The Vault Creation Lab

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR WRITING AS EMBODIED PRACTICE WITH JILL CONNELL?! The Vault @ Coal Mine Theatre is thrilled to announce a brand new in-house initiative with Jill Connell (The Herald)! A workshop for emerging and mid career writers/theatre creators to develop new writing based on an embodied practice. Artists will explore their experience of the world based on the feeling of things (versus an objective or outside perspective about the “logic” of things). Dates: Tuesdays, June 9-30 Time: 5:30-9:30pm Location: The Vault Creation Lab Cost: $140 This workshop explores the double-vision inherent in theatre that overlays real with make believe, self with character. We will explore writing as a solo listening body that is co-creating with their environment/landscape. We will look at theatre as group work and forms for igniting text within a collective and a context. We will develop principles for work for a daily embodied writing practice. We will share our ideas about what theatre can be now, asking: what state of being, possibilities, and relationality do we want to create and co-create, now? This workshop prioritizes availability over interpretation; experimentation over perfection and is not about developing previous writing or creating a finished product. Instead, we will be creating new material and developing our writing practice, in this solo creation work that requires a group. 
To sign up send a short bio with your writing/live-performance work and a short paragraph detailing your creative practice (and why you’d like to participate in this workshop) to [email protected]. Registration closes THIS FRIDAY, MAY 22! Professional experience or training is required. This course is generously supported by the K.M. Hunter Foundation.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE VAULT @ COAL MINE THEATRE 26/27 PUBLIC LABS?! Diana Bentley (co-founder of Coal Mine Theatre & founder of The Vault Creation Lab) is so excited to share The Vault @ Coal Mine Theatre is returning for its second season with a remarkable line up of brand new Canadian plays by established and emerging Canadian Playwrights. 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! Video & Editing by @longmtaylor

THE VAULT’S PUBLIC LAB SERIES 26/27 FEATURES… JOCASTA By Rebecca Gibian Directed by Diana Bentley Starring Fiona Highet The very first play to come straight from our very first Vault submissions process and development stream, JOCASTA by Rebecca Gibian (Seeker), is a groundbreaking play about the mother of... well you’ll have to find out 🤭 ~Navigating the charged space between grief and attraction, JOCASTA is part love story, part loss story; asking what is so wrong about giving in blindly to what feels so right. This debut play reimagines an ancient myth in a contemporary setting shaped by silence, systems, and legacy—and ventures into the other side of what you don’t know can’t hurt you. March 31-April 3, 2027 Performances Nightly at 7:30pm Follow us to be the first-to-know about ALL THINGS “Jocasta” and when tickets go on sale!

THE VAULT’S PUBLIC LAB SERIES 26/27 FEATURES… HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY J By Nick Green Directed by Sabryn Rock Wickedly funny and alluring, Happy Birthday Baby J takes place on a sunny summer weekend at a cottage up north. When Gary and Louise invite friends and family to celebrate the second birthday of their child J, who they are raising without a gender. As the day awkwardly unfolds, grudges are revealed and secrets bubble uproariously to a head. This staggering new comedy by Nick Green (Casey and Diana), directed by Sabryn Rock (Our Place) explores contemporary idealism, masculinity, and daycare politics. Jan 6-9, 2027 Performances Nightly at 7:30pm Follow us to be the first-to-know about ALL THINGS “Happy Birthday Baby J” and when tickets go on sale!

THE VAULT’S PUBLIC LAB SERIES 26/27 FEATURES… 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 A group of long-time friends gathers for an intimate 25th anniversary dinner celebration as a forest fire rages out of control in the nearby mountains of southeastern BC. When an unexpected gift transforms a discussion about the local wolf cull into a heated argument over economic inequality, conflicting values within the group arise, threatening to derail the celebration and test the true nature of their friendships. Written by Michele Riml (Sexy Laundry) and Michael St. John Smith (The Bridge), The Cull is directed by Peter Pasyk (The Nether). October 14-17, 2026 Performances Nightly at 7:30pm Follow us to be the first-to-know about ALL THINGS “The Cull” and when tickets go on sale!

THE VAULT’S PUBLIC LAB SERIES 26/27 FEATURES… TED (ACTUALLY) TALKS Written and Performed by Ted Dykstra Directed by Diana Bentley Coal Mine Theatre’s Co-Founder and Artistic Director and 8 time Dora Award Winner Ted Dykstra (2 Pianos, 4 Hands) steps onto The Vault stage for the first time to debut material from his never before seen one-man show Ted (Actually) Talks, directed by partner Diana Bentley (Dance Nation). In this magical one hour special Ted sits at the piano and shares personal stories, memories, and career highlights (and low lights) and plays original music that spans from childhood to present. August 12-15, 2026 Performances Nightly at 7:30pm Follow us to be the first-to-know about ALL THINGS “Ted (Actually) Talks” and when tickets go on sale!

