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Artists-In-Residency Programs

Jazz + Jazz Adjacent: Artist-In-Residency Program

A new collaborative partnership with the Canadian Music Centre Ontario Region is bringing a Music Residency for Jazz and Jazz-Adjacent artists. The week-long residency is juried by professional artists and composers and offers space, artists fees. The residency will finish with a performance at the Orillia Opera House on Friday October 16th, 2026. Simcoe/ Muskoka musicians are welcome to find out more information and apply through this link:​

Dance + Design: Artist-In-Technical Residency Program

Dance&Design is an Artists-in-Residency program that supports the design development of movement-based performance projects at the Orillia Opera House. Artists and collectives are offered resources to research and develop their projects with a specific focus on design collaborations in: sound, costume, lighting, projection, set design, etc. 


Lead artists must be Ontario-based and recipients are determined through a jury. Applicants are invited to propose one project to collaborate with a designer of their choice. Lead artists must be Ontario based.

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The residency supports:

  1. Three days of paid rehearsal space in a studio of the artist’s choice (pre-residency)

  2. Two technical transition days for load in and out of the Orillia Opera House

  3. Five days of technical rehearsal time in the theatre with one technician

  4. Accommodation for 5 days in Orillia, ON (up to 5 artists)

  5. A fee for performing artists 

  6. A fee for lead performance maker 

  7. A fee for lead designer 

  8. Communication and facilitation support for the coordination of a presenter's pitch

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All successful applicants are asked to participate in one community engagement while in Orillia. This can take the form of a workshop, artists’ talk, lecture, or performance demonstration.

2026/2027 Selection Committee:

Stevie Baker 

Dedra McDermott

Kate Hilliard

Residency 1

Load In: January 6, 2025

Research: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 

Load out: January 12

Residency 2

Load In: January 12, 2025

Research: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Load out: January 18

Residency 3

Load In: January 19, 2025

Research: 20, 21,22,23, 24

Load out: January 25

The committee places a high priority on:

  1. The rationale for the project and its relationship to a specific audience.

  2. The rationale for design research and how it will advance the artistic merit of the project.

  3. The feasibility of the design research. Applicants are asked to review the theatre dimensions and technical equipment prior to applying. Arts Orillia is available to answer questions. The program also has a designers’ advisory team. For specific inquiries related to feasibility, please contact Kate Hilliard and we will field your questions to the appropriate advisor.

Theatre-Advocacy-Creativity-Community (TACC): Artist-In-Technical Residency Program

TACC is a devised creation hub and experimental arena for Playwrights, Directors and Actors interested in bringing civic issues to light through their creative work. Residencies runs once a season and supports a jury-selected project to make work at the Orillia Opera House with the support of space, professional fees and a theatre crew. Projects are juried using a rubric that asks how the project will contribute to social awareness. 

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Story: Artist-In-Technical Residency Program

A biannual Storytelling residency supporting the creative development of a project led by an Indigenous Storytellers and culminating with a presentation of work at Gathering: Festival of First Nations Stories. Projects are juried by the festival curatorial team and offer a research space at Rama First Nation’s Giiwedin Ki for artists across disciplines. Technical crew is offered to support performance making, and production staff are available for projects that involve material and/or machinery. 

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