivate and Inspire Youth to Give Back to our Communities. Our Mission: Empowering youth through the performing arts, academics and relieving poverty. Our Vision: Youth unleashing their artistic talent and energy as a creative alternative to self-destruction. Our Value Proposition: HWC is the only organization in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal and Halifax creating opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds dedicated to the holistic development of African Canadian youth through the performing arts in a Christian context. HWC invests its resources in the artistic, cultural, spiritual, academic, social and personal development of a new generation of performing arts community-builders. HWC respects, supports and encourages, everyone.

11 to 50 staff