Great Canadian Theatre Company

Welcome to GCTC’s 26-27 Season – a season as large as life! Next year's gifts of comedy, exhilaration, wildness, and poignancy are waiting to unfold. We say gifts because assembling this lineup of shows has been like putting together a selection of gifts designed to delight; sparkling offerings that will gather us together to laugh, think, and share joyful and profound experiences in community. GCTC’s 26-27 Subscription Season at a Glance: Rogers v. Rogers | October 20 - November 1, 2026 Liars at a Funeral | December 1 - 13, 2026 Hurricane Diane | February 9 - 21, 2027 Age is a Feeling | April 6 - 18 2027 Waiting for Godot - Inuktitut | May 19 - 29 2027 “Our 26-27 Season is a season as large as life, “ says Artistic Director Sarah Kitz. “We scale down to the intimate mysteries of one human life on earth, and we scale up to the gods. We’re looking at a dynastic 1% family melting down in public, and we’re looking at the experience of Inuit waiting endlessly in the North.” “Next season features bigger shows with more artists, more spectacle, and more comedy. Making art is a distinctly human action and produces powerful visions of what we can do together. So let’s gather, share laughter and complexity, beauty and ideas, and invest in a shared future for everyone.” See upcoming posts for more information on each show. Visit gctc.ca/subscribe to secure your seats now! (see link in bio) [Image description: Season banner with text reading "26-27 Season Great Canadian Theatre Company." Against a gold-green background is a pile of photographs. At top left is a man with short hair and a beard with one hand covering his face. At top right is a black and white photo of an Inuk man. Centre right is a young woman in a light blue shirt, turning her face away from the camera. Bottom centre is a woman with a crown of leaves, wearing a toga over a brown plaid shirt as she eats grapes. Centre left is a blue Slurpee, with a long straw leading off the bottom edge, sitting beside a funerary flower arrangement.]

"Jade Circle 玉環" closes today. Congratulations to the entire team for such a lovely run at the GCTC! Next up, they're heading back to Vancouver to perform at Kay Meek Arts Centre from May 20th - 22nd, so tell your friends ;) -- Jade Circle 玉環 April 28 - May 10, 2026 written and performed by Jasmine Chen directed by Derek Chan | translation by Johnny Wu a rice & beans theatre production in association with Neworld Theatre a part of The Mother Tongue Project Agnes Hui | Stage Manager Daniel O’Shea | Video Designer Irene Fan Yi | Facilitator Jessica Chen | Visual Artist Julia Kim | Set / Props / Costume Designer Sapphire Haze (Cindy Kao & Aysha Dulong) | Sound Designers [Image description: 2 images. 1. An East-Asian woman with dark brown hair is reaching out to her rightwith her right hand and clutching her side with her left. 2. A green-tinted photo of the woman looking out in to the distance with her hands in front of her.]

Kata MEiC is an Ottawa-based artist, author, designer, and creator of idfRNt®️. Her work, rooted in colour, feeling, intuition, and lived experience, reminds people that being different holds beauty, truth, and light, and awakens memories and feelings—something quiet, real, and half-forgotten. She uses bold colours to attract the viewer into a roller coaster of pieces leading the eye in every direction yet maintaining a central primary focus. The use of Neon Acrylic Paint can be illuminated with Black Light to enhance the glow of the art giving it a sense of magic. See Kata's work featured in "Fly Nina Fly" on May 12th at the GCTC. Tickets available through the link in our bio. -- "Fly Nina Fly" A tribute to Nina Simone Featuring Eastmount Park + Kata MEiC [Image Description: Two colourful abstract paintings featuring black line art next to the event name.]

Only 4 more chances to catch "Jade Circle" on our stage! Get your tickets now through the link in our bio. "very touching, innovative… several themes reach out and grab you….highly recommended" -- Jade Circle 玉環 April 28 - May 10, 2026 written and performed by Jasmine Chen directed by Derek Chan | translation by Johnny Wu a rice & beans theatre production in association with Neworld Theatre a part of The Mother Tongue Project Agnes Hui | Stage Manager Daniel O’Shea | Video Designer Irene Fan Yi | Facilitator Jessica Chen | Visual Artist Julia Kim | Set / Props / Costume Designer Sapphire Haze (Cindy Kao & Aysha Dulong) | Sound Designers [Image description: An East-Asian woman with dark brown hair stands smiling, with her hands spread wide. The audience quote is on the left.]

It's the last chance to see Jade Circle 玉環 at @gctclive this weekend and see why audiences are calling Jasmine Chen's performance profound and poignant. If you are still looking for a last-minute Mothers' Day gift, this could be the perfect one! Synopsis: "Using Mandarin and English, Jade Circle follows Jasmine, a second-generation Canadian who has lost her mother tongue. Through intimate interviews with her mother and using music, movement, and storytelling, Jasmine finds her place within the legacy of her matriarchs. As she learns Mandarin, she unearths the lost stories of her grandmother’s past. Jade Circle is a love letter to matrilineal relationships. It’s a profound longing for and acknowledgement of where we’ve come from. Jasmine invites memory, ancestry, and culture into the room in a ceremony of the things we’ve lost that we might still name and regain. A solo show that is a feast for the senses." On stage through May 10th - get tickets at @gctclive . [Image Description: a green-tinted photo of a woman with her eyes closed, her head tilted to the right with her arms extending behind her. Her arms and face are slightly blurred to indicate motion.] . . . . #ottawatheatre #Ottawaplays #gctc #ottawaweekend #mothersdayottawa

It was so lovely to have CBC's Sandra Abma in the building earlier this week to talk to all about "Jade Circle 玉環" ! Check out her interviews with GCTC Artistic Director Sarah Kitz and Performer/Playwright Jasmine Chen on the CBC website. (Link to radio spot in our bio!) -- [Image Description: 2 images. 1. Sarah sits in the audience across from Sandra in front of a camera. 2. Jasmine stands on stage in front of a camera.]

