Youtheatre creates innovative, interdisciplinary, and memorable works that connect with today’s digital natives.
MANDATE
Youtheatre’s aim is to engage its audience through compelling theatre which provokes, questions, challenges and entertains. Our major area of focus is the creation, development and production of new works for young people by the finest Canadian playwrights.
HISTORY
Founded in November 1968 by Wayne and Doreen Fines, Youtheatre is Quebec’s oldest professional company producing theatre for young audiences. Over the past 50 years, Youtheatre’s productions have been performed to over two million young people throughout Quebec and Canada.
Perhaps one of the most significant changes in the company’s long history came in 1992 with the arrival of Youtheatre’s previous Executive Director, Michel Lefebvre, whose focus on new works brought the company to new heights.
Youtheatre’s mandate was changed in 1994 to incorporate this new vision and the company has since created over 30 new plays for young audiences.
Creations such as Pencil Project (2009), Dreaming Now (2013), Delete (2016), and Crossing the Ocean (2019) reflect Youtheatre’s ongoing preoccupation with the integration of new media in its work with the hope of making theatre for young audiences relevant and contemporary.
In 2018 the company celebrated its 50th anniversary.
For the 2019-2020 season a new artistic and administrative team made their debut with the company. Véronique Bossé and Jeremy Segal stepped into their roles as the new co-Artistic Directors of Youtheatre, and Simon A. Abou-Fadel became Youtheatre’s new General Manager. With the arrival of this new team, the company officially became the only TYA company in Canada producing work in both English and French.
In 2020, the company created a filmed version of Pandora and distributed it on their brand-new bespoke streaming platform YouDigital. This flagship Youtheatre production, revisited in an innovative digital form, was selected at 7 international film festivals, and won 3 prizes, including a Numix Prize in the category “Short Video and Webseries – Youth and Family,” and provided pivotal momentum for Youtheatre’s unique take on digital theatre.
Following the success of Pandora, Youtheatre signed a landmark deal with Télé-Québec and produced a trilogy of digital plays to be streamed on their national online platforms until 2028. J’ai jamais…, the company’s second digital production, was selected an official selection at 4 international film festivals and also won 4 prizes, including a Prix Gémeaux for “Meilleur premier rôle pour une émission ou série produite pour les médias numériques : jeunesse.” Pandore and Ce Monde-là were the two other digital plays completing the trilogy.
In 2022, the team presented their first new stage creation, Heartbeat Reverie. This highly-visual and poetic theatre piece for kids 6-12 was nominated for eight META’s (Montreal English Theatre Awards) and took home a prize for “Outstanding Contribution to Theatre” in recognition of the incredible stage management work involved in the production. Heartbeat Reverie was remounted in the 2023-24 season at Maison Théâtre.
ACTIVITIES
Each year, the company produces work for local audiences and frequently tours nationally. Since 2000, Youtheatre has also been producing shows in French, becoming Canada’s first truly bilingual theatre company for young audiences.
Youtheatre has performed at many important venues in Canada including the National Arts Centre, Young People’s Theatre, Grand Theatre, Imperial Theatre, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Théâtre la Catapulte and Théâtre la Seizième in Vancouver.
On an international level, Youtheatre has performed at The Birmingham Rep, Unity Theatre, Sherman Theatre and The Grand Theatre in Swansea, Wales.
The Canada Council has recognised Youtheatre as a leader among Canadian theatre companies producing work for young audiences, citing the company’s “achievements in maintaining high production standards” as well as, “the depth of its commitment to developing new work and original voices.”
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
At Youtheatre, we believe that by embracing diversity and actively promoting inclusivity, we can create transformative and meaningful experiences for our audiences and contribute to positive social change in our community and beyond. We are committed to fostering an environment that celebrates and embraces diversity in all its forms.
We welcome and adhere to the new CTA guidelines, and offer ombudsperson services as a neutral third party to address any queries or concerns regarding equity and inclusion from amongst our staff and collaborators.In our recruitment and programming efforts, we strive to increase the visibility of opportunities for underrepresented communities, ensuring a diversity of perspectives and artistry within our organization. We actively encourage submissions from individuals of all cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities, and genders.
