Through the presentation and curation of professional theatre, Guild Festival Theatre provides the people of Scarborough with meaningful engagement in the performing arts, connects the past to the present, and empowers the region's communities to participate locally in arts and culture.
We achieve this vision through the following activities
Presenting outdoor productions at the Greek Theatre in Guild Park & Gardens;
Reimagining classical theatre through staging and adaptation and broadening the definition of "classics" to be diverse, inclusive and equitable;
Expanding the audience for classical theatre through new initiatives that include outreach, education, and engagement;
Supporting artists by providing opportunities for education, mentorship, artistic growth, professional development and meaningful work.
Ten Years In The Park
Since 2011, GFT has enchanted nearly 15,000 patrons at our beautiful open-air productions and employed over 200 artists ranging from veteran performers, directors and designers to newly graduated students and emerging talent. GFT is proud to champion local arts and culture and has been honoured with numerous awards and commendations including “Best Live Theatre” (Scarborough Mirror), 2017 OAC Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts (nomination) and the Urban Hero Award (Metroland Media).
2022
Guild Festival Theatre’s 11th season was a celebration of live performance and community spirit! The summer began with Family Fest, a festival of arts for young audiences. Dozens of artists engaged thousands of families over the five-day event.
GFT next presented The Red Priest (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye). This bittersweet love story is poignant variation on the themes of love and freedom by Governor General Award-nominated playwright Mieko Ouchi.
Finishing the 2022 season was Chekhov's Shorts, humorous gems by one of modern drama's greatest playwrights in a new vaudeville-inspired adaptation. A GFT original by Helen Juvonen & Tyler J. Seguin.
GFT finished the season with an incredible night at the 2022 Dora Mavor Moore Awards! After leading the Theatre for Young Audiences category with 7 nominations, Alice in Wonderland was honoured with two awards: Kiana Woo won for her lead performance as Alice, and the show was honoured with the prestigious Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award.
2021
2021 was a very special year for GFT. Not only did we celebrate 10 years of bringing classics to Guild Park, we also expanded our programming to include two mainstage shows, a concert series, and a tour! We opened this season with Women in Song: Summer Thunder, showcasing a myriad of award-winning musicians in partnership with FabCollab. Next, the Song and Story Series featured five days of workshops and performances. Our mainstage season was met with great critical acclaim and with presentations of Salt-Water Moon by David French and David Savoy’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. In August, GFT also took Salt-Water Moon on the road to Prescott, Ontario for GFT’s first tour in partnership with the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival.
2020
Despite the pandemic, GFT successfully and safely presented live in-person performances including street parades, pop-up performances on Guildwood lawns and driveways, and 4 shows at the Greek Theatre.
2019
In 2019 we delighted audiences with Anne by Paul Ledoux, an adaptation of L.M. Montgomery’s beloved novel Anne of Green Gables. Full of music and imagination, audiences and critics alike loved seeing Avonlea come to life on stage night after night.
2018
2018 brought George Bernard Shaw’s comic masterpiece Pygmalion to our stage, incorporating live music and dance, to the delight of our audiences! Park improvements included a pathway and audience lighting - which were much appreciated after our evening performances!
2017
2017 saw the gorgeous production of She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith, which had glowing reviews from all who witnessed it.
2016
Due to park renovations in 2016, we weren't able to perform at The Greek Theatre that summer.
2015
Sadly, in 2015 we lost our leader Sten Eirik, and the possible end of The Guild Festival Theatre was in sight. Jamie Robinson was brought on board at the last minute to take over the helm, directing the most attended season to date with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Reviews were stellar and the cast, crew, and board of directors all felt the guiding hand of Sten pushing us to carry on with his dream. The stars have truly aligned as the 2016 season hiatus gave us time to reimagine how the next successful five years should look with the renewed energy of a revitalized Guildwood Park and Banquet Hall.
2014
Our 2014 season made a splash with the hilarity of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest. There was not a dry eye in the house (or should we say, under the stars), as night after night tears of laughter echoed over the bluffs into Lake Ontario and across to Toronto Island. Truly our most successful production in terms of audience appeal, it set the stage for what The Guild Festival could truly become, a professional Theatre of unparalleled quality for the GTA.
2013
Our 2013 hit was Molière’s The Misanthrope, which earned rave reviews and a 50% increase in audience attendance. Audience feedback drew a comparison with Stratford and the Shaw Festival. We garnered the 2013 Urban Hero Award for making a difference in the community. With funding from the government of Canada, we employed students from Centennial College, U. of T. Scarborough and Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate.
2012
In 2012 we presented Clouds Over T.O., the world premiere for our own musical modernization of Aristophanes' The Clouds. Music and songs were by Toronto's jazz and klezmer virtuoso David Buchbinder. We engaged 20 volunteers from Centennial College who earned a combined total of 326 hours towards their Leadership Passports. In addition, we have mentored high school students for their community hours.
2011
When Guild Festival Theatre appeared on the Toronto arts scene in 2011, we were hailed as the "new theatre project that deserves to succeed" (Paula Citron), "terrific theatre in a great landscape" (Michael Kramer), and "a lively, fast-paced spectacle that brings the essence of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard to life" (David Bateman).