Brendan Healy, artistic director of Canadian Stage, and executive director Monica Esteves, in an undated handout photo.Canadian Stage/Supplied
Amidst escalating nationalism across Canada in response to tariff threats south of the border, some Canadian patrons of the arts have called on institutions to put a pause on programming American – or any non-Canadian – work.
But Brendan Healy, artistic director of Canadian Stage, disagrees with the premise that putting on American plays makes Canadian Stage any less “Canadian.” On Monday, the theatre rolled out its 2025-26 season, which features three American plays, three Canadian world premieres, two remounts of existing Canadian works and one Shakespeare.
“We’re trying to respond to the moment as much as we can,” said Healy. “Canada is a global country, and we have a responsibility to reflect the lives and stories of all the people who make up our city and our country.”
Healy understands why audiences are urging theatres to program more Canadian work: “I feel that deep outrage at what’s happening, and I feel renewed pride in our country,” he explained. “But art knows no borders, and it’s really important in times of fear and mistrust to stay open through art to the world. Canadian audiences deserve to hear these stories, and Canadian artists deserve to work on them.”
The previously-announced production of American playwright Jeremy O. Harris’s Slave Play will kick off the season at the Berkeley Street Theatre, directed by associate artistic director Jordan Laffrenier and featuring performances by Justin Eddy, Sébastien Heins, Beck Lloyd, Kwaku Okyere, Gord Rand, Amy Rutherford, Jess Salgueiro and Sophia Walker.
Next comes The Far Side of the Moon, written and directed by Canadian theatre legend Robert Lepage and scheduled to play at the Bluma Appel Theatre in November. The play follows two brothers grappling with the death of their mother against the backdrop of the Cold War. “It’s one of Robert’s greatest works,” said Healy, who recalled seeing the show as a theatre student.
Another existing Canadian play included in the season: Ronnie Burkett’s Little Willy, billed as “a sassy take on Romeo and Juliet” and part of Burkett’s Daisy Theatre. The puppet show is scheduled to begin previews at the Berkeley Street Theatre next February.
Two world premieres are also slated to play the Berkeley Street Theatre next winter: Moonlight Schooner, written by Kanika Ambrose and directed by Sabryn Rock and presented in association with Necessary Angel Theatre Company in November, and You, Always by Erin Shields, set to open in January, 2026. “These are fascinating plays,” said Healy. “Kanika has this ability to render social issues in a very detailed, human, personal way.”
You, Always, meanwhile, is a Canadian Stage commission that follows two sisters in the midst of a critical life decision. “It’s hysterical laughter followed by projectile tears,” said Healy.
Two American plays will round out the company’s Bluma Appel Theatre programming: Amy Herzog’s adaptation of A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, which Healy will direct with Hailey Gillis in the role of Nora, and Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s, which will once more see director Philip Akin return to Canadian Stage (his recent Canadian Stage credits include Fat Ham and The Lehman Trilogy).
Canadian Stage will also bring back the holiday pantomime, a Toronto tradition the company picked up this past season after big-name producer Ross Petty retired after Peter’s Final Flight in 2022. This past winter’s The Wizard of Oz was a success for Canadian Stage, says executive director Monica Esteves – 80 per cent of the panto’s audiences were new to Canadian Stage, and many of those patrons bought tickets to subsequent shows at the company.
“The panto was an opportunity for us to build new pathways for audiences who are new to our work,” said Esteves. “It’s a great opportunity, organizationally speaking, for us to connect with a multigenerational and multicultural audience.”
This season’s pantomime will be Robin Hood, directed by Theatre Aquarius artistic director Mary Francis Moore at the Winter Garden Theatre in downtown Toronto.
While Canadian Stage has not yet finalized its analytics for the current season, Esteves says an above-average number of ticket buyers purchased more than four tickets to a given pantomime performance, suggesting the show resonated well with families.
The company finished its 2025-26 season announcement with information about its annual Dream in High Park Shakespeare programming, which this summer will be Romeo and Juliet. Marie Farsi will direct Shakespeare’s tragedy at the Toronto’s High Park Amphitheatre.
“High Park is another venture for us where we get to introduce theatre to younger audiences,” said Healy. “It’s been really lovely to have family traditions twice a year, now, with the panto in the winter and Dream in the summertime.”
