With the start of spring comes a flurry of programming announcements from Toronto’s major theatre companies, each angling for attention from this city’s pool of potential subscribers.
Now that the 2025-26 season has largely formalized, here are some thoughts on what to expect, along with a look at the significant trends that are playing out.
American works still welcome
As much of Canada has gone “elbows up” in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff war against us (and much of the world), some might be surprised to see the sheer number of American works programmed in the upcoming season. Canadian Stage’s lineup, ironically, features three plays by Americans (including a new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” by Amy Herzog); the Crow’s Theatre season includes the American musical “Octet” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Primary Trust”; and while Mirvish’s mainstage programming does include one new Canadian musical, the vast majority of the shows originate from south of the border.
That so many shows next season are American should be no surprise. Productions are programmed months — sometimes years — in advance, well before the current trade war or even Trump’s re-election. What will be interesting, however, is to see whether Canadian companies choose to avoid American works in their 2026-27 or 2027-28 seasons, which are still being developed.
Much of that will likely depend on how audiences respond to this coming season. And the dynamics are far more complicated than simply deciding to forgo Florida orange juice. With the exception of Mirvish’s major touring productions, most of the American plays being presented will be mounted by Canadian actors and creative teams. Maybe some subscribers will be turned off by the American content. I suspect others will see that good art is good art — no matter where it comes from.
A busy year for two Canadian theatre icons
Erin Shields and Robert Lepage have a busy, busy year of theatre ahead. I was genuinely surprised — and delighted — each time a new season announcement landed in my inbox with yet another one of their shows.
Shields, a Governor General’s Award-winning playwright and one of this country’s great contemporary dramatists, will be premiering no fewer than four new works in the coming year. First up: “Ransacking Troy,” her female retelling of the Trojan War that’s set to premiere at the Stratford Festival. In January 2026, Shields’ two-hander “You, Always” will debut at Canadian Stage, followed in the spring by “Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary,” a Crow’s Theatre production. Finally, in June 2026, Soulpepper will present Shields’ “Medusa,” an adaptation of the classic myth.
Meanwhile, Lepage, an enfant terrible of Canadian theatre, has at least three major works lined up in southern Ontario, starting with his much-anticipated return to the Stratford Festival to direct “Macbeth,” followed by a remount of his space-aged drama “The Far Side of the Moon” at Canadian Stage. Then, next spring, Lepage will remount his acclaimed doubleheader production of “Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung” at the Canadian Opera Company.
Revivals, remounts and second chances
Curating a theatre season is an art in itself. Not everything can be new. But what do you choose to revive or remount?
I’m thrilled that Tarragon Theatre is picking up both “Bremen Town” and “The Caged Bird Sings,” two plays I enjoyed when they premiered in 2023 and 2024, respectively. I’m also chuffed to see that Mirvish is bringing back ”& Juliet,” the bubbly jukebox musical featuring songs made famous by pop stars like Celine Dion, Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. The show’s pre-Broadway run in 2022 was a box-office smash and I suspect this remount, with a Canadian cast, will be equally successful.
I’m more skeptical, though, of the National Ballet of Canada’s lineup, which could be billed as a season of second chances. Excluding the company’s annual production of “The Nutcracker,” there are three shows returning after less-than-spectacular premieres: “Pinocchio” (2017), the Margaret Atwood-inspired “MADDADDAM” (2022) and “Emma Bovary” (2023).
It’s admirable that National Ballet of Canada artistic director Hope Muir is offering artists an opportunity to revisit, and retool, these works; because a new production wasn’t successful on its initial outing doesn’t mean it needs to be forever consigned to the history books. But featuring three of these works in a single season — including two that were just here less than five years ago — seems a bit much.
Greater collaboration and more co-productions
Perhaps the biggest news out of this recent onslaught of announcements was that Soulpepper and Crow’s Theatre are joining forces with a three-year strategic partnership, “designed to grow audiences, expand artistic ambition and strengthen the city’s cultural future.” Between the two companies, there will be 24 shows in the upcoming season, four of which will be co-productions.
A partnership like this seemed inevitable. Since the pandemic, we’ve witnessed significantly more collaboration between companies, including the sharing of resources and — more importantly — the sharing of audiences and subscriber bases. This is only a good thing, especially as the cost of production continues to rise and many companies struggle with poor attendance.
As for Crow’s and Soulpepper, I’ll be closely following this partnership, which comes at a critical juncture for both organizations. The former is coming off a rather disappointing season (at least thus far), while the latter is in the midst of succession planning as current artistic director Weyni Mengesha is set to depart later this year.
