From its new musical incubator to a jam-packed 50th anniversary season, Theatre Aquarius is leading Canadian theatre into a new era
Hamilton’s a pretty happening town.
Contrary to the beliefs of some elected officials in Toronto, the city’s not just an annex for Torontonians priced out of the TO housing market. Hamilton’s a worthy destination all its own, with some of the best of what Ontario has to offer — show-stopping craft beer, scenic overlooks, tempting local cuisine.
But perhaps the most exciting facet of Hamilton is housed inside Theatre Aquarius, in the form of the just-launched National Centre for New Musicals (NCNM). Funded by the Hamilton-based Incite Foundation for the Arts, the Canadian musical theatre incubator will nurture new projects through their development periods, shepherding them to their eventual homes on stages around the world. It’s an ambitious project, and artistic director Mary Francis Moore and executive director Kelly Straughan have their eyes set on success well beyond the Canadian border.
“We’re building the scaffolding for the program,” Moore said in an interview. “We recognize that there are other theatres in Canada developing new musicals, and developing new work. But we’re not looking at pieces with the aim for us to produce it, necessarily. We’re not looking at pieces, saying, ‘oh, there’s 18 people in it, so we can’t afford to do it.’ We’re interested in the ideas behind these pieces — we want to create a space for those projects, and match projects with folks who can help them through their development.
“If it’s something we feel like we can produce at Theatre Aquarius, great, but if not, we can pick up the phone and call theatres in Vancouver or Edmonton or New York,” she continued. “There is a hunger for new musical theatre. There’s a need for this work.”
It’s true — the National Centre for New Musicals will fill a gap in the Canadian theatre ecology. While groups like Musical Stage Company are similar in how they escort new projects through their development process, the NCNM is unique in how it will educate the national theatre community on the financial ins and outs of producing new work.
“We’re really excited to have [Come From Away producer Michael Rubinoff] involved,” said Straughan, “because more young producers need to understand the commercial model of musical theatre. There’s not an existing program that teaches you how to produce this work. Ambitious ideas are really expensive, yes. But it’s important we support them all the same, and that’s something we and our funders are excited about.”
The NCNM signals a new chapter for Theatre Aquarius, entering its 50th year in operation for its 2023-2024 season. This year’s programming is rife with showstoppers, from Jake Epstein’s solo musical Boy Falls from the Sky to Crow’s Theatre’s critically lauded adaptation of Uncle Vanya. Steven Gallagher’s new musical Pollyanna will premiere in December, and Tom Wilson and Shaun Smyth will premiere their new musical Beautiful Scars next spring. It’s a jam-packed season that goes above and beyond what some might expect from a regional theatre in southwestern Ontario, but according to Straughan, that level of care in programming is exactly what regional theatres in Canada should be doing.
“Regional theatres offer a very unique service to the community,” she said. “Some of the best talent in the country is here. You can see people on our stages who are also at the Shaw Festival, and Broadway. We bring professional theatre to this region, which is a really exciting piece of what we offer our community. If our doors were to close, you can feel what would be lost. We’re always trying to hit both parts of our identity: we’re a professional theatre, and we’re a valuable member of the community.”
Moore agreed, invoking the “Hamilton pride” that makes the city such an exciting place for Theatre Aquarius (and subsequently the NCNM) to call home.
“It’s a real vibe here,” she said, chatting fondly about Collective Arts Brewing and the myriad local coffee roasters in the region. “We’re really proud of Hamilton, and we’re leaning into it.”
According to Straughan and Moore, the National Centre for New Musicals will only continue to solidify Hamilton as a prime destination for exciting new work — and after the success of last season’s Maggie, the duo are confident this enterprising experiment in theatre production will succeed.
“Do you know how exciting it is to watch a program go from its first read-through with music stands to one of the biggest stages in the world?,” asked Moore. “How amazing is it to be an investor in that? Or an audience member? Canadians have not been schooled in that model, and there’s a real treat to be unearthed in it.”
Theatre Aquarius’ 50th season kicks off on Sept. 27 with Jonas and Barry in the Home by Norm Foster, which Straughan calls Theatre Aquarius’ “love letter to Hamilton.”
