Buddies in Bad Times (BIBT) was established and incorporated in Toronto in 1979. Gilbert was the company's first artistic director.
Sue Golding played a pivotal role as President from 1983 to 1995. Buddies' inaugural production was a Gilbert play,
Angels in Underwear. An anthology of
Beat poetry,
Angels starred Walsh as
Jack Kerouac and Ciccoritti as
Allen Ginsberg, and was performed at The Dream Factory on
Queen Street in Toronto in September 1978. Gilbert, Walsh and Ciccoritti, along with playwright Fabian Boutilier, subsequently founded the Rhubarb Festival of Canadian Plays, first produced by the theatre company at The Dream Factory in January 1979 and featuring short plays written by local, unknown playwrights directed by all four of Rhubarb's founders. The name Buddies in Bad Times was taken from the poem of the same title by the French poet
Jacques Prévert. It was originally the expression of the close friendship that prevailed between Walsh and Gilbert during their years at
York University and The Three Schools of Art. Shortly after Walsh and Ciccoritti stopped working with the company in its infancy, Gilbert moved its artistic direction toward the then emerging gay subculture of Toronto. Buddies has become one of North America's premiere examples of the synthesis between so-called gay culture and modern theatre and has spawned the successful careers of dozens of Canadian actors, playwrights and directors.
1979: The beginning In 1979,
The Rhubarb! Festival was held for the first time. Buddies was one of the six influential companies who banded together to form
The Theatre Centre in Toronto—a movement of theatre that was hailed as the "next wave". Of all the companies involved in the venture, Buddies found an artistic and social connection to the work
Nightwood theatre was doing and an alliance was formed that showed itself in six collaborative Rhubarb! Festivals. By 1983 Buddies in Bad Times Theatre was receiving funding from four levels of government.
1985–1993 In 1985 BIBT gave birth to the
4-Play Festival which premiered at
Theatre Passe Muraille. This festival was dedicated exclusively to the promotion of lesbian and gay writers and creators. Seed Shows came into being in 1986. Opportunity without intervention was a growing ethos in how
Sky Gilbert was building BIBT. Seed Shows such as DNA Theatre's
This Is What Happens in Orangeville won a jury prize at The Festival Des Ameriques in Montreal. Platform 9 Theatre's
Steel Kiss was also produced: born out of Rhubarb! and developed through Seed. It is now known as one of the most important plays of the 1980s. BIBT's first mainstage production,
Sky Gilbert's
The Postman Rings Once opened at TWP (12 Alexander Street) in 1987. Tim Jones became general manager in 1988. By 1990 BIBT had been directly or indirectly nominated or presented with numerous and various cultural awards. 1990 marked the year that Sky Gilbert's
Drag Queens in Outer Space hit the stages of Seattle and San Francisco. BIBT was a company on the move that utilized venues within Toronto to create exciting hit shows. In 1991, BIBT set up its first permanent performance space at 142 George Street. Sky Gilbert's
Suzie Goo: Private Secretary went on to win a
Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Production.
Daniel MacIvor's
2-2-Tango was nominated for a
Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award and Don Druick's
Where Is Kabuki? was nominated for a
Governor General's Award. BIBT was also integral in its support of smaller independent companies, such as Robin Fulford's Platform 9, Ed Roy's Topological Theatre and the newly formed Augusta Company by
Daniel Brooks,
Don McKellar and
Tracy Wright. By 1993, BIBT had successfully negotiated a 40-year lease with the city and entered into a symbiotic partnership with The Alexander Street Theatre Project, a company formed primarily to raise funds and manage expenses for the renovation of the theatre.
Sue Golding was President throughout this period.
1994–1998 In 1994 BIBT opened its first season at Alexander Street with
Sky Gilbert's ambitious
More Divine. The community support for the company was at an all-time high;
Strange Sisters reached a new kind of notoriety, and an explosion of activity under one roof like the city of Toronto had never seen. 1994–1998 saw many exciting and challenging things happen for BIBT.
