Your guide to TMU’s 2026 performance season
The stage is set and the curtain is rising on an exciting performance season at TMU.
From February through April, the School of Performance presents eight live productions featuring dance and acting students working alongside professional artists.
Students gain real-world experience by partnering with industry professionals, guest choreographers and established directors.
Behind the scenes, Design and Production students handle stage management and scenic elements.
“I think the most exciting thing is that we work with industry professionals and invite guest artists to work with our students,” says Caroline O’Brien, chair of Performance.
“This collaboration between the school and the industry gives students a really good glimpse of the kind of work they will encounter when they graduate.”
Design and Production undergraduate program director Debashis Sinha explains the program’s philosophy: “A student isn’t just a crew member, but a part of a team that is, in turn, part of a larger storytelling experience. All the things need doing, because all the things are part of the story we want to share.”
Scroll down to explore what’s coming up and how students across the School of Performance are bringing these performances to life.
Dance productions showcase student creativity
TMU dance students will present two major projects at Chrysalis, the School’s mainstage venue. The fourth-year capstone will be held at the Student Learning Centre. (Photo: Jeremy Mimnagh)
The winter season lineup features three dance productions, including major partnerships with industry professionals and a student-run production.
“Our students study a very broad range of dance forms with highly specialized professional faculty members and many guest artists,” says Vicki St. Denys, Dance undergraduate program director. “It allows the public to see our students, how good they are and just how special this program is.”
Starting the season off is a one-of-a-kind showcase of choreography by dancers in their second and third years of the Performance Dance program.
Choreographic Works is an entirely student-focused production that features 26 short dance pieces. The students take on roles across choreography, lighting design, stage management, technical direction and production management, produced by Louis Laberge-Côté.
SPRINGWORKS showcases third- and fourth-year dancers through collaborations with guest artists and industry partners. Third-year students will perform choreography by Toronto-based dance artist Julia Cratchley, founder of Transcendance Dance, produced by St. Denys with lighting design by Arun Srinivasan.
The fourth-year students will perform an exclusive sneak peak at SPRINGWORKS. The project stems from a long-standing partnership between the Performance Dance Program and the Fall for Dance North (FFDN (external link) ) Festival, Toronto’s premier professional international dance festival.
This project marks the sixth major collaboration between Performance Dance Program and FFDN. This year, the National Ballet School (NBS) is joining the initiative, bringing all three organizations together on a single project for the first time.
The project will have its official Canadian premiere at the FFDN Fall Festival in October 2026, featuring a professional mixed cast of four NBS dancers and four TMU graduates. To prepare for the fall premiere, four NBS dancers will rehearse alongside TMU students.
“I'm over the moon about the prospect of our students being able to learn the repertoire of this internationally renowned choreographer and have the chance to perform it,” says St. Denys. “This enduring relationship offers unique professional opportunities for our students. This latest work is a testament to a decade of shared vision between our two organizations.
Ending the dance season is the fourth-year dancers' capstone project, Primordia (external link) .
This project is produced, marketed, choreographed, directed and performed by the fourth-year class. The work will highlight five distinct sections, including: life, death, rebirth, infiltration and control.
Theatre productions exploring power dynamics
TMU Performance students will present five productions at the Performance Studio Theatre. (Photo: Jeremy Mimnagh)
Five theatre productions examine power through different artistic lenses.
“Our graduating class presents diverse forms and artistic approaches to the theatrical process,” says Lisa Cox, Acting undergraduate program director.
“Audiences will see graduating actors who are at the beginning of their professional careers, working with professional directors and really applying the knowledge that they've gained over the last four years in the program.”
The season includes three contemporary productions, running February 27 –March 6, 2026, at the Performance Studio Theatre:
Assistance, written by Leslye Headland and directed by Patricia Cerra, takes place in a fluorescent corporate world, where ambition and cruelty collide as assistants struggle to survive the unseen power above them.
“Audiences can expect a sharp, fast-paced world that exposes the realities of life inside demanding workplace systems,” says Cerra, director.
Attempts on Her Life, written by Martin Crimp and directed by Jordan Laffrenier, is a bold theatrical experience that defies traditional storytelling through 17 scenarios. There is no fixed plot, characters or stage directions.
“The play invites audiences into a collage of voices trying to describe, define and control the absent figure of Anne, who may be a victim, terrorist, pop icon, product or something else entirely,” says Laffrenier, director.
“Blending theatre, media, movement and installation, the piece reflects our obsession with image-making, violence and making meaning in a world shaped by global capitalism.”
Hedda Gabler, written by Anthony Skuse and directed by Tara Rosling, follows Hedda, who fights against society’s constraints, using beauty and wit as weapons in her desperate fight for control.
Also on the lineup are two repertory projects, both running March 31 – April 8, 2026, at the Performance Studio Theatre:
The Alchemist, written by Ben Jonson and directed by Severn Thompson, presents schemes of wealth and wonder spiralling into comic chaos as tricksters conjure the impossible, and everyone falls prey to their own desires.
The Rhinoceros, written by Eugene Ionesco and directed by Cynthia Ashperger, is a story about absurdity running rampant as a quiet town submits to herd mentality, transforming into beasts of conformity.
“Our directors come from different professional experiences, which creates fascinating juxtapositions in the work. Come see multiple shows to see how they complement each other,” says Cox.
Get your tickets
Experience the talent and collaborative spirit of School of Performance students. Get your tickets through the Performance Online Box Office (external link) .
“I would love for people to come see our work,” says O’Brien. “Recognizing the value of arts and culture education is so important. What students learn through storytelling, rehearsal and collaboration extends far beyond the stage.”