THE VAULT’S PUBLIC LAB SERIES 26/27 FEATURES… THE LISTENING Written and Performed by SATE Directed by Djanet Sears As a part of The Vault’s inaugural season SATE (Detroit: Music of the Motor City) and the Polaris Music Prize brought an intimate, one-night experience to The Vault—an offering so resonant it returns as a four-night run directed by Djanet Sears (Harlem Duet). The Listening is not a traditional concert but a living ritual—an intimate weaving of music, movement, story, and unfiltered thought. Emerging from the creation of her debut theatrical work, the evening explores the threads between mothers and daughters, the living and the beyond, memory and myth—tracing the unseen lines that shape who we are and who we are becoming. July 15-18, 2026 Performances Nightly at 7:30pm Follow us to be the first-to-know about ALL THINGS “The Listening” and when tickets go on sale!

THE VAULT’S PUBLIC LAB SERIES 26/27 FEATURES… RAISED BY WOMEN Written and Performed by Keith Barker Directed by Yvette Nolan Raised by Women is a heartfelt, funny tribute to matriarchal power and grace. With warmth and candour, award-winning playwright Keith Barker (This Is How We Got Here), celebrates the women who taught him how to understand his emotions, be true to himself, and lead with his heart. Directed by Yvette Nolan (Women of the Fur Trade) Keith offers a counter narrative to patriarchal ideals so many of us are taught. Challenging long-held conventions about parenthood and masculinity, Keith provides a blueprint of emotional literacy for the next generation of men. Raised by Women will have its Toronto Premiere later in the 2026/27 Season at Canadian Stage. July 1-3, 2026 Performances Nightly at 7:30pm Follow us to be the first-to-know about ALL THINGS “Raised by Women” and when tickets go on sale!

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!

Writing Plays as Embodied Practice With Jill Connell The Vault @ Coal Mine Theatre is thrilled to announce a brand new in-house initiative with Jill Connell (The Herald)! A workshop for emerging and mid career writers/theatre creators to develop new writing based on an embodied practice. Artists will explore their experience of the world based on the feeling of things (versus an objective or outside perspective about the “logic” of things). Dates: Tuesdays, June 9-30 Time: 5:30-9:30pm Location: The Vault Creation Lab Cost: $140 This workshop explores the double-vision inherent in theatre that overlays real with make believe, self with character. We will explore writing as a solo listening body that is co-creating with their environment/landscape. We will look at theatre as group work and forms for igniting text within a collective and a context. We will develop principles for work for a daily embodied writing practice. We will share our ideas about what theatre can be now, asking: what state of being, possibilities, and relationality do we want to create and co-create, now? This workshop prioritizes availability over interpretation; experimentation over perfection and is not about developing previous writing or creating a finished product. Instead, we will be creating new material and developing our writing practice, in this solo creation work that requires a group. 
To sign up send a short bio with your writing/live performance work and a short paragraph detailing your creative practice (and why you’d like to participate in this workshop) to [email protected]. Professional experience or training is required. This course is generously supported by the K.M. Hunter Foundation.

WRITERS READING IS BACK! Mondays, May 25 - June 29, 2026 Our regular in-house initiative returns! Nick Green (Casey and Diana) and Andrea Scott (Controlled Damage) are back at The Vault for a six week window starting May 25, 2026 with Nick’s brainchild: Writers Reading. Professional playwrights meet weekly to share their pages and are encouraged to share positive and constructive feedback. Writers Reading was a part of The Vault’s inaugural test pilots and launched a sense of community and sharing that has quickly become a pillar of the lab. Writers Reading runs: Monday May 25th 5:30-8:30 Monday June 1 5:30-8:30 Monday June 8 5:30-8:30 Monday June 15 5:30-8:30 Monday June 22 5:30-8:30 Monday 29 5:30-8:30 To sign up please send a short bio to [email protected] by Tuesday May 12th, midnight. Writers must be available to attend all six sessions. You’ll have the opportunity to share your work in 2 of the 6 sessions. Writers Reading is designed for professional writers with some professional writing experience. There are 9 spots available in each group. This is a PWYC group with a minimum request of $20 a week (total $120 for 6 sessions). *The playwrights present and the identity, diversity, age and gender of the playwrights will be the voices in the room regardless of the script they are reading. Therefore we hope it’s understood that readers will be cast randomly. Upon acceptance into Writers Reading, Nick and The Vault team will reach out with questions regarding your script to start a conversation around casting.

SPRING INTO SUMMER @ THE VAULT 🌸 We’re back in action at The Vault! We may have the rock and roll Dance Nation by Clare Barron, directed by our very own Diana Bentley (get your tickets at @coalminetheatre ’s link in bio, few remain!) roaring in The Vault, but that hasn’t stopped us from preparing a stunning line up of brand new in house initiatives (and a returning familiar fave) that we’ll be dropping over the next 2 weeks, starting THIS FRIDAY! 🪩🩷 And mark your calendars because on May 13th, our 26/ 27 Public Lab Series drops. Six spectacular new plays, 4 nights each. We can’t wait to have you all back at The Vault for process and progress with these incredible playwrights sharing their stories, music and more. 🗓️✨ Make sure to turn on our Post Notifications so you’re the FIRST to hear about all things The Vault. ☑️😉