Geordie Theatre provokes thought, fires up the imagination, and seeks to encourage and challenge our audience. We celebrate the art of theatre and its social and global impact by working with emerging and established artists from various disciplines and cultural backgrounds to create works that are provocative, relevant and enchanting; inspiring dialogue between communities, children and parents as well as teachers and students of all ages. We look to build relationships with and extend our audience through inclusive practices and by visiting far-reaching communities in Quebec and abroad. Since 1980, Geordie has been producing and presenting plays that are important to young people; stories that are uniquely related to them in a context that reflects the world around them and their personal experiences at home. They are always about fostering the voice of young people and giving them a vessel in which they are represented, listened to, and encouraged while inspiring dialogue with the adults in their lives about what they see and recognize.
We are an award-winning professional theatre company that has presented live English-language productions for young audiences in Quebec and abroad since 1980. Pushing artistic boundaries with provocative and important stories, Geordie delivers more than 200 performances each season and reaches more than 40,000 young people and their communities annually.
Elsa Bolam is the founding Artistic Director of Geordie Theatre. Elsa was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where she began her career working in different capacities at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and London. After directing freelance with many English theatre companies, she became a television director at the BBC in London. She then came to Canada, where she taught at the National Theatre School, helped found the Centaur Theatre, and continued to direct at theatres such as Theatre Calgary, Theatre Plus in Toronto, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Magnus Theatre, the Globe Theatre in Regina, and others.
In 1980 Elsa founded Geordie Theatre and was artistic director of the company until 2006. In October 2002, Avon Canada recognized Elsa Bolam as a “Woman of Inspiration” in the field of Arts and Culture, and in 2003 she was also awarded a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. The Montreal English Critics’ Circle honoured Elsa in 2005 with a distinction award in ‘recognition of her work nurturing young stage talent and taking theatre to far-flung audiences’.
Elsa was named to the Order of Canada at the end of 2008.
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Geordie Theatre values the diversity of its patrons, visitors and workforce, and is committed to making theatre that is inclusive and accessible to all members of society. We are working to ensure that every person, regardless of ability, may have equal access to our shows in a safe, respectful environment supportive of human dignity. We wish to communicate openly with our patrons with disabilities in order to remain informed of any issues they may face while participating in Geordie’s activities, so that we may continue to improve our audience’s experience and remove barriers to access where possible.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please contact us at 514-845-9810 or info@geordie.ca
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Geordie Theatre is located on the unceded Indigenous lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Tiotià:ke (known as Montréal) has existed as a meeting place of many First Nation peoples, including but not limited to the Abenaki , Anishinaabeg (Algonquin), and the Huron-Wendat. We extend our deepest respect to the elders of these communities and to all Indigenous peoples who carry the history of this island’s land and waters – caring for it and calling it home. We are honoured and privileged to share stories on this land.
We wish to also acknowledge that we are grateful to those seeking sustainable solutions to our global climate crisis, so that we may continue to inspire and challenge our audiences near and far.
