SoulPepper Theatre Company

About SoulPepper Theatre Company:

Soulpepper Theatre Company was founded in 1998 in Toronto, by a group of twelve artists, with a two-production summer season. In 2005, Soulpepper migrated from Habourfront to its current home in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Soulpepper’s mission is to build a national civic theatre; a place of belonging for artists and audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Soulpepper has three main mission platforms in its performances, its education program and its community programs.

In F2015, Soulpepper had 584 performances and public events, with 95,912 attendees at its events, festivals and touring productions across Canada. Soulpepper is also one of the most active commissioning bodies for plays in Canada. In celebration of Canada’s 150^th, Soulpepper launched Project imagination, Canada’s largest theatre commissioning project of new work by Canadian artists which seeks to find between 30-40 Canadian artists to help develop new ideas for plays and adaptations. Also in celebration of Canada’s 150^th, Soulpepper is having a month-long run of homegrown productions in New York City over the summer of 2017. Performances of Kim’s Convenience, Of Human Bondage and Spoon River have been positively received.   

The Soulpepper Academy, launched in 2006, is Canada’s only multi-year paid professional training program composed of actors, designers, directors, playwrights and producers. Fifteen artists make up the class of 2018, having been selected from 1,148 applicants. Upon graduation, these artists will be ready to contribute and work with Soulpepper and other professional performing arts companies.

Its outreach programs target community members and youth. It created the Soulpepper-CultureLink New Canadians Welcome Program, an initiative which helps newcomers in Toronto join the creative community with free tickets and special events. All of Soulpepper’s outreach programs have a mentorship component to it, where participants are in direct connection with performers and artists.

Recent News: Soulpepper is going through a soul-searching phase with recent allegations of sexual misconduct. Artistic director, Albert Schultz, has resigned with four pending lawsuits. In addition, some government funding has ceased. Soulpepper is undergoing real change in its organizational culture, CBC News reports.  

Financial Review:

Soulpepper Theatre Company is considered a medium-cap charity with donations of $3.9m in F2015. Its administrative costs were 10% of revenues and fundraising costs were 17% of donations. For every dollar donated, 73 cents goes towards its programs, falling within Ci’s reasonable range. The charity has funding reserves of $9.5m of which $7.9m are donor endowed. This can cover program costs for just over 13 months. Excluding donor-endowed funds, reserves can cover programs for just over 2 months.

This charity report is an update that is being reviewed by Soulpepper Theatre Company. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 20, 2017 by Josh Lam.