The Company of Adventurers is an Ottawa children's theatre group located in Old Ottawa South dedicated to producing the works of William Shakespeare. It was founded in 2011 by Cynthia Sugars and Paul Keen. Our young people's theatre ensemble welcomes actors between the ages of 11 and 22, directed by Sugars and Keen, professors of English at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. For each of the past nine years, the group has staged a full-length production of a Shakespeare play: Macbeth in 2011, The Tempest in 2012, Hamlet in 2013, Twelfth Night in 2014, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2015, Romeo and Juliet in 2016, The Taming of the Shrew in 2017, Antony and Cleopatra in 2018, As You Like It in 2019, The Comedy of Errors in 2020, Much Ado About Nothing in 2021, Roméo et Juliette in 2022, and Love's Labours Lost in 2023. Our shows are inspired by our belief that young people, both actors and viewers, are capable of understanding and enjoying the language and dramatic complexity of Shakespeare’s plays. Actors are involved in developing all aspects of each production including acting, music, singing, set design, and stage effects.

 

The Company of Adventurers Theatre performs these productions in the Fall of each year, after a summer of rehearsals. The performances have raised money for major local charities, including the Somalia Relief Fund in 2011 ($600), the Ottawa Humane Society in 2012 ($1000 raised), the Ottawa Mission in 2013 ($1500 raised), the Wild Bird Care Centre in 2014 ($2100 raised), the Terry Fox Foundation in 2015 ($2400 raised), Harmony House in 2016 ($3100 raised), the Ottawa Food Bank in 2017 ($3400 raised), Cornerstone Housing for Women in 2018 ($3500 raised), the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in 2019 ($2800 raised), the Ottawa Food Bank ($3300), The Gladstone Theatre in 2021 ($5000), Carty House ($1563) and The Gladstone Theatre ($3000) in 2022, and Restoring Hope Youth Shelter ($2400) and The Gladstone Theatre ($2600) in 2023. Since we began, we have raised over $40,000 for local charities!

 

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