Diana Bentley

WE PRESENT TO YOU… THE VAULT’S 2026/27 PUBLIC LAB SERIES On the heels of a smashing inaugural season, The Vault @ Coal Mine Theatre returns for its second season with a remarkable line up of brand new Canadian plays by established and emerging Canadian Playwrights. Each Public Lab runs for FOUR NIGHTS ONLY and offers audiences a chance to attend (and contribute to) a new play in process. “We are beyond excited about our second season of Public Labs at The Vault,” shares The Vault Artistic Producer Diana Bentley and General Manager Adriano Sobretodo Jr. “Entering our second year and growing partnership with Coal Mine Theatre, we’re starting to become a vibrant and inspiring playwright’s lab. Last year we learned how involved our audiences want to be in the creation process of new work at The Vault, and this year we’re working with an astonishing group of playwrights and directors in the 2026/27 Public Lab Series.” RAISED BY WOMEN Written and Performed by Keith Barker Directed by Yvette Nolan THE LISTENING Written and Performed by SATE Directed by Djanet Sears TED (ACTUALLY) TALKS Written and Performed by Ted Dykstra Directed by Diana Bentley THE CULL By Michele Riml and Michael St. John Smith Directed by Peter Pasyk Dramaturged by Ted Dykstra Starring Tom Barnett, Christopher Morris and Jenny Young HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY J By Nick Green Directed by Sabryn Rock JOCASTA By Rebecca Gibian Directed by Diana Bentley Starring Fiona Highet Hit that follow button to be the first to find out more about these incredible projects!

A whirlwind of trust, instinct, truth and feral fangs. Dance Nation 2026. We’ll see you all at the 15 year remount with @coalminetheatre @outsidethemarch & @rockbottommovement Same cast, same place. Thank you to everyone who came out and shared their hearts with this dream team and for Clare putting it all down on the page for us to devour. And to our collaborators on this…love you all. You all know what it took to build this and my gratitude is endless. Thank you!!!! ❤️‍🔥🪩🪽🩰🦞🦦⚓️🌺💋 xo

We opened a play last night. Can’t thank these companies @coalminetheatre @outsidethemarch @rockbottommovement enough…and this incredible team of artists. Tickets remain for final week of Clare Barron’s Dance Nation. 🦞🪩🩰 Directed by yours truly Movement Direction by @itsalyssamartin Intimacy Direction by @chala_hunter STARRING: @salvatoreantonioofficial , @katherineallisoncullen , @ollietri , @lil_keats , @beckklloyd , @annielujan , @amatysio , @zoranasoprana , @jeanyoon88 DESIGNED BY: @nblaisdesign , @black.kathleen & @troysteel STAGE MANAGED: @katieefg & ASM @emilycorn94 PRODUCTION MANAGED/ TD: Bryan Kling, Tori Morrison & Lilian Adom ✨

Raise your hand if you’re ready to compete 💥 ANNOUNCING the cast and creative team of the Toronto professional premiere of Clare Barron’s DANCE NATION, directed by Diana Bentley, is almost here. You don’t want to miss this. Follow the link in our bio to learn more and get tickets. A @coalminetheatre & @outsidethemarch experience In association with @rockbottommovement 📽️: Julian Peter (@julian_peter ) ~ ♡ ~ DANCE NATION April 12 — May 3 Written by Clare Barron Directed by Diana Bentley (@dmsbentley ) Movement Direction by Alyssa Martin (@itsalyssamartin ) Cast Salvatore Antonio (@salvatoreantonioofficial ) Katherine Cullen (@katherineallisoncullen ) Oliver Dennis (@ollietri ) Amy Keating (@lil_keats ) Beck Lloyd (@beckklloyd ) Annie Luján (@annielujan ) Amy Matysio (@amatysio ) Zorana Sadiq (@zoranasoprana ) Jean Yoon (@jeanyoon88 ) Associate Director: Lucy Coren (@lucyrose.coren ) Intimacy Director: Chala Hunter (@chala_hunter ) Set & LX Designer: Nick Blais (@nblaisdesign ) Sound Designer: Miquelon Rodriguez (@troysteel ) Costume Designer: Kathleen Black (@black.kathleen ) Head of Props: Lish Evans (@lishzilla ) Design Assistant: Addie Moodie Production Manager (CM): Bryan Kling (@thebryankling ) Production Manager (OtM): Tori Morrison (@torigmorrison ) Stage Manager: Katie Fitzgerald (@katieefg ) Assistant Stage Manager (ASM): Emily Cornelius (@emilycorn94 )

