Ottawa Fringe and Créations In Vivo are teaming up to create Nouveau Play Tuesday, a night of bilingual theatre at the undercurrents festival, where English and French will flirt, argue, mistranslate each other, and still connect. It’s Otown. We do bilingual.

We’re looking for Ottawa-based playwrights writing across the official languages. Between them, in both, or in one or the other. We prioritize scripts that work in both languages (even a single line in the other language counts!), and we’re programming a bilingual night of dramaturgy. English-only and French-only works are welcome and help complete the picture where these languages collide and half-understand each other.

What we want:
• Complete plays or works-in-progress (20 pages minimum),
• Alive writing with fresh perspectives, seriously funny or funnily serious,
• Curious, slightly irreverent playwrights who can laugh at themselves and their grammar.

What we offer:
• A paid engagement,
• Dramaturgical support,
• A public reading at undercurrents.

The game (yes, a game):
• Playwrights do not attend rehearsals,
• You experience your piece for the first time with an audience, live, and are invited to join a facilitated talkback after the reading. We want to center you and your work in this evening.

Deadline: December 15, 2025 at 3:59 a.m.
Send questions and your script (or fragment) to: dillon@creationsinvivo.com

The Ottawa Fringe Festival is once again serving as a recommender for the Ontario Arts Council’s Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators program!

To be eligible for the program you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Ontario. Specifically for Ottawa Fringe grants, you must be a professional artist (as defined by the OAC) living and creating in Ottawa.

Ottawa Fringe is looking to fund under-represented, emerging, and new generation artists, living and creating in Ottawa. We will only fund artists who live in Ottawa.

Submission Instructions:

You will be asked to submit the following items:

• C.V. (mandatory)
• Script Sample

Application deadline is December 11, 2025 at 1pm EST. For more information on the program and how to apply, please click here.

undercurrents is Ottawa’s festival of contemporary theatre taking place every February. We seek submissions from the following artists:

• French, English or bilingual Ottawa based stage-ready productions
• French, English or bilingual National stage-ready productions
• French, English or bilingual works in progress suitable to staged readings or workshop presentations

The festival will consider applications from established and emerging artists who are working on new plays and performance pieces, as well as from those touring previously produced original work.

We encourage submissions from under-represented artists who identify with the organization’s Priority Groups: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of colour) Artists, Deaf Artists and Disabled+ Identified Artists, 2SLGBTQ+ Artists.

In addition to the online form, we ask all artists to submit:

1. A proposal describing the project, its history, and the confirmed participating artists
2. Biographies/CVs of lead artists or creators
3. A completed script or script sample
4. Additional support material (optional): tech specs*, reviews, photos, or letters of support

*If you have them, we ask for tech specs so we can make sure our theatre can accommodate your show. The more detail you can give us, the better, but ideally they would include: particulars of your set, information about lights and sound, video or projection components, etc… But don’t stress out about tech specs! We never rule out a show based on this information, and will reach out if we have questions. 

If the form is not accessible for you, we will also accept alternative formats. Alternative applications could be a video (English, French or ASL) or an audio file. Please limit videos or audio files to no more than 10 minutes long, and include all the information requested in the application form. You may then submit your application by email to director@ottawafringe.com.

Have questions before submitting? Want to learn more about undercurrents? Scroll down for more info!

Or schedule a call / book a meeting with Ottawa Fringe Executive and Artistic Director, Alain Richer (director@ottawafringe.com).

Submissions are open for the 2027 festival. If your show is ready for the stage or currently touring, submit for 2026. If your show needs more development time but would benefit from early programming (perhaps helping you secure further funding), apply for 2027.

Deadline for 2026 consideration is April 18.

Apply Here

At the Fringe, volunteers are essential! Quite simply, the festival wouldn’t exist without them! Every year, we bring together a dynamic team to bring this great celebration of independent theater to life.

As a volunteer, you’ll dive right into the heart of the festival, discover what goes on behind the scenes and support passionate artists. And as an added bonus, you’ll get to see shows for free and meet inspiring people!

Looking for a unique experience? Join the team and be part of the Fringe adventure!

What the Fringe has to offer:

• 1 shift = 1 free ticket
• Exclusive shows for our volunteers
• Make a difference and join the movement

Sign up here

Are you a theatre collective, company or individual looking for a unique chance to connect and collaborate? The Ottawa Fringe Festival invites you to join us in our offices for an exciting co-working opportunity! Every Thursday from 10am – 4pm we’re opening up our offices to you!

What’s in it for you?

• Connect with Our Team: Spend time working alongside our dedicated festival team in the heart of Downtown. This is a fantastic chance to network and share ideas in our historically artistic building.
• Community Outreach: Our goal is to engage with our local community and enhance and support projects by providing space. Your presence will help foster our connection and give us a better look into your  needs.
• Creative Collaboration: Work in an inspiring environment at no charge where creativity thrives. Share your projects, get feedback, and explore potential collaborations with us. Not to mention free coffee.

How to Get Involved:

We’re eager to welcome theatre companies, collectives or individuals  who are passionate about the arts and interested in building strong community ties. If this sounds like a fit for you, reach out to us to learn more about this opportunity and how you can be a part of it.

Apply Here