Queerculture,
4-Play and
Seed Shows were all laid to rest. Associate artists took on a larger role of shaping the subsidized work in the building and as a result there was tremendous success with
Daniel MacIvor's
Here Lies Henry and
The Soldier Dreams. Sky Gilbert's
Ten Ruminations on An Elegy Attributed to William Shakespeare toured to glowing reviews in Great Britain with stops in London, Brighton, and Cardiff. Two anthologies of Sky Gilbert's plays were also published. In 1996, Tim Jones resigned as general manager. 1997 marked the highly successful
Martha Steward Projects and
The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls and the resignation of founding artistic director Sky Gilbert. Sarah Stanley was appointed as Sky Gilbert's successor in April, and Gwen Bartleman was appointed general manager in July. During the 1997–1998 season, BIBT's profile rose with the premiere of
Brad Fraser's
Martin Yesterday and
Diane Flacks'
Random Acts, plus the 20th anniversary of Rhubarb! curated by festival director Franco Boni.
RHUBARB-O-RAMA!, an anthology of works generated from twenty years of the Rhubarb! Festival, was published. 1997–1998 heralded a renewed commitment to play development, marked by the birth of the
Ante Chamber Series and the development of six scripts under the eye of company dramaturg Edward Roy. In 1997, the theatre also hosted the inaugural
We're Funny That Way! festival of LGBT comedians. BIBT's programming grew more ambitious in 1998–1999; the company produced the world premiere of
R.M. Vaughan's
camera, woman, the Toronto premiere of
Live With It by Winnipeg playwright Elise Moore and the repertory run of Robin Fulford's
Steel Kiss and Gulag.
1999–2000 In 1999, following a national search, David Oiye was hired as BIBT's third artistic director. Expanding its commitment to gay, lesbian and bisexual youth, BIBT launched its first annual
Summer Youth Arts Programme in 1999, providing a summer-long outlet for twelve queer youth, and two year-round internship positions. On the producing front, BIBT's 1999 tribute to Canadian rock legend
Carole Pope,
Shaking the Foundations, received Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for Outstanding Production, Direction, Musical Direction, and won in the category of Outstanding Female Performance (Paula Wolfson). BIBT also increased its commitment to new play development in 1999 by introducing
Winter Fling in partnership with The
Shaw Festival, to develop and present workshops of new Canadian scripts.
2000–2003 Over the 2000–2001 season, BIBT explored the notion of a national queer repertoire by programming Vancouver-based artist Dorothy Dittrich's award-winning musical
When We Were Singing, Winnipeg playwright Ken Brand's comedy
Burying Michael, and
PileDriver! from Edmonton-based companies
Guys in Disguise and
Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie. For the 2001–2002 season Buddies produced the largest production in its history with Kelly Thornton's ambitious
Peep Show (Designed by Steve Lucas and Sherri Hay, with lighting by Michael Kruse), and also received eight
Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for da da kamera]'s production of
In on It by
Daniel MacIvor, and Damien Atkins' much lauded
Real Live Girl, which won in the categories of Outstanding Male Performance and Outstanding New Musical. For 2004–2005, offered a season of theatrical works by Greg MacArthur (
Snowman), Daniel MacIvor (da da kamera's
Cul-de-sac),
Mirha-Soleil Ross (
Yapping out Loud),
Marie Clements (
Native Earth's
The Unnatural and Accidental Women), Adam Bock (Theatrefront's
Swimming in the Shallows),
Darren O'Donnell (Mammalian Diving Reflex's
Suicide-site Guide to the City), Ann Holloway (
Kingstonia), Sky Gilbert (Cabaret Company's
Rope Enough), and an adaptation by
Judith Thompson (Volcano's take on Ibsen's
Hedda Gabler). King also enjoyed tremendous success with the second incarnation of
Hysteria: A Festival of Women, which saw artists flock to Buddies from as far afield as Sweden (
The Lion Kings). Damien Atkin's
Real Live Girl toured to London (
The Grand Theatre) and Winnipeg (
Manitoba Theatre Centre), and in June Cheap Queers returned home to Buddies. The company's 2005–2006 season included shows such as
R.M. Vaughan's
The Monster Trilogy,
Marie Brassard's
Jimmy,
the Scandelles' remount run of
Under the Mink,
Salvatore Antonio's heartfelt family drama ''
In Gabriel's Kitchen'' and
Daniel MacIvor's
A Beautiful View. The company also workshopped a new play by award-winning artist
d'bi young, and supported presentations of Ed Roy's
The Golden Thug (Topological Theatre) and Sky Gilbert's
Bad Acting Teachers and the workshop of Diane Flacks' new one-woman show
Bear With Me (Nightwood Theatre). The company's
Queer Youth Arts Programme brought youth into Buddies throughout the season, to learn about theatre, see shows and meet artists and to create their own performance for
Pride Week. and One Reed Theatre. This schedule was anchored by Necessary Angel's Dora award-winning production of
Insomnia and the farewell season of one of Toronto's most challenging companies, da da kamera, which staged three solo shows, directed by Daniel Brooks and performed for the last time by core artist Daniel MacIvor.