Our final two brave performers taking on the WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT challenge are Dora Award winning director, producer, dramaturge, actor, and writer Diana Bentley and host of season 5 of Roast Battle Canada and TV superstar Ennis Esmer. 📍 Catch Diana Bentley take on the challenge Thursday February 19 2026 at 8:00pm. 📍 Catch Ennis Esmer take on the challenge Friday February 20 2026 at 8:00pm. Diana Bentley is a Dora Award winning director, producer, dramaturge, actor, and writer. She is the Co-founder and former Co-Artistic Director of Coal Mine Theatre and is the Artistic Director and founder of The Vault Creation lab. Her directing credits include the multi-Dora award winning People, Places & Things which she received the Dora for Outstanding Direction and A Little Closer, and Yerma (The Vault/ Coal Mine Theatre). She has performed in many tv shows and films such as Handmaid’s Tale, Sort Of, Departure, Frontier, Locke and Key and The Expanse to name just a few and takes the stage regularly. Most recently she starred in: Hedda Gabler, Detroit, Knives in Hens, and Bull all for Coal Mine theatre. Ennis Esmer is best known for his work as arms dealing hedonist turned FBI consultant Rich Dotcom on NBC’s Blindspot, lothario / tennis pro Nash in Amazon’s Red Oaks, and the ultra-challenging role of “Ennis” on the hit CTV series Children Ruin Everything, for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy 3 years in a row. He is currently hosting season 5 of Roast Battle Canada on CTV, and can soon be seen as Dr Jamie Astaphan in the Paramount+ meta-comedy-biopic-limited series Hate The Player, about the rise and fall of Ben Johnson. He recently played a murderous tech bro on Law & Order, a murdered comedian on Law & Order: Toronto, and a jerk CEO on CBS’ Ghosts, who doesn’t get murdered or murder anybody. WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT🐇❗️ by Nassim Soleimanpour Feb 5 - 20 2026 🎟️ Tickets: theassemblytheatre.com

Thanks to a series of events that started last January, I find myself on the eve of opening The Vault Creation Lab (sister to @coalminetheatre ) with Michael Ross Albert’s thrilling A Little Closer; our first ever Public Lab. I can’t thank everyone enough— every friend and artist I’ve talked to and every playwright and creator; everyone who came to the Writers’ Round Table, everyone who bought a ticket to the Launch Party. Thank you to everyone who has signed up for the Writers Group or The Water Cooler or is coming to the Lab— and just everyone for their kindness and support of this new experiment and creative adventure. There is so much unknown and so much delight in discovering and so much to learn. Thanks Michael for trusting me with your beautiful new play and for coming a long on this absolute rollercoaster and to this cast (David, Bre, Annie and Cam) and Erik— and Gonch, Char and Stevie ✨ I don’t know what it all means yet but I’m so excited that this particular experiment starts now @thevaultcreationlab ⭐️ thanks to my big sister and original ride or die forever @coalminetheatre and @teddydykstra 🤍 📸 @kristinaruddick

✨ Welcome to The Vault Creation Lab ✨ A sister company to Coal Mine Theatre, The Vault Creation Lab is a space unlike any other in the city where creators are afforded the opportunity to work on and experiment with their ideas in the critical stages of their process. Artists may experiment with text, sound, light, set, movement, audience participation and much more in a beautiful new 2,000 square foot space. All is up for experiment at the lab! The public will also be invited to hear/see works that are ready for audience interaction and feedback should the creators feel they are ready. At the lab: the audience is in on it and invested in the process. The hope is eventual world premieres (at the Coal Mine and other theatres as well) of new works that have been given a larger chance at development. Want to support this new initiative? ✨Find our Fundraising campaign link in bio!✨ Keep it in the vault… sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about workshops, offerings and special events ✨Link in bio✨

We are thrilled to announce a new creative hub in the heart of Toronto’s East End! Helmed by Diana Bentley, The Vault Creation Lab will be opening its doors January 11th 2025! ✨🔑We can’t wait to have you in on it🔑✨ First workshop in the vault, ‘A Little Closer’ by Michael Ross Albert coming spring 2025 Thank you @thetorontostar ! Photos by @dahliakatz

✨Big news coming November 15th…✨

Shows added to Hedda. Get em. It’s a room of beasts on the roam @coalminetheatre guided by the insatiable @moyaoco brained by @liisa_repo and scenic design @joshuamortimer

How completely perfect that our first week of Hedda Gabler at Coal Mine Theatre kicked off with that wild eclipse. Entering Ibsen’s world of transcendence and wickedness…🪽 good photos by @elana_emer @coalminetheatre

Thanks to everyone for their warm wishes and words since our announcement last week about my leaving the Coal Mine nest as Co-AD. It feels wonderful to exist in a loving community that understands and supports change, growth and risk. Felt like a big hug. I’m so proud of what we have made and I am so excited to see what it grows into now that we are really landed. I know Ted has such huge and beautiful dreams for it and I’m excited to be a part of our Board and behind-the-scenes. And for those of you who are curious about what I’m up to next I can let you know that Henry has determined that my next job will be as a spy. I asked him for whom and he said he doesn’t know. I asked him who I’ll be spying on and he also doesn’t know that. But apparently my training is starting tomorrow. So I guess between spy training and Hedda I’ll be quite busy this spring. Thanks for the huge hug. Let’s keep making cool shit 🤍 Photo by @dahliakatz in my forever home @coalminetheatre