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History and Mission

Two Planks and a Passion Theatre is dedicated to commissioning, developing, and producing challenging drama. Committed to a theatre that reflects and provokes our audiences, we present this work through site- specific productions (known as Theatre off the Grid) at our facility at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, where we are now a resident company.

Founded in 1992, Two Planks and a Passion makes a significant impact on the Canadian theatrical canon through our commitment to the creation of Canadian plays and bold interpretations of classics. While we are predominately influenced by our rural context, works created by the company pose questions and investigate fundamental challenges that are relevant to a diverse spectrum of Canadians. At the heart of every Two Planks production is a struggle- whether one for faith, love, dignity, or a place to call home- that is intimately connected to our contemporary experience and collective history.

Originally an itinerant touring company, Two Planks has transformed in recent years to a summer presenter of large-scale outdoor productions marked by innovative staging and a unique marriage of nature and the imagination that has moved the company to the forefront of the discipline in Nova Scotia.

Recent works include Rick Chafe’s adaptation on The Odyssey in 2007 (Merritt award winner for Outstanding Production, Supporting Actress and Costume Design) Thornton Wilder’s Our Town (Winner for Outstanding Production and Director) and Ami McKay’s Jerome: The Historical Spectacle (Winner for Outstanding Musical Composition and Costumes) in 2008, and Allen Cole’s Rockbound in the summer of 2009, perhaps the most successful original creation in the company’s history. This diverse body of work shares a bold vision for the unique potential of outdoor work, an innovative musical direction and some of the finest artists working in Nova Scotia.

Current works in development include a new adaptation of Beowulf by playwright-in-residence Rick Chafe and next year’s Theatre off the Grid production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.

Two Planks has an important place in the theatre ecology of our region and country. From a small village of 600 in rural Nova Scotia, our company has had a truly national impact, bringing the work of Nova Scotian playwrights to the national stage and reflecting a largely rural perspective to an increasingly urban society. The company has consistently asked provocative questions about identity and the nature of our society, challenging our collective choices, both contemporary and historical. The company has also played a significant role in arts advocacy in a provincial and national context, and maintains significant theatrical outreach programs in the school system in Nova Scotia.

The Ross Creek Centre for the Arts is a multi disciplinary arts education and development centre based on 186 acres of farm and forest in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. Our facilities and programs are designed to serve the artistic and cultural communities of Nova Scotia, of Canada, and of the world, with a focus on professional artist development, youth education and Aboriginal arts programming. For more information, click here

Cast in Our Town, 2008. Photo by Rene Pierre Allain