March 22, 2026

Today, on Earth Day, Why Not Theatre is very excited to announce THE CLIMATE COMMISSIONS, a new series of plays commissioned from national and international playwrights exclusively for the 2025-2026 ThisGen Fellowship, running at The Theatre Centre June 4-6.

ThisGen Fellowship, produced in partnership with the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, is a prestigious, hands-on theatre training program that supports the growth of BIPOC women and non-binary artists across the country whose bold cultural leadership is shaping the future of Canadian theatre.

A triple bill, THE CLIMATE COMMISSIONS features workshop presentations of MATRIATE written by Tara Beagan, 2025 Governor General Award for Drama winner for Rise, Red River, and the 2020 Siminovitch Prize Laureate; MANY WATERS written by Sabrina Mahfouz, award-winning British writer who grew up in London, UK, and Cairo, Egypt; and A RITUAL OF RETURN created by Ta-Nia, an American-based duo dedicated to creating uncompromising BLK spaces of liberation by challenging traditional boundaries in the theatre.

“We’ve learned first hand, from our production of What You Won’t Do For Love with David Suzuki and Tara Cullis, the vital role artists can play in the climate crisis. I am thrilled that this year we are colliding our passion for creating new work about the climate with our commitment to training leaders across the sector through our ThisGen Fellowship. This program has always involved practical hands-on training and these commissions provide a unique opportunity for ThisGen artists to produce, direct, and dramaturg, innovative artistic works.”

Miriam Fernandes, Co-Artistic Director, Why Not Theatre

Matriate

Pictured top from left: ThisGen Fellows and producers Shyanne Duquette and Sue-Tanya Lee

Bottom from left: playwright Tara Beagan, director Cheyenne Scott, dramaturg Brefny Caribou

MATRIATE, written by Tara Beagan and directed by Cheyenne Scott, is a short, powerful play centered on an Indigenous burial ground threatened by development. Bon, a worker who refuses to vacate the construction site, chooses instead to remain close to the uncovered burial of the Nlaka’pamux woman, Tshoolsh. As machinery approaches and pressure mounts, the play explores the intersection of land, loss, and agency revealing the deep spiritual bond between the living and the dead.

Many Waters

Pictured top from left: ThisGen Fellows and producers Lily Chang and Jade Silman

Bottom from left: playwright Sabrina Mahfouz, director Michelle Mohammed, dramaturg Keavy Lynch

The only time estranged sisters Amina and Khadija see one another these days is in court, as opposing counsel for a case between Guyanese labourers and a Canadian oil corporation drilling offshore in Guyana. In MANY WATERS, written by UK playwright Sabrina Mahfouz and directed by Michelle Mohammed, the two feuding lawyers must come together in sisterly love for their mother’s funeral where grief becomes the catalyst for difficult conversations about inheritance, environmental responsibility, and the future.

A Ritual of Return

Pictured top from left: ThisGen Fellows and producers Shannon Corenthin and Meryl Ochoa

Bottom from left: creators Ta-Nia, director Adonis Critter King, dramaturg  Mya Wong

Emaya is on a journey to meet her ancestors. In A RITUAL OF RETURN, a performance ritual created by American duo Ta-Nia (Talia Paulette Oliveras and Nia Farrell) and directed by Adonis Critter King, Emaya, struggling to imagine a future amid widespread loss, encounters her ancestral presences who offer hope and guidance and remind her of her own endurance, community, and possibility.

We are also excited to share that the June 5 performance of THE CLIMATE COMMISSIONS will be part of the Luminato Festival Industry Series where bold ideas meet big opportunities, furthering Why Not’s commitment to creating opportunity for artists to lead, to create, and to be seen.

For more information and tickets: Tickets

THANK YOU

Why Not Theatre acknowledges the ongoing support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Clearview Foundation, Lindy Green Family Foundation, and Wuchien Michael Than Foundation.

ThisGen Fellowship is presented in collaboration with the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, who has partnered with Why Not Theatre on the program since its inception and hosts an annual residency for each cohort.

ThisGen Fellowship is made possible by the generous support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Arts Training Fund, the National Arts Centre, and RBC Foundation, with additional support provided by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, the Paul Barber Foundation, and the Youssef-Warren Foundation.

PHOTO CREDITS

MATRIATE: Shyanne Duquette by Nicole O’Brien, Sue-Tanya Lee by Salma Gonzalez, Tara Beagan by Andy Morrow, Cheyenne Scott by Dahlia Katz.

MANY WATERS: Lily Change by Alexandre Perrault, Sabrina Mahfouz by Greg Morrison, Michelle Mohammed by Kristina Ruddick.

A RITUAL OF RETURN: Shannon Corenthin by Laurie-Anne Jean Baptiste, Ta-Nia by Binta Kopp, Adonis Critter King by Taryn Walker, Mya Wong by Carmen Cheung.

For media inquiries, interviews, or additional information, please contact:
Mary Anderson
Space Project Lead Producer
[email protected]

About Why Not Theatre:
Founded in 2007, Why Not Theatre is a Toronto-based theatre company with an international scope. Dedicated to rethinking how stories are told and who gets to tell them, Why Not has established a reputation for inventive and cross-cultural collaborations. Over 16 years, Why Not has developed 55 new works, which have toured to over 40 cities and 81 stops, including the world-wide hit A Brimful of Asha, performed more than 300 times globally, and the critically-acclaimed Mahabharata. The company is led by Co-Artistic Directors Miriam Fernandes and Ravi Jain and Executive Director Karen Tisch.

2024-2025 Project Partners
Aluna Theatre (Toronto, ON)
ArtsBuild Ontario (Waterloo, ON)
Capsules Artist Resources Inc. (Toronto, ON)
Common Ground Arts Society (Edmonton, AB)
Mass Culture (Toronto, ON)
On Cue Performance Hub, Inc. (Regina, SK)
SURmUN (Hamilton, ON)
Terrarium Studio (Toronto, ON)