“Our audiences will love it,” she said. “Hamilton loves Norm Foster. And he loves them right back. It’s going to be fun.
“There’s just a lot of really cool energy in the building right now,” added Moore. “Theatre Aquarius is an exciting place to be in this moment.”
You can learn more about Theatre Aquarius here.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's former senior editor and the theatre reporter for the Globe and Mail. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: Design rendering for 'A Doll's House,' set designed by Gillian Gallow and directed by Brendan Healy for Canadian Stage.
In Canadian Stage’s A Doll’s House, the house is a window within
“It is more about how Nora feels inside the space,” says set and costume designer Gillian Gallow. “It's also that difference between house and home — the house is the object, but the home is actually the feeling.”
iPhoto caption: Headshot of Antoni Cimolino. Photo by Ted Belton.
“You want to choose things that feel important to the moment,” he says about building a Stratford Festival season. “If you choose plays and they don’t resonate, it’s very hurtful. You believe in them and the power of them.”
iPhoto caption: Wing Chun Dance Drama, courtesy of Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre.
Wing Chun Dance Drama is a martial arts movie come to life
“In China — especially in the history of Chinese cinema — Ip Man is a household name,” said Han, in translated written responses to questions over email. Ip had a lasting influence on wing chun, a style of kung fu that originated in southern China over 300 years ago. In his 60s, he trained Bruce Lee, who would go on to become a famous performer in Hong Kong and American martial arts films.
iPhoto caption: Members of the company of 'Holiday! An Improvised Musical.' Photo by DJ Tran.
In order to discover the secrets of this Dora Award-nominated production, I met with members of the team as they prepared for the show’s third-annual run.
iPhoto caption: Leni Parker, Kevin Raymond, Alice Pascual, and Lyndz Dantiste in 'Kisses Deep.' Photo by Andrée Lanthier.
How Montreal actor Leni Parker embodied an emotionally complex seamstress in Bouchard’s Kisses Deep
“I feel like I’m still learning how to do this,” says Parker of acting. “I’m learning to be the detective that I need to be.”
iPhoto caption: Michael Rubinoff and Mary Francis Moore. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
Theatre Aquarius’ National Summit for New Musicals showcases original works from across Canada
“I want us, as a community, to be confident in our own work,” says Theatre Aquarius artistic director Mary Francis Moore. “I want us to get to a place where we don’t need the validation of outside communities to tell us that we’re good. I want us to be in a place where we have the resources to take chances, so our projects don’t have to leave the country to find success.”
iPhoto caption: Photo by Aisling Murphy.
In the darkest months of Yukon winter, it’s all about the Sun Room
I’m here for a week in January as a guest of Nakai Theatre, a hub for theatrical experimentation and outside-the-box programming in Canada’s westernmost territory.
Armchairs, tattoos, and an online theatre magazine
When I started at Intermission, my world was limited to the confines of an armchair. Arts journalism was a high it felt dangerously fruitless to chase. The life stretched ahead of me was amorphous and frightening, a chasm filled with hand sanitizer and immigration concerns. It was worth crying over a spilled kombucha and scrubbing at the stain.
iPhoto caption: Liz Appel headshot courtesy of Liz Appel.
Five questions with Wights playwright Liz Appel
Intermission spoke with Appel over email for a brief Q&A about Wights, now playing at Crow’s Theatre until February 9.
Call for applications: Publishing and editorial assistant
Intermission Magazine is seeking a dynamic and collaborative individual to join our team.
iPhoto caption: What Writing Can Do: The 2025 Musical Theatre Critics Lab
Announcing What Writing Can Do: The 2025 Musical Theatre Critics Lab
What Writing Can Do is timed to coincide with the Grand and Theatre Aquarius’ co-production of Waitress, which will serve as a jumping-off point for discussions throughout the Lab.
iPhoto caption: A Christmas Story production still by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: A Christmas Story feels fresh at Theatre Aquarius
If you want to catch A Christmas Story before it closes, good luck — the show is close to sold out, and with the talent on that stage, it’s not hard to see why.
Comments