💚We are so happy to have @irene_yifan as our Ottawa talkback facilitator at GCTC! Hear what she has to say about the show! 2026 Tour Dates: 📍Ottawa, ON Venue: Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) Dates: April 28 – May 10, 2026 📍West Vancouver, BC Venue: Kay Meek Arts Centre Dates: May 20 – May 22, 2026 🔗Tickets and info in bio!

It’s already the second week of "Jade Circle 玉環" at GCTC. This striking, visually rich production has been moving audiences since opening night and there are only a limited number of performances left. Get your tickets now through the link in our bio. -- Jade Circle 玉環 April 28 - May 10, 2026 written and performed by Jasmine Chen directed by Derek Chan | translation by Johnny Wu a rice & beans theatre production in association with Neworld Theatre a part of The Mother Tongue Project Agnes Hui | Stage Manager Daniel O’Shea | Video Designer Irene Fan Yi | Facilitator Jessica Chen | Visual Artist Julia Kim | Set / Props / Costume Designer Sapphire Haze (Cindy Kao & Aysha Dulong) | Sound Designers [Image description: An East-Asian woman with dark brown hair stands lies on the stage floor. Behind her is a projection of artwork that mimics water with the text "some stories are burdens that are withheld for protection" layered on top in both English and Mandarin.] #ottawa #ottawalife #ottawaartists #ottawatheatre

We all carry many homes with us. At "Jade Circle 玉環", pause in the lobby and let yourself reconnect with every place your heart calls home. Watching this map grow with red string, and seeing all the places our community calls home has been such a delight. Get your tickets now and add your own story to the map. Tickets available through the link in our bio. -- Jade Circle 玉環 April 28 - May 10, 2026 written and performed by Jasmine Chen directed by Derek Chan | translation by Johnny Wu a rice & beans theatre production in association with Neworld Theatre a part of The Mother Tongue Project [Image Description: A map pinned to a black board with multiple points connected by red string. Next to the map are three pieces of paper with instructions and context ("Place a pin for all the places you call home - ancestral, cultural, spiritual, etc.")]

We love hearing how audiences are being impacted by this show. 💚 "Jasmine Chen’s performance was stunning. Controlled, vulnerable, and deeply felt. The kind of work that lingers in your body long after you leave the theatre." Experience it for yourself. Ticket link in bio. -- Jade Circle 玉環 April 28 - May 10, 2026 written and performed by Jasmine Chen directed by Derek Chan | translation by Johnny Wu a rice & beans theatre production in association with Neworld Theatre a part of The Mother Tongue Project Agnes Hui | Stage Manager Daniel O’Shea | Video Designer Irene Fan Yi | Facilitator Jessica Chen | Visual Artist Julia Kim | Set / Props / Costume Designer Sapphire Haze (Cindy Kao & Aysha Dulong) | Sound Designers [Image description: An East-Asian woman with dark brown hair stands, looking up. The audience quote is above her head.] #ottawa #ottawalife #ottawaartists #ottawatheatre

Here's more of what audiences are saying about "Jade Circle 玉環". "I really loved the nonlinear structure, the movement that emerged through the songs, and the way she wove memories of her mother and grandmother into the piece." "It felt poetic, heartbreaking and healing all at once." Don't miss this stunning show. Get your tickets now through the link in our bio! -- Jade Circle 玉環 April 28 - May 10, 2026 written and performed by Jasmine Chen directed by Derek Chan | translation by Johnny Wu a rice & beans theatre production in association with Neworld Theatre a part of The Mother Tongue Project Agnes Hui | Stage Manager Daniel O’Shea | Video Designer Irene Fan Yi | Facilitator Jessica Chen | Visual Artist Julia Kim | Set / Props / Costume Designer Sapphire Haze (Cindy Kao & Aysha Dulong) | Sound Designers [Image description: 2 images. 1.A greyscale image of an East-Asian woman with dark brown hair sits facing away from the audience with her hands in her lap. 2. The same woman standing with her hands above her head, mid song.] #ottawa #ottawalife #ottawaartists #ottawatheatre

"Jade Circle 玉環" opened last night, and audiences are already reflecting on the experience: "What a beautifully transporting show. Delicate and powerful and haunting in the same breath." Don't miss out! Get your tickets now through the link in our bio. -- Jade Circle 玉環 April 28 - May 10, 2026 written and performed by Jasmine Chen directed by Derek Chan | translation by Johnny Wu a rice & beans theatre production in association with Neworld Theatre a part of The Mother Tongue Project Agnes Hui | Stage Manager Daniel O’Shea | Video Designer Irene Fan Yi | Facilitator Jessica Chen | Visual Artist Julia Kim | Set / Props / Costume Designer Sapphire Haze (Cindy Kao & Aysha Dulong) | Sound Designers [Image description: An East-Asian woman with dark brown hair sits facing away from the audience with her hands in her lap. Their is a lighting projection resembling a window on the ground beneath her.] #ottawa #ottawalife #ottawaartists #ottawatheatre