Here Lies Henry,
Monster and
House proved to be some of the most successful runs in Buddies' history. Agokwe nabbed awards for outstanding production of a play, best new play, and outstanding performance by a male in a principal role, while Ed Roy was honoured for his direction. Mark Shyzer, also from the Queer Youth Arts Programme, wrote and performed
Fishbowl: A Concise, Expansive Theory Of Everything. This limited run performed to sold-out audiences. Buddies continued long-time partnerships with Canada's cutting-edge cultural artists and independent theatre companies. Crow's Theatre, Mammalian Diving Reflex, The Scandelles, Necessary Angel, Native Earth Performing Arts, 2boys.tv, Small Wooden Shoe and Sky Gilbert were also included as part of the 2008–2009 season. 2008–2009 saw its share of successes, but like so many art organizations during this season, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre felt increased pressure related to the economic downturn.
Gay4Pay, written by Edward Roy, fell victim and had its scheduled mid-season run cancelled. In the midst of 'bad times', Buddies' extended family of artists came forward to help weather the financial storm. Daniel MacIvor performed his one-man show
Cul-de-Sac, raising a significant amount of much needed revenue. Sharron Matthews and an entourage of Canada's finest musical theatre talent presented
Sing Out, Louise! The Scandelles bared all in
Funhouse. Comedians
Gavin Crawford and
Elvira Kurt also mounted a joint comedy show,
Together Again for the First Time.
2009–present Following an extensive national search for a new artistic head, the company underwent two major shifts in leadership in 2009. Award-winning director Brendan Healy became the artistic director in October 2009, and acting general manager Shawn Daudlin officially became the general manager of the company in December 2009. The programming for the 2009–10 season, the final season programmed by Oiye, featured work led by female creators. This decision was in response to a national study on
gender parity in Canadian theatre which revealed that female representation in our theatres is shockingly low. Participating artists included The Scandelles (
Neon Nightz),
Nina Arsenault (
The Silicone Diaries), The Independent Aunties (
Breakfast) and Nathalie Claude (
The Salon Automaton). Healy's first season in 2010/11 featured many artists long associated with the company, such as Sonja Mills,
Evalyn Parry,
Sky Gilbert and 2boys.tv, while also announcing some new directions for the company. For the first production of the season, Healy helmed the English-Canadian premiere of
Sarah Kane's play
Blasted. Rhubarb! returned with a new festival director, Laura Nanni, and featured, for the first time, off-site performance in public spaces. Buddies also embarked on two major national tours of productions from its recent repertoire,
Agokwe and
The Silicone Diaries. The company took home five Dora Mavor Moore Awards (for outstanding production, lighting design, set design, sound design and direction) for its production of
Blasted. This year also saw a 25 per cent growth in attendance for the company's main stage shows and festivals which included sold-out runs of
Blasted,
The Silicone Diaries and
Spin. The 2011/12 season opened with a production of
Jean Genet's classic text
The Maids, and included work from
Native Earth Performing Arts, Modern Times Stage Company, and legendary lesbian performance group Split Britches. The season also hosted a revival of
Larry Kramer's seminal AIDS play
The Normal Heart (produced by Studio 180 Theatre), and the Toronto premiere of
Margaret Atwood's
The Penelopiad (Nightwood Theatre) which went on to win several Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Buddies in Bad Times' 2012/13 season looked to empower the individual as an agent of social change. It began with
Tawiah M'carthy's
Obaaberima, which was originally developed as a part of the Young Creators Unit (YCU) in 2009. In the Spring Canadian theatre icon Daniel MacIvor returned to Buddies with his darkly poetic play
Arigato, Tokyo. The season also included Sky Gilbert's
A Few Brittle Leaves, a partnership with performance company Ecce Homo to present
Of a Monstrous Child: a gaga musical and Studio 180's
