Montreal’s Black Theatre Workshop telling stories for over half a century

Montreal's Black Theatre Workshop is one of Canada's longest-running companies dedicated to sharing stories for over 50 years.

For over half a century, Montreal’s Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) has been one of Canada’s longest-running theatre companies dedicated to sharing Black stories.

Artistic Director Dian Marie Bridge says the theatre’s mission is vital to the community.

“Not only to see ourselves reflected on stage, but also to authenticate our stories and contribute fully to culture,” said Bridge.

It its 54 years, the award-winning theatre has been putting on a few shows each season.

The group also offers mentorship programs for emerging artists.

“We’re finding a lot of young people are starting to come out to our shows because they are discovering who we are and also discovering that they have a platform and they have opportunity to perform or to test new work or just to meet new people,” said Bridge.

Nevertheless, in recent years, the theatre has faced some challenges: a lack of funding and venues has made it harder to put on shows.

“We had to put off a show in 2023 because we couldn’t find a venue in time,” said Bridge.

Julien Valmary, the head of granting and philanthropy at the Conseil des arts de Montréal, says Montreal’s arts community has been underfunded for a long time.

“It’s really troubling because we need the arts for a stronger Montreal,” he said.

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He added that some groups have had to cut programming or let staff go because they could not keep up with expenses.

“We lack some of the richness and the diverse voices that are needed,” said Valmary.

Despite these challenges, the BTW continues to manage with the resources it has.

Bridge said she is hopeful for the future.

“I think people are really excited about how close-knit the theatre community here in Montreal actually is,” said Bridge.

Their latest production, Vierge, is slated to run from Feb. 12 to March 2 at the Segal Centre in Montreal.