Theatre Replacement Society

The Theatre Replacement Society is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and producing original, experimental, and intercultural works of performance. Established in 2004 by founders Maiko Bae Yamamoto and James Long, the society is led by Artistic Director Maiko Bae Yamamoto.

Mission

The mission of the Theatre Replacement Society is multifaceted:

• Collaborative Work: To bring together diverse creative teams that include artists from various cultural backgrounds, histories, and disciplines to create new experimental work.
• Audience Engagement: To engage intercultural and intergenerational audiences, fostering new relationships between audiences and performances.
• Global Networks: To be an active part of a global network of artists, presenters, and producers, sharing these networks with local communities through their programs.
• Experimentalism and Internationalism: To engage in discussions on experimentalism and internationalism in the arts through symposia, artist talks, and writings.
• Mentorship: To mentor artists in creating new, experimental, and intercultural works.
• Decolonization and Inclusion: To continuously learn from decolonizing practices and develop better access and inclusion practices for their projects.
• Environmental Impact: To scrutinize the environmental impact of their work in terms of content, form, materiality, process, and presentation relationships.
• Education and Development: To offer opportunities for education and professional development in the arts.

Approach to Performance

Theatre Replacement Society's approach involves a highly collaborative process that extends over long working periods, incorporating diverse artists and perspectives. Their performances often question the interaction between the performance and the audience, seeking to address broader questions about the world. The society emphasizes coexistence and the intersection of different perspectives, identities, and histories in their work.

Registration

The Theatre Replacement Society is registered as a charity with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), with the registration number 877345702RR0001. This designation allows them to receive donations and provide tax receipts to donors, supporting their mission to foster innovative performance arts.

Notable Work

One of their notable productions is "Winners and Losers," which ran from November 10th to December 8th, 2013. Theatre Replacement continues to develop and share new works through extended collaborative processes, engaging diverse artists and communities in their performances.