Stories. They have been the foundation of every culture since the beginning of human contact. Long before the internet, the television or even the printing press, we were gathered around a campfire, reaching out to one another through the telling of stories. Theatre, through history, has not only reflected these experiences, it has, as Brecht said, encouraged those thoughts and feelings which transform them.

Our theatres, which are now home to some of the country’s best productions, have some remarkable stories of their own. I have been honoured to listen to tales of a first love found on the Canoe Club dance floor, of the young soldiers practicing their drills at the Armoury in anticipation of being shipped overseas, of the race that made Henry Harper a Canadian hero… I have been tickled and touched by the many voices and faces that have travelled through these two magnificent venues. Their legacies, their stories, we hold dear.

This season’s playbill reflects this love for storytelling – from the blazing drama of a grand musical such as Blood Brothers to a quiet, delicate love story in Another Home Invasion. We’re thrilled to present the Canadian premiere of the hilariously irreverent The 39 Steps, and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the critically acclaimed Night set in Canada’s North. As for local flavours, the family-friendly Up the River will be accompanied by a series of outdoor events celebrating our community’s life on the St. Lawrence. Learning from our collective past is the theme of both the poignant Apartheid-era classic, Master Harold & the Boys and Doug Bowie’s latest comedy, Till It Hurts. While Debra Hale shows us the true talent of a great storyteller by playing an entire town of people in Freedom 85.

This is an age in which we are bombarded by messages from television screens, computers, and handheld devices all delivering different points of view. We are becoming people who are ‘written on’ rather than those that think and feel for ourselves. We ask you to put down your cellphone and to come and sit by our campfire, share an experience with us, and find your story here.