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Barrie Theatre Lab

Submission Information

To have your script workshopped, just send it to create@theatrebythebay.com

Important Information

Date & Time
First Monday of every month
Begins at 6:00 PM

Admission is free!

Next Lab Day

It's back to Theatre Lab season!

Monday, October 2nd
6pm-9pm 
Barrie Public Library (Worsley Branch)

REGISTER HERE

What will you create?

Are you a budding playwright living in Simcoe County? The Barrie Theatre Lab is a once-a-month get-together for playwrights seeking to have new scenes and plays read out loud. No piece is too small, rough, or new!

To date, the Barrie Theatre Lab has workshopped more than 100 plays by more than 40 playwrights from as far away as Toronto and Haliburton!

Even if you’re not a playwright, come on out! The Barrie Theatre Lab is open to the local theatre community as a place where we can come together, talk about new work, and network.

Actors are especially welcome as we will need lots of readers! For actors, reading new scenes and plays is an important way to practice your craft. Being able to read a scene you haven’t had much time to rehearse is a very important part of getting work as an actor.


Generously supported by: Anna Small and the City of Barrie’s Cultural Grant Program

Mailing List

Sign up for our free exclusive Barrie Theatre Lab mailing list to ‘keep in the know’ about upcoming BTLs, as well as local theatrical events, training opportunities, audition notices, and much more!

Join the Theatre Lab Newsletter

Spark Development Series

Applications:

Applications are now closed. We'll announce the scripts selected for this opportunity later in the summer!

    Develop your script!

    The Spark Development Series is a script development program that provides local Simcoe County playwrights the opportunity to further develop their new scripts.

    Selected scripts will receive a one-day new play development workshop, led by Dramaturg & Education Co-ordinator, Leah Holder, working with paid actors. Playwrights will also receive additional dramaturgical support and professional guidance on avenues where the playwright can receive further guidance on their new script. 

    BIPOC playwrights and artists with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Playwrights will receive an honorarium for their involvement in the program. 

    Submission Guidelines

    This opportunity is for playwrights in Simcoe County only. First drafts of a script will not be considered: any script submitted must have more than one draft completed to qualify. 

    Indie Producer Co-Op

    THE INDIE PRODUCER CO-OP IS GOING NATIONAL

    In 2023, the Indie Producer Co-op will provide six emerging theatre artists a paid opportunity to learn producing through virtual instruction and on-the-job placement. For the first time in it's eight year history, the program will accept applicants from across Canada.

    Participants receive a two-week intensive that investigates the vital role of the producer. They learn what it takes to run a professional theatre company, when to say yes or no to projects, how to develop a realistic budget, how to make sure your project stands out for grants, what factors lead to a well-attended production, and much more.

    This intensive is followed by four weeks of unparalleled job training. Participants work on Theatre by the Bay’s season in a variety of capacities. In the past, these have included marketing, audience development, fundraiser development, sponsorship accrual, and production management. Out-of-town participants are flown to Barrie and will receive accommodations, per diems and travel expenses from their home covered by the company.

    For the first time, participants will also receive four weeks of paid internship at a theatre company of their choosing, to expand upon the skills they have learned. Artists in Simcoe County will have this internship take place at Theatre by the Bay.

    The Indie Producer Co-op is run by Artistic Director (and inaugural Indie Producer) Iain Moggach and overseen by Dramaturg & Education Program Co-ordinator, Leah Holder.

    The first round of our Indie Producer Program is underway! Check out the Indies for the Spring session:


    Monica Gate

    Monica Gate is a neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, actor, producer, playwright, and performing arts instructor. She's worked with theatres across Canada such as Theatre YES, Workshop West, Grindstone Theatre, Talk is Free Theatre, and Thou Art Here Theatre.

    As a multidisciplinary artist, she is grateful to have her fingers in all the pies, and is a firm believer that everything you do informs the rest of your work. She feels lucky to make a living being silly on stage, writing silly roles for people, or teaching less silly people to be super silly. 

    Monica advocates for making theatre accessible to every audience, and for using it as the sociopolitical tool that it's intended to be. 


    Teddy Ngkaion

    Teddy is a Filipino-Chinese immigrant by way of Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. As a nomadic citizen who grew up in multiple countries, his work centres around bridging cultures and intercultural identities. An all-rounder exploring various disciplines, he is particularly curious about the relationships immigrants have between our homelands and how we came to be in this land. 

    Through his work as a producer, Teddy hopes to facilitate work that breaks barriers and allows emerging immigrant artists the opportunity for their voices to be heard. Past credits include Grover/Mr. D in The Lightning Thief (CTORA), Collaborator in buto/buto: bones are seeds (NPC3, SEACHS, ACAT), Peter in The Violin (Peach Street), and Assistant Director for Courage Now (Firehall Arts Centre). 

    Coming Up:

    We'll welcome two more Indie Producers in 2023 after Monica and Teddy! 

    FALL: Connor Jesso & Melissa MacGougan (working on Icemen

    Past Participants

    2023
    Annie Lockerbie Newton
    Lennette Randall

    2022

    Chloë Rose Flowers
    Ece Aydin 


    Alondra Vega-Zaldivar

    Sabrina Merks


    2021
    Isaac Pilozo
    Sabrina Weinstein

    2020
    Olivia Cameron
    Renisha Henry

    2019
    Cassandra Davidson
    Sansom Marchand

    2018

    Pascale Behrman
    Rachel Moore

    2017
    Andrew Cameron
    Jake Runeckles

    2016
    Brandon Nicoletti
    Brina Romanek

    2015
    Samantha Holland
    Iain Moggach

    The 24 Hour Playwriting Contest

    Contest Date and Time

    There are no contest dates at this time. Stay tuned for more info!

    Past Winners

    2022

    Gordon James Haney - The Prom Queen of Junktopia

    2021

    Megan Adam - The Cowgirl of Suburbia

    2020

    Brendan Main - The Devil Came Down to Midland

    The perfect opportunity to dive into playwriting!

    Are you a budding playwright from the Simcoe County region?

    As part of the City of Barrie’s Culture Days festivities, Theatre by the Bay offers a 24 hour playwriting contest!

    Participants have 24 hours to write a one act script (ie. no more than 45 minutes to read) that must incorporate three secret requirements. Those requirements will be published here on our website, as well as through our social media channels at the start of the contest.

    24 hour contests are a fantastic way to dive into playwriting, or to push yourself to create something in a condensed amount of time. No procrastination allowed with this one!

    Mailing List

    To find out about more events like these, sign up for our free exclusive Barrie Theatre Lab mailing list to ‘keep in the know’ about upcoming opportunities, as well as local theatrical events, training, audition notices, and much more!

    Join our email list


    Supported By


    Theatre by the Bay
    55 Dunlop Street East, Unit 1
    Barrie, Ontario L4M 1A2, Canada

    Contact Us →
    Phone: (705) 735-9243
    Email: tbtb@rogers.com

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