The Normal Heart. Laura Nanni returned as the Rhubarb Festival Director and oversaw the return of the wildly successful One-To-One Performance Series and Mobile Works projects. The 34th Rhubarb Festival broke all previous attendance records and engaged almost 200 artists. The season saw 22 Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations overall, including three awards for
Obaaberima, music, set design and Outstanding Production. In 2012, Buddies was voted Toronto's Best Small Theatre Company by Now Magazine. The 2012/13 season also saw the completion of two large-scale initiatives: a three-year Audience Development Project and a strategic planning process that helped revise Buddies' mandate, and articulated a long-term vision for the company. Buddies' 2013/14 season marked the company's 35th Anniversary. Its programming included the world premiere of
PIG, directed by Artistic Director Brendan Healy, the return of the Strange Sisters Festival, and the premiere of
The Gay Heritage Project. The 35th Rhubarb Festival, helmed by Festival Director Laura Nanni, marked the company's historic milestone with a 35 Performances for 35 Year Cabaret. The Festival looked to explore ideas of heritage and archiving while looking forward to possible Queer futures. The 2013/14 season was filled out with multiple guest companies including Theatre Rusticle, Pleiades Theatre, Cahoots Theatre Company, Cabaret Company and . The 2014/2015 season included
Lois Fine's ''Freda and Jem's Best of the Week'', Evalyn Parry's
SPIN, and
Michel-Marc Bouchard's
Tom at the Farm. Mel Hague took over as Festival Director for the 36th Rhubarb Festival. In 2015, Evalyn Parry became the new artistic director for the theatre. The 2015/2016 season opened with
The 20th of November, directed by outgoing artistic director Brendan Healy, as well as a remount of
The Gay Heritage Project,
Gertrude and Alice by Evalyn Parry, Anna Chatterton, and Karin Randoja,
Body Politic by
Nick Green, and work by Sky Gilbert and Sunny Drake. The 2016/2017 season opened with a queer version of
Rebecca Northan's long-running clown improv show
Blind Date. The season also included Norah Sadavah and Amy Nostbakken's
Mouthpiece,
Tawiah M'carthy, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, and
Thomas Antony Olajide's
Black Boys,
Diane Flacks'
Unholy, and
The Youth-Elders Project in collaboration with
The 519 and Senior Pride Network. The 2017/2018 season included remounts of
Unholy,
Black Boys, and
Mouthpiece, as well as the premiere of
Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools by Evalyn Parry and
Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory,
My Funny Valentine by Dave Deveau,
Acha Bacha by
Zaiba Baig, and
LULU v.7 // aspects of a femme fatale by the red light district. 2018/2019 was the theatre's 40th anniversary season. It opened with a remount of
Gertrude and Alice and also included
Obaaberima by Tawiah M'carthy,
Shove It Down My Throat by
Johnnie McNamara Walker, and
Lilies; Or, The Revival of a Romantic Drama by Michel-Marc Bouchard. The 2019/2020 season included
Box 4901 by
Brian Francis and the 41st Rhubarb Festival, curated by new festival director Clayton Lee. Several productions during this season were cancelled due to COVID-19. In 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Buddies in Bad Times and
CBC Arts collaborated on the production of
Queer Pride Inside, a television special featuring LGBTQ performers, for
CBC Gem as part of the online component of
Pride Toronto. The theatre returned to producing live events in 2022 with the 43rd Rhubarb Festival,
White Girls in Moccasins by
Yolanda Bonnell, and
Distant Early Warning by Justin Miller. The 2022/2023 season opened with
The First Stone by
Donna-Michelle St. Bernard and also featured
Zom-Fam by
Kama La Mackerel and
Body So Fluorescent by
Amanda Cordner and
David Di Giovanni. The 2023-2024 season opened with
Speaking of Sneaking by daniel jelani ellis and also included a new production of
Angels in America, two plays by We Quit Theatre,
White Muscle Daddy by Raf Antonio, and the
Toronto Fringe's Next Stage Festival.
ted witzel was announced as the theatre's new artistic director in fall 2023. The 2024-25 season, the first season fully programmed under witzel's leadership, included
Oraculum, a show mixing drag, puppetry and projection work by former ''
Canada's Drag Race'' contestants
Pythia and
Denim. ==Artistic directors==