Soulpepper is a theater company based in Toronto, Ontario.[1]
Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatrical classics. It often presents Canadian interpretations of works by noted playwrights such as Harold Pinter,[2] Thornton Wilder, Samuel Beckett, Tom Stoppard and Anton Chekhov.[citation needed]
Soulpepper's founding members are Martha Burns, Susan Coyne, Ted Dykstra, Michael Hanrahan, Stuart Hughes, Diana Leblanc, Diego Matamoros, Nancy Palk, Albert Schultz, Robyn Stevan, William Webster, and Joseph Ziegler.[1]
In 2005, the Soulpepper Theater Company moved into its permanent building, the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The joint project with the George Brown College theater school was designed by local firm KPMB Architects and is located in Toronto's historic Distillery District.
In January 2018, founding artistic director Albert Schultz was publicly accused of sexual misconduct by four professional actresses who worked with him at Soulpepper. The women involved are Kristin Booth, Diana Bentley, Hannah Miller and Patricia Fagan. Lawsuits on their behalf were filed against both Schultz and Soulpepper.[3] Schultz resigned his position as artistic director on January 4, 2018.[4] The lawsuits were settled out of court in July 2018.[5]
Soulpepper Theatre Company aims to contribute to the growth of upcoming generations of theatre artists via the Soulpepper Academy. The Academy, which began in 2006, is a full-time, paid training program. After a nationwide search, eight artists are selected to participate in a one-year residency. During this time, they refine their abilities under the guidance of esteemed theatre practitioners, advance their careers by engaging in Soulpepper productions, offer instruction in local community classrooms, act as mentors to young individuals, and collaborate on collective creative ventures.
The Soulpepper Academy program is divided into two phases. The first is focused on training and pedagogy, while the second shifts to performance/production with ongoing training. The Academy was on hold and under review in 2018,[6] but has since resumed.