Ottawa Theatre Network members chat in the lobby of the Great Canadian Theatre Company.
The new Ottawa Theatre Network is competing for cash to get its campaign for a more vibrant theatrical scene fully launched.
The group is vying for a top prize from the Aviva Community Fund, a national contest run by the Aviva insurance company, offering between $10,000 and $50,000 to the three most popular ideas Canadians post on its website.
Anyone can post or vote for ideas, says Aviva representative Glenn Cooper. But money will go to those most likely to have “success, longevity, sustainability and originality.”
The OTN is in the early stages of organization. The group aims to generate funds for more rehearsal space, costume resources and workshops for actors and directors to improve the city’s performing arts community.
Local enthusiasts say the network is sorely needed because there are lots of young theatre companies, such as Evolution Theatre and SevenThirty Productions, that need support to continue to grow.
But without funding the OTN won’t get off the ground, organizers say.
“We have absolutely no money whatsoever,” says Nancy Kenny, a local actress and playwright on the OTN steering committee.
She says members sold snacks at the Great Canadian Theatre Company just to purchase URLs and create a website.
“I love Ottawa, and for the longest time when I started in theatre, people would ask me when I’m moving,” says Kenny, who has performed locally since about 1999.
“I don’t want to move, and stuff like [OTN] makes me feel like maybe I won’t have to,” she says.
Kenny and other members say they hope to keep talent in Ottawa by connecting theatre companies and renting an office space where artists can work to spread word about events to potential audiences.
Patrick Gauthier is an OTN member and co-founder of theatre troupe Gruppo Rubato. Local theatre needs to be more visible to be more successful, he says.
“We want audiences to know there are alternatives to the National Arts Centre, they just need to know where to look,” he says.
“I think we’re all starting to realize that audiences and resources are not a small pie we’re all fighting over; they’re a big pie that we can all share, but we all need to be sitting at the same table first,” he says.
For now, the OTN is getting people’s attention the only way it can: online.
Cooper says Aviva is holding the competition online to give everyone, especially groups like OTN with few resources, an opportunity to pitch their ideas.
“It provides a forum where individuals can band together to really make a difference,” Cooper says.
The OTN has received more than 1,000 votes in the latest round of the Aviva competition.
Kenny says even if their idea doesn’t win, the contest has been a great way to get supporters.
The competition is in its final round, so OTN has one last chance for funding.
The 60 top-voted ideas from across Canada will be judged by a panel in December to identify three winners.