Odyssey Theatre is proud to be a recommender for the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators. This program assists Ontario-based professional theatre creators and informal collectives of creators by funding them to develop new work.
Deadline for Submissions: January 9, 2025 at 1pm
How to Apply
1. Ensure your project falls within Odyssey’s Program Priorities:
We support writers, collaborative artists and collectives working on independent projects, as well as those who wish to have their work produced by Odyssey.
As our expertise is in physical forms of theatre including mask, clown, puppetry, Commedia dell’Arte, international forms of dance-theatre and circus arts, we prioritize applications in these fields. We also prioritize innovative projects that incorporate theatre forms from diverse cultural traditions.
Within this field, we give priority to artists who identify as members of an OAC priority group. We welcome applications from professional writers and creators of all races, cultural backgrounds, abilities, gender identities or expressions, religions and sexual orientations.
2. Decide on grant request:
Applicants can request $1,000 to $3,000. Odyssey generally awards $1,000 for a specific phase of work.
3. Ensure you meet OAC’s eligibility, allowable costs and timing criteria.
4. Prepare required documents.
5. Please send us an enquiry if you have questions about the application process.
6. Apply directly to the OAC, selecting Odyssey as a recommender.
2023 Recipients
Lib Spry – The Further Adventures of Sleeping Beauty
Lib Spry has been a theatre maker for 60 years as a director, writer, producer, educator, performer, and translator. Inspired by the second, dark, Sleeping Beauty story, which we almost never hear, this Sleeping Beauty escapes the bonds of princess-hood and takes on the modern world.
Shawna Reiter – Wren’s Recipes
‘Wren’s Recipes’ is a puppet theatre piece co-created by Shawna Reiter, Ginette Mohr, Lori Nancy Kalamanski & Angela Rudden. It follows the journey of a 10-year-old girl who discovers that there is magic behind the Ukrainian dishes she and her grandmother make together. A tale of magic, courage, and the extraordinary bond between a granddaughter and grandmother.
Theatre Smith-Gilmour – Pu Songling: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio
This new project adapts several stories of Pu Songling, a 17th century Chinese writer who blends myth and reality to criticize the dark side of society. It is a nuanced and human portrait of his world but most importantly of our world today.
Mayumi Lashbrook – Fairly Becoming
Mayumi Lashbrook (she/her) is a Japanese Canadian settler who seeks to expose, challenge, and rectify systems of oppression by creating innovative, introspective and inclusive dance theatre.
Her new solo dance theatre work, Fairly Becoming, questions materialism and the potential for excessiveness constantly at our fingertips.
Eish Van Wieren – Grape Head
Blending elements of masks, movement, and poetic narrative, this production reinterprets Greek mythology by intertwining a coming-out story with the surrealism of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” and a reversed adaptation of “The Bacchae” serving as a personal exploration of transition.
