Posted July 13, 2026

Behind the Scenes – Theatre Burlington

Kathy, for readers who may not be familiar with Theatre Burlington, could you tell us a little about the company and its history?

Theatre Burlington has been a member of the arts community for more than seventy years and will celebrate its 75th season in 2027. Our playbill includes three main stage plays and a family show during the holiday season. In recent years we have added “Playtime,” a ten-minute play festival celebrating local writers, directors and actors.

The Theatre Burlington Drama Centre consists of a full-size stage, 130-seat auditorium, a workshop (where we build all our own sets), prop and furniture storage, three large costume closets and a green room. In 1991, we built a booth at the back of the auditorium to deliver professional-grade lighting and sound. We have recently switched to LED lighting and dimmers. As part of a major “glow-up” for the 2025-26 season, the theatre was repainted, the floors waxed and polished, and new, more comfortable chairs installed.

Theatre Burlington has entered into a partnership with the Burlington Fine Arts Association. For the run of each show, paintings by local artists are exhibited throughout the theatre. We also support the broader arts community by renting out the venue for rehearsals, school productions, and film shoots.

What do you think motivates Theatre Burlington’s volunteers? What do they love about doing theatre at Theatre Burlington?

At its core, Theatre Burlington is a community-based, volunteer organization. While directors, producers and stage manager receive a small honorarium, everyone else, including actors, techies and front of house, are volunteers. Some members have a theatre background, while others come to us simply looking for a way to volunteer their time, and become enamoured with the idea of “putting on a show.” After more than seventy years, Theatre Burlington continues to create exceptional, award-winning theatre that inspires, entertains and brings people together.

Your 2026/27 lineup features plays written by Canadians. Can you tell us why the theatre made that decision?

Not to get too political, but after President Trump began musing about making Canada the 51st state, Theatre Burlington wanted to do something to show our support for Canadian arts.

Our first change was to add a maple leaf to our logo. We then decided to go further and produce an all-Canadian playbill.

Our first all-Canadian season (2024–25) was a hit with critics and audiences. It included The Invention of Romance, Santa the Panto, Timepiece, and Bluebirds. Our production of Bluebirds was so well received that the Royal Canadian Military Institute requested a remount of the show at its Toronto headquarters, where the playwright Vern Thiessen was also in attendance.

The 2025–26 all-Canadian season was also well received, featuring The Birds and the Bees, (by Scirocco Drama playwright Mark Crawford,) Pinocchio, Mary’s Wedding, and Hurry Hard (by Scirocco Drama playwright Kristen Da Silva). Mary’s Wedding by Stephen Massicotte was named the best Canadian production by the Western Ontario Drama League, and it also won the award for outstanding lighting design and execution.

As you can see, we like to produce a variety of genres, and we always include a production that may be a challenge for the director and actors, as well as for the audience.

Which plays are you producing this season? Can you tell us a bit about each of them?

The 2026-27 season, our third all-Canadian playbill, promises to be just as exciting, featuring Icemen, Sleeping Beauty, How Could You, Mrs. Dick, and Five Alarm.

Icemen, by Vern Thiessen, is set during the Depression. With the advent of refrigeration, the ice-harvesting livelihood of a pair of brothers, Joe and Rennie, is at stake, so they kidnap their boss to bring him to a final reckoning. It’s an “edge of your seat” thriller that questions the human cost of capitalism. We felt this was appropriate during the age of AI and its effects on society.

Sleeping Beauty by Vic Hyde is a condensed version of the classic tale with some modern references thrown in. It’s a one-hour show with singing, dancing, comedy and lots of audience participation. We always say: “It’s the perfect way to introduce the young and young at heart to the magic of live theatre.”

How Could You, Mrs. Dick, by Douglas Rodger is a true-life crime story that happened in our own backyard. Set in the 1940s, it’s the story of the so-called “torso murder” in Hamilton, focusing on Evelyn Dick, charged in connection with the grisly murder of her husband. The play explores the making of a public figure, and the cost of being at the centre of it all.

Our final production, Five Alarm by Kristen De Silva, is a laugh-out-loud comedy about a chili cook-off competition in small town Ontario. Ava tries to piece together her father’s award-winning recipe, while at the same time piecing together the memories of her past. We think it’s the perfect way to end the season on a high note.