Touchstone Theatre
Left to right: Brothel 9 (photo by Tim Matheson); Lights (photo by David Cooper); Ominous Sounds at the River Crossing.
Touchstone Theatre creates and presents Canadian plays — giving first and future productions to Canadian voices that are daring, exciting, and current.
For 45 years, Touchstone Theatre has been a mainstay of theatrical innovation and excellence on the West Coast. The company’s all-Canadian mandate has helped develop, launch, and disseminate the works of some of the country’s most compelling playwrights and theatre artists. Its substantial body of work has garnered over 75 local and national awards.
Originally founded as a collective, Touchstone’s former artistic directors have included Ian Fenwick, Gordon McCall, John Cooper, and Katrina Dunn, and current AD Roy Surette. Along with Rumble Productions, Touchstone also co-founded the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, which has gone on to become one of the city’s most important cultural events.
With the Playwrights Theatre Centre and now the Firehall Arts Centre, Touchstone birthed the Flying Start program, which offers an early-career playwright the opportunity to develop an original work, leading to a world premiere production as part of Touchstone’s mainstage season. It is the only program of its kind in the country, and is now run by Touchstone in association with the Firehall Arts Centre.
In addition, Touchstone Theatre’s GoPlay allows youth aged 18 and under see Touchstone shows for free. There are also opportunities to meet with artists throughout the season for the next generation of theatre makers to get an intimate insider’s view of the plays and their creation process.
Now in its fifth decade of production, Touchstone remains a lightning rod of theatrical activity. Its purely Canadian focus makes it unique in its region, and its reputation for excellence has earned the respect of audiences, critics and colleagues.
Touchstone Theatre offers a Play Club Pass that helps support the company’s programming while also saving you money.Click here to purchase show passes: https://touchstonetheatre.com/season-tickets-play-club/ .
