“Every individual production is going to show you something different about theatre” says theatre manager, Robin Guy
In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic forced Ottawa’s art scene, performers and creatives alike, to adapt to virtual and contactless settings. Independent theatre was no exception.
This year, Ottawa’s own Gladstone Theatre has returned to its first full season since 2018-19. With an energetic selection of new shows, such as Tick,Tick…BOOM! and Steel Magnolias, local creativity and talent will be showcased.
The Gladstone Theatre doesn’t curate any of the shows on stage. Rather, as an independent theatre, each show lined up in their 2023-24 season is produced by a different artist or production company, many of them local.
“[Indie artists] are a really spunky and courageous group of people – but you’ve got to be pretty courageous to put up your own show,” said Robin Guy, the Gladstone’s theatre manager. “We’re really, really hoping that what this season will do is make it feel more secure again for the indie artists to put themselves out there in that way.”
Guy is very proud of the new shows the Gladstone is hosting for their most recent season. But due to the changed habits of much of the theatre’s audience, she is worried about drawing audiences back.
“It is a reality of ‘traditional theatre’ that [theatre audiences] are an older demographic, and they are, of course, the demographic that was most impacted by [the COVID-19 pandemic],” she said. “One thing I’ve noticed [in the past] – and this is totally anecdotal – if there were two shows going on in the same week, [audiences] would just go see both. Now, conversely, they’ll pick one or the other.”
Guy would love to see a greater student audience at the Gladstone this season, acknowledging that because the theatre acts as a bridge between student life and professional life, it is an interesting space in the city’s theatre community.
“Every individual production is going to show you something different about theatre and about how things can be done, and how things can be done without a ton of money,” emphasized Guy. “Most of the time in indie production is going to be shoestring, and you’re trying to do things and be super creative and super efficient with your resources.”
