About The Tributary Project

The Tributary Project selects one local show to bring in-house on a flexible multi-year basis for development with an eye towards production in a future mainstage season. AD Sarah Kitz introduced this offer from GCTC to the community at the unconference in May 2022. Since then, every step of this process has involved the leadership and vision of community artists. 

A tributary is a river or stream that flows into a larger body of water. There is also the notion of paying tribute and, with this initiative, GCTC seeks to pay tribute to the artists of the National Capital Region by supporting and uplifting their work here at home.

The selection from the pilot year of The Tributary Project was Laurie Fyffe’s Beowulf in Afghanistan, which is having its world premiere onstage at GCTC in November 2024.


Application Information

The Tributary Project is back. Once again the Great Canadian Theatre Company will provide the opportunity of an in-house development period to one project from the Ottawa/Gatineau performance community, with an eye to producing the project in a future GCTC mainstage season. Our first Tributary Project, Beowulf in Afghanistan by Laurie Fyffe, selected for development in 2022, will have its world premiere on the GCTC Mainstage in November 2024, as part of GCTC’s 50th Anniversary Season.

The development period for this upcoming season (25/26) has not yet been set, but will be scheduled at a time that is mutually beneficial to the theatre and the lead artist/s . The deadline to apply for this opportunity is January 6, 2025, at 4:00 PM ET. Please send your application to sarah@gctc.ca.

Previously submitting artists/projects are welcome and encouraged to reapply!*

GCTC announced The Tributary Project at the May 2022 unconference, where the company also stated its desire that the opportunity be curated by the local theatre community for the benefit of the local theatre community. This application process was designed by a 15-person committee drawn from the unconference,and with the unconference feedback in mind.

Our application cycle is in line with major granting deadlines, most particularly City of Ottawa and Canada Council for the Arts. The City of Ottawa Projects and Productions granting deadline is Wednesday, February 5th 2025 at 4PM EST, and The Tributary Project will select a project to develop ahead of this deadline, in order to help strengthen a grant application to the city. 

Additionally, GCTC will put $3000.00 in funding towards the chosen project.

 

The 2025-2026 Development Opportunity

For the 2025-2026 development period, GCTC is seeking projects that:

  • fall under the broad banner of live performance; they need not be traditional theatre.

  • are at the point in their process where they are ready to be developed towards a full mainstage production. The show must already have a successful shape, content, structure and aesthetic, and be far enough along in development that this dramaturgical workshopping residency would be sufficient to ready it for production rehearsal. This opportunity is not about seeding new work.

  • come from a lead artist or lead artists that live(s) in Ottawa/Gatineau, and have a team composed of at least 50% Ottawa/Gatineau-based artists. Projects with more than 50% local artists are favoured.

  • engage with GCTC’s mandate to "provoke examination of Canadian life and our place in the world."

  • are full-length works for a primarily English-speaking adult audience. Multilingual and works in other languages are welcome as long as they are reasonably accessible to this audience.

  • will schedule their development period in concert with GCTC availability. 

  • have clearly articulated final questions and needs that can be addressed in the development period.

  • are open to a dynamic dramaturgical process with Artistic Director Sarah Kitz. 

GCTC is particularly interested in hearing from artists from under-represented communities, although this is not a requirement.

What GCTC Will Provide

During the project’s development period, GCTC will provide:

  • 20 to 40 hours of dramaturgy by Artistic Director Sarah Kitz.

  • Up to 6 weeks of Studio Theatre use, depending on mutual availability and benefit. Exact times to be agreed upon with the Production Manager based on needs of the project and availability of the space. This time will be for play development work only and should not include any use of technical elements unless approved by Production. 

  • Technical support from GCTC's in-house production team. This support might include in-rehearsal technical support, technical consultation, production management support for show development, scheduling advice or feasibility discussions, among other possibilities. (Please note that technical support may not be available on Mondays and that the technical staff are not available from December 23, 2024, to January 6, 2025, inclusive, due to the holidays.)

  • $3000.00 in funding.

 

Click here for full information and the application form.

 

Call for Jurors

The Great Canadian Theatre Company is calling for volunteer jurors from the Ottawa/Gatineau performance community to assess applications for the latest round of The Tributary Project. For more on the initiative, see the end of this message.

We are seeking 3 jurors who:

  • Are willing to work together with GCTC Artistic Director Sarah Kitz to choose the best application for the opportunity

  • Are currently living in Ottawa/Gatineau

  • Have a connection to and knowledge of the Ottawa/Gatineau theatre and performance community and knowledge of the GCTC and its mandate

  • Are not applying for the opportunity, and are not included as an artist on any application

  • Do not work for the GCTC

  • Will maintain strict confidentiality

  • Have approximately 20-30* hours between January 7 and January 22, 2025 to devote to this process.

The desired outcome is to have a jury that is varied in artistic practice, age, and background, providing as many varied perspectives as possible. Preference will be given to jurors that do not already have a curation position within the community.

To get involved, please send an email by 1:00 PM December 9, 2024 to sarah@gctc.ca  with the subject line TRIBUTARY JURY, indicating your interest and briefly outlining your connection to the Ottawa/Gatineau performance community.

*Time commitment is calculated based on what we estimate is the necessary time to read applications, provide brief constructive comments, and meet as a jury to decide on the successful application. The amount of time will, of course, be subject to how many applications are received.

PLEASE NOTE

The GCTC offices are closed from December 17,  2024 to January 5, 2025, inclusive. We will respond to your emails upon our return.