History

The Great Canadian Theatre Company was founded in 1975 by a group of professors and graduate students at Carleton University: Bill Law, Robin Matthews, Larry McDonald, Greg Reid and Lois Shannon. Driven by a dream to place Canadian stories and Canadian history front and centre in our country’s universities and theatres, the company launched its first production in August of 1975. Even as a young company, the GCTC founders knew that there was an audience that craved Canadian theatre that is emotionally charged, intellectually engaging and socially and politically relevant.
For several years, GCTC was entirely volunteer-run, performing first at the University, and then in the Old Firehall that is now the Ottawa South Community Centre. With a huge outpouring of support from then-Mayor, Marion Dewar and Toddy Kehoe, the financial backing of 700 people and the technical assistance of Phil Sharp of the School of Architecture at Carleton University, GCTC claimed its own permanent home in 1982 at 910 Gladstone Avenue by transforming a truck repair garage into a 230-seat theatre. The new theatre opened with the collectively authored Sandinista!, a large-scale production about Nicaragua that went on to tour nationally to critical acclaim.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the company expanded both its staff and audience. It gained national recognition for producing the work of notable Canadian playwrights such as George F. Walker, David French, Joan MacLeod, Morris Panych, Linda Griffiths, Judith Thompson, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Michel Tremblay and Wendy Lill, while presenting the work of local playwrights Andrew Moodie, Sean Corbett, Katherine Sandford, Alan Templeton, Mary Crawford, Vivienne Laxdal, Ian Tamblyn, Jean-Marc Dalpé and Arthur Milner. The company began to commission and premiere new plays, and also added the production of contemporary international work to its mandate. GCTC has over 80 world premieres to its credit.

By 2000, it was obvious that GCTC would soon outgrow its facility at 910 Gladstone and in 2002, the board and staff of GCTC began planning for a capital project. In 2004, GCTC announced that the family of the late Irving Greenberg was donating $2.5 million towards the construction of a new home for GCTC at the corner of Holland and Wellington. Construction of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre began in the fall of 2005. In the summer of 2007, GCTC moved to the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre and launched a new era in the company’s history.

GCTC Artistic Directors include:

  • 1975: Lois Shannon
  • 1975 – 1978: William Law
  • 1978 – 1980: Larry McDonald
  • 1980 – 1987: Patrick McDonald
  • 1987 – 1992: Steven Bush
  • 1992 – 1995: Arthur Milner
  • 1995 – 1999: Micheline Chevrier
  • 1999 – 2005: Lorne Pardy
  • 2005 – present: Lise Ann Johnson

With the 2010/2011 Season, GCTC is celebrating 36 years of expanding horizons. See a complete list of GCTC’s productions.