Tarragon is primarily a playwrights’ theatre.  Its mission is to encourage, create and develop new work, and provide the conditions for new work to thrive.  To that end, the theatre engages the best theatre artists and craftspeople to interpret new work; presents each new work with high quality production values; provides an administrative structure to support new work; develops marketing strategies to promote new work; and continually generates an audience for new work. 

As a complement to the new work created here, Tarragon presents new plays from all parts of the country, and may on occasion revive a significant Canadian work or produce an international work, contemporary or classical, both to provide a context for new creation, and to introduce these received texts to a new audience. In every instance, we emphasize high production standards to entertain our audience and to stimulate other new writers.

Long-term dramaturgy, tailored to the play and playwright, is a priority at Tarragon.  Programs for play development are various and flexible ranging from Resident Playwrights to Playwrights Unit to WorkSpace.  We also train artists, administrators and production personnel at all levels in the creation, development and/or interpretation of new work.  Education and outreach activities – to artists, to young people, to educators, and to our general audience – are designed to foster an understanding and appreciation of the new play and the process of creating new plays. 

Copyright © Tarragon Theatre, 2007