Against The Grain Theatre

Against The Grain Theatre Against the Grain Theatre (AtG) is a multi-award-winning Canadian experimental opera company.

Against the Grain is a collective of Toronto artists — actors, opera singers, musicians, painters, writers, dancers, and arts professionals — with a penchant for performing in unique spaces. We present classical repertoire, from Mozart, Handel and Puccini to Britten, Janáček and Kurtág… differently. Sometimes with English librettos; sometimes with modern dance; and always informally, in intimate s

paces with cabaret-style seating, and appetizers and cocktails. Acclaim for Against the Grain:


"Against the Grain Theatre has [...] achieved that rarest of wonders: a production that succeeds on all levels." – John Terauds, Musical Toronto

“Opera needs exciting productions like [...] The directness is electric.” — Maclean’s

"Against the Grain Theatre has magic that carries even a shoebox production into your imagination and makes it live as art." – Stanley Fefferman, Opus One Review

"One of the most exciting companies in the country" – The Charlebois Post

"The troupe has an unbroken five-year list of hits, including 2011’s La Bohème (performed in a bar) and this summer’s sumptuous Pélleas et Mélisande (sung in an outdoor courtyard)." — NOW Magazine

"...there you are sitting in the grungy basement Black Box Theatre on Queen Street, with 80 other people sitting at 20 tables arranged for a mock wedding reception, and the power of art, of opera, of storytelling and of great music smack you in the face like a bracing wake-up call to the spirit." — The Globe & Mail

Feeling grateful for three Dora Award nominations for Canuck Cantatas ❤️🦌 Nominated for OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION🦌 Nominate...
06/02/2026

Feeling grateful for three Dora Award nominations for Canuck Cantatas ❤️

🦌 Nominated for OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
🦌 Nominated for OUTSTANDING NEW OPERA (the incredible creative teams of Danika Lorèn & Vern Thiessen, Spencer Kryzanowski & Emma Pennell, and Sarah Slean & Royce Vavrek)
🦌 Nominated for OUTSTANDING CREATIVE DIRECTION (Jennifer Nichols & Spencer Kryzanowski)

Congratulations to all fellow nominees! Opera is alive and well in Toronto.

📸 of Danika Lorèn by Lauren Halasz

05/20/2026

💥

Another review!Thank you so much Janine Marley and A View from the Box ❤️
05/14/2026

Another review!

Thank you so much Janine Marley and A View from the Box ❤️

“How many Indigenous artists does it take to make an Opera indigenous?” While this question shouldn’t have to be asked in the first place, it’s what Against the Grain Theatre was faced with when th…

Thank you so much, Michael Jones and Opera Canada ❤️
05/14/2026

Thank you so much, Michael Jones and Opera Canada ❤️

Stories Don’t Die: The Artists of Indians on Vacation | Against the Grain Theatre | Opera Canada

Thank you so much to John Gilks of Opera Ramblings for two reviews this past week ❤️Stories Don't Die: The Artists of In...
05/11/2026

Thank you so much to John Gilks of Opera Ramblings for two reviews this past week ❤️

Stories Don't Die: The Artists of Indians on Vacation
https://operaramblings.blog/2026/05/10/how-many-indigenous-artists-does-it-take-to-make-an-opera-indigenous/

And Opera Pub on May 4th at the Tranzac Club
https://operaramblings.blog/2026/05/06/opera-pub-back-at-the-tranzac/

How many Indigenous artists does it take to make an Opera Indigenous? That was one of many questions up for discussion at Stories Don’t Die presented by the Artists of Indians on Vacation at …

We are feeling SO grateful for this past weekend.Thank you to ALL OF YOU who came out to enjoy Stories Don't Die: The Ar...
05/11/2026

We are feeling SO grateful for this past weekend.

Thank you to ALL OF YOU who came out to enjoy Stories Don't Die: The Artists of Indians on Vacation this Saturday.

Thank you to our wonderful artists and crew:
Ian Cusson, composer
Yvette Nolan, director
Royce Vavrek, librettist
Sandra Horst, music director
Marion Newman, mezzo-soprano
Evan Korbut, baritone
Giles Tomkins, baritone
Julie Lumsden, soprano
Keely McPeek, mezzo-soprano
Asitha Tennekoon, tenor
Danlie Rae Acebuque, baritone
Davida Tkach, lighting designer
Olga Korolyuk, Toronto costume designer
Lesley Abarquez Bradley, stage manager
Heather Slater, producer
Sarah Yunji-Moon, flute
Brad Cherwin, clarinet
Chia-Yu Hsu, bassoon
Kumiko Sakamoto, violin
Ryan Davis, viola
Peter Eom, cello
Spencer Kryzanowski, piano

Thank you to The Terminal Theatre and their team for having us ❤️

Stories Don't Die, May 2026.

Let's see what the next chapter holds.

This afternoon at 3:00 PM we can't wait for you to join us at The Terminal Theatre for Stories Don't Die: The Artists of...
05/09/2026

This afternoon at 3:00 PM we can't wait for you to join us at The Terminal Theatre for Stories Don't Die: The Artists of Indians on Vacation 💥

There's still time to grab a ticket if you haven't yet ➡️ https://ci.ovationtix.com/37003/production/1269624?performanceId=11784954

We are incredibly grateful to the whole team:
Ian Cusson, composer
Yvette Nolan, director
Royce Vavrek, librettist
Sandra Horst, music director
Marion Newman, mezzo-soprano
Evan Korbut, baritone
Giles Tomkins, baritone
Julie Lumsden, soprano
Keely McPeek, mezzo-soprano
Asitha Tennekoon, tenor
Danlie Rae Acebuque, baritone
Davida Tkach, lighting designer
Olga Korolyuk, Toronto costume designer
Lesley Abarquez Bradley, stage manager
Heather Slater, producer
Sarah Yunji-Moon, flute
Brad Cherwin, clarinet
Chia-Yu Hsu, bassoon
Kumiko Sakamoto, violin
Ryan Davis, viola
Peter Eom, cello
Spencer Kryzanowski, piano

We also wanted to thank our wonderful donors for bringing this work to the stage. Visit our website for the full list of donors. https://atgtheatre.com/upcoming/storiesdontdie/

Thank you to the Terminal Theatre for being the venue sponsor for Stories Don’t Die and to TD Bank Group for their support of the new Sung Land Acknowledgement (Cusson/Nolan).

Now, without further ado, it's time for us to kick some ass! (That will make sense at 3:00 PM when you come to see the show).

Address

192 Spadina Avenue, Suite 300
Toronto, ON
5T2C2

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm

Website

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