Factory Theatre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Factory Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, founded as Factory Theatre Lab in 1970 by Ken Gass and Frank Trotz.
Factory was the first theatre to announce that it would exclusively produce Canadian plays, but it soon became a widely emulated policy by other theatre companies. Factory quickly became known as the home of the Canadian playwright, and is especially associated with George F. Walker, most of whose plays premiered there.
In 1977, Ken Gass's own play, Winter Offensive aroused widespread protest because of what was regarded as its gratuitous depiction of sex and violence amongst the upper echelons of the Nazi party. Exhausted by the controversy and frustrated by what he saw as the excessive conservatism and philistinism of the comminity, Ken Gass resigned. Gass was succeeded as Artistic Director of Factory by Bob White (1977-87), then Jackie Maxwell (1987-95), then Michael Springate for one season, 1995-96. At this point, the theatre, which had often experienced grave financial difficulties, was on the verge of bankruptcy and it was widely assumed that the company would have to close for good. However, Ken Gass returned in 1996 to resume the Artistic Directorship with the intention of putting the theatre back on its feet. His bold decision to perform all six of the plays in George F. Walker's Suburban Motel as a full season brought the theatre a remarkably swift return to popularity, relevance and financial prosperity. In 1999, the company was able to buy the Bathurst Street building in which it had been housed for past two decades, and it continues to be make a vital contribution to Canadian theatre.
