Posted February 6, 2026
Behind the Scenes – Literary Agent
This month, we spoke to Colin Rivers, the President and Managing Literary Agent at Marquis Literary, which manages, represents and promotes a select roster of writers, composers and directors within Canada and international markets.
Colin, how did you become an agent?
Through my work as a producer and general manager. When I began working at Marquis Entertainment (which was founded by Robert and Judy Richardson, and which I now operate in partnership with Rob), we were partnered on a select group of Canadian theatre projects with the creators. And as producers for the work, we also held the exclusive option to license the work — starting with the play 2 Pianos 4 Hands (published by Scirocco Drama!) and this work led me to appreciate the strategy required to both promote and nurture the long life of a play/musical beyond its premiere production, especially a Canadian work.
Is it a career that you were always interested in, or was the path to Marquis less straightforward?
I had an early interest in both directing and producing, but sometimes life pulls you in certain directions and you just have to trust your instincts. I admittedly fell into my work at Marquis (and arts administration in general) by way of a couple of introductions from friends who were also colleagues that happened around the same time. And some great mentors who championed me.
For a playwright, what are the advantages of having an agent?
Strategy, promotion, connections, dramaturgical feedback, camaraderie — but not necessarily everything for every artist — each relationship between an agent and an artist is entirely unique.
Can you tell us about a project or projects that you are particularly proud of?
There are so many, to be honest, and I hesitate to name just one…but in the past few years we’ve launched (or relaunched) so many new works into the world that I feel deeply connected to because they required years of dedicated development work and evolved through many production steps. To name a few that Scirocco has specifically championed…Casey and Diana by Nick Green (which continues to flourish throughout Canada and is soon to premiere in the US), Get that Hope by Andrea Scott (which had a wonderful premiere production at the Stratford Festival and for which we are working on some exciting next steps), Where You Are by Kristen Da Silva (which has been produced coast to coast in Canada and now in multiple countries in Europe including Germany and Italy, and with new translations in development in Poland and the Czech Republic), Serving Elizabeth by Marcia Johnson (which premiered on the cusp of the pandemic and we feared the momentum would be scuttled, but then we landed a production at Stratford as part of their 2021 outdoor season and that led to many more productions than we could have ever imagined), and many plays by Mark Crawford (with a new one on the horizon,) and also Richard Greenblatt’s books Two of the Best (about the 30 year journey of 2P4H) and Text and Context (which focuses on directing practice).
What are the challenges for an agent in today’s theatre landscape?
Balancing between responding to trends in arts programs (both within Canada and abroad) and audience tastes, and at the same time advocating for new work that I personally believe should be showcased but may not yet be on the general industry radar. It’s a very fine balance, because my role is to support both artists and be a liaison with arts leaders. I’m neither the creator nor the programmer, but I do need to champion awareness and openness to new plays, writers and stories. Those conversations require trust and confidence, but I also have to constantly and very carefully judge where the lines are in between, to make sure I don’t overstep!
Do you have any advice for aspiring agents?
See and read as much theatre as you can (in both your hometown/country and beyond) so you can formulate a strong and detailed critical perception of all work as well as defining your own taste — which ultimately becomes your signature as an arts administrator. I also believe it’s important to do try many roles in the theatre/arts industry before settling on one, because you will never really know that one path is right over others until you’ve had those experiences.