Touchstone Theatre facts for kids

Touchstone Theatre is a theatre group in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was started in 1976 by students who loved theatre from the University of British Columbia. Touchstone Theatre mainly focuses on creating and performing new plays by Canadian writers.

Since 2016, the main leader, called the Artistic Director, has been Roy Surette. He was also in this role in the 1990s. Other past Artistic Directors include Ian Fenwick, Gordon McCall, John Cooper, and Katrina Dunn. Katrina Dunn led the group from 1997 to 2016.

What Touchstone Theatre Does

Touchstone Theatre has a special goal: it "creates and presents professional theatre shows. We explore new Canadian plays and stories. We also help people get excited about Canadian culture."

To achieve this goal, Touchstone Theatre does a few main things:

• It puts on plays for the very first time by writers from British Columbia.
• It performs important plays that were first shown in other parts of Canada.
• It creates new plays within its own group.

Touchstone Theatre has helped many playwrights (people who write plays) and actors start and grow their careers.

Helping New Playwrights

Touchstone Theatre also works with the Playwrights Theatre Centre. Together, they have a program called "Flying Start." This program used to be called "Playwright in Residence." Through "Flying Start," Touchstone Theatre spends two years working with a playwright. They help develop a play through workshops and special guidance (called dramaturgy) until it is ready for the stage.

Since 2011, Touchstone Theatre has also partnered with the Arts Club Theatre Company. They produce the "In Tune Conference" every two years. This event helps new Canadian musicals get started and grow.

Touchstone's History

By its 40th anniversary season (2015-2016), Touchstone Theatre had put on 36 plays for the very first time. They had also performed works by 42 different Canadian playwrights. The group has been very important in helping many playwrights and actors begin their careers.

When the 1997-1998 season began, Katrina Dunn became the Artistic Director after Roy Surette. Katrina Dunn started the "Playwright in Residence" program. This program led to many new plays, including Unity (1918) by Kevin Kerr. This play even won a Governor General's Award. In 2010, Touchstone Theatre focused on plays by Canadian women writers.

In 2003, Touchstone Theatre teamed up with Rumble Productions. They created the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. This is a big performing arts festival held every January in Vancouver, BC.

Awards and Recognition

Touchstone Theatre's plays have won many awards and nominations. These include many Jessie Awards. By the end of Touchstone's 38th season in 2014, the group had been nominated for 106 Jessie Awards. They had won 57 of these awards.

In 2010, the Artistic Director, Katrina Dunn, was honored by the Women’s Caucus of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. They gave her the "Bra D'Or" award. This award recognized her for supporting and promoting the plays of Canadian women writers.

Some Past Productions

Touchstone Theatre has produced many plays over the years. Some of these were done with other theatre groups. Here are a few examples:

• 1976/1977
  • The Exception & the Rule by Bertolt Brecht
• 1981/1982
  • The Crackwalker by Judith Thompson
• 1988/1989
  • Toronto, Mississippi by Joan MacLeod
• 1992/1993
  • The Number 14 A collective creation
• 2000/2001
  • Unity(1918) by Kevin Kerr
• 2008/2009
  • Age of Arousal by Linda Griffiths
• 2014/2015
  • The Road Forward Created by Marie Clements
• 2019/20
  • Certified by Jan Derbyshire