Geordie Theatre

Geordie Theatre is a professional English-language theatre company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, dedicated to creating and presenting live theatre for young audiences and their families. Founded in 1980 as Geordie Productions by Elsa Bolam, the company was named after the "Geordie" region of England where Bolam was born and raised. It was established to fill a vital role in English Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) in Quebec, serving youth and providing work to the province's Anglophone artists. Over more than four decades, Geordie has become a national and provincial leader in TYA, creating and performing works that speak to and about the lived experiences of Canada's youth. Geordie's activities span touring productions, a Mainstage series, theatre school programs, and workplace workshops. Its landmark school tour launched in 1981 with A Midsummer Night's Dream, bringing theatre to classrooms across Quebec. Today, Geordie tours two plays annually for elementary and high school/Cegep audiences across Eastern Canada, often serving as the primary arts engagement in rural communities. The 2Play tour visits all 17 regions of Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritime provinces, engaging over 41,000 students every year. The Mainstage series began in 1999 with From You to Us to You, a collective creation initiative that gives youth a direct role in the play creation process. Geordie Theatre is a proud member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (P.A.C.T.), Quebec Drama Federation, La Maison Théâtre, Conseil québécois du théâtre (CQT), and ASSITEJ Canada. The company delivers more than 200 performances each season and reaches more than 41,000 young people and their communities annually. Its mission is to provoke thought, spark the imagination, and challenge audiences by working with exceptional emerging and established professional artists from various disciplines and cultural backgrounds. Geordie Theatre School offers evening and weekend classes, after-school classes, theatre camps, and workshops for children and teens. Geordie also offers workplace workshops using universal theatre techniques to develop dynamic and energized teams. As it heads into its 46th season, the company continues to build relationships with its audience and extend its reach through inclusive outreach initiatives and local and national touring.

Geordie Theatre was founded in 1980 as Geordie Productions by Elsa Bolam, who was born and raised in the "Geordie" region of England. The company was established to fill a vital role in English Theatre for Young Audiences in Quebec, serving youth and providing work to Quebec's Anglophone artists. In 1981, Geordie's landmark tour launched for the very first time with A Midsummer Night's Dream, bringing theatre to classrooms across Quebec over the course of 19 performances. This marked the beginning of Geordie's enduring commitment to touring theatre to schools. Over the following decades, Geordie established itself as a national and provincial leader in Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), creating and performing essential and quality works that speak to and about the lived experiences of Canada's youth. In 1999, Geordie's Mainstage series began with From You to Us to You, a collective creation initiative that Geordie continues to this day. From You to Us to You aims to give youth the opportunity to play a direct role in the play creation process and see their ideas come to life upon the stage. Taking inspiration from the thoughts and ideas of students from collaborating schools, artists use these building blocks to develop each From You to Us to You play. In 2006, after 25 years as Geordie's Artistic Director, Elsa Bolam stepped down, handing leadership over to Dean Patrick Fleming. Under Fleming's leadership, Geordie continued to expand its programming and reach. Today, Geordie tours two plays annually for Elementary and High School/Cegep across Eastern Canada, often serving as the primary arts engagement in rural communities. The 2Play tour visits all 17 regions of Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritime provinces on its annual route, engaging and entertaining over 41,000 students every year. Geordie's Mainstage series continues to present professional productions for audiences of all ages. Geordie Theatre is a proud member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (P.A.C.T.), Quebec Drama Federation, La Maison Théâtre, Conseil québécois du théâtre (CQT), and ASSITEJ Canada. The company delivers more than 200 performances each season and reaches more than 41,000 young people and their communities annually. As it heads into its 46th season, Geordie remains committed to developing beautiful and important works featuring the wealth of diverse voices in Quebec, Canada and abroad while continuing to build relationships with its audience and extend its reach through engaging inclusive outreach initiatives as well as through local and national touring.

• 2006

  Elsa Bolam stepped down after 25 years; Dean Patrick Fleming became Artistic Director.

• 1999

  Mainstage series began with From You to Us to You.

• 1981

  Landmark tour launched with A Midsummer Night's Dream, performing 19 times across Quebec.

• 1980

  Founded as Geordie Productions by Elsa Bolam.

Montreal's leading English-language professional theatre for audiences of all ages, specializing in theatre for young audiences.

• 2Play school tour

  Annual tour of two plays for elementary and high school/Cegep audiences across Eastern Canada.

• Mainstage series

  Professional theatre productions for audiences of all ages, including the From You to Us to You collective creation.

• Geordie Theatre School

  Evening and weekend classes, after-school classes, theatre camps, and workshops for children and teens.

• Workplace workshops

  Workshops using theatre techniques to build dynamic and energized teams.

1. 1Home - Geordie Theatregeordie.ca
2. 2History - Geordie Theatregeordie.ca
3. 3About Us - Geordie Theatregeordie.ca
4. 4FAQ - Geordie Theatregeordie.ca
5. 5Geordie Theatre - Wikidatawikidata.org