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THEATRE CANADA’S RELAUNCH BASED ON A SOLID, NEW MISSION

Ottawa, February 1st, 2007 – Theatre Canada, the organization that has been kept alive for over a year thanks to the efforts of past President Ron Dodson, succeeded in holding, to the great relief of Mr. Dodson, its Annual General Meeting in October 2006.

At that meeting, Theatre Canada decided to re-launch the organization, as well as adopt a new, realistic mission for the years ahead. During a January 2007 meeting of the new Executive Committee, priorities were identified and adopted, in order to contribute more effectively to the development of Canada’s amateur and educational theatre sectors.

As a result, Theatre Canada has given itself the following realistic mission. The mission has two components:

First Component: Dialogue and Information Sharing.      
We want to build a strong relationship with our members and address their concerns. As a result, we intend to conduct a poll in order to learn about their plans and projects, the challenges they are facing, etc. At the same time, we want members to get to know one another. We hope to learn about what our members are working on and share that information, for the benefit of all members, either through the website, or the newsletter; 

Second Component: Reaching Out to the World.
We want Theatre Canada to serve as a bridge between Canada and the world. We want to gain a better understanding of the links with international associations and share information about international opportunities with our Canadian members.

According to the new President, Robert A. Corbeil, it is essential for Theatre Canada to have a realistic mission. “We have to get to know our members better, so that we can offer services that meet their needs. In the coming months, we are going to have to work to secure funding for the organization and develop a three-year plan that reflects the needs of the membership. At the moment, we are aware of a need for dialogue and information sharing, at both the national and international levels.”  

The new President added that while achieving this new mission will not happen overnight, members can nonetheless count on a dedicated Executive Committee that is firmly focussed on the interests of amateur and educational theatre.

It is also important to note that, during the last AGM, members of Theatre Canada elected a new Executive Committee. Here are the members:

• President: Robert A. Corbeil – Robert is the Co-Chair of the Alliance culturelle de l’Ontario / Ontario / president@theatrecanada.org ;
• Vice-President: Yoland Roy – Yoland is the Director General of the Fédération québécoise du théâtre amateur (FQTA) / Québec / vicepresident@theatrecanada.org;
• Secretary: Donna Marie Barrata – Donna Marie is the Past President of CODE (Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators) / Ontario / secretary@theatrecanada.org;
• Treasurer: Robert Morgan – Robert represents ABCDE (Association of British Columbia Drama Educators) / British Columbia / treasurer@theatrecanada.org.

Theatre Canada is committed to the promotion and development of amateur and educational theatre in Canada in both official languages.