MTYP unveils dynamic 2025–26 season: from snowstorms to Greek gods to powerful truths.
Manitoba Theatre for Young People (MTYP) has revealed an exciting 2025–26 season filled with a diverse range of stories—from snowbound small towns and mythological quests to deeply moving explorations of friendship, creativity, and reconciliation. With seven unique productions running from December 2025 through May 2026, the season promises to captivate young audiences and their families with imaginative and heartfelt theatre.
A new home for intimate storytelling
The season will also debut the Richardson Studio Theatre, a newly renovated black box theatre within MTYP’s space. Artistic Associate for MTYP Sarah Flynn explained, “The Richardson Studio Theatre is going to be where the Richardson Rehearsal Hall was before... through part of our capital campaign and the money that we’ve raised, we’ve been able to convert it completely to a 100-seat black box theatre.”
She added, “The new space will be ideal for more intimate productions, those specialty things that are going to work for a smaller audience or for different specific groups of people.”
Kickoff: Gather (Oct. 3–26, 2025)
Opening the season in this new space is Gather, a participatory production that invites the audience to become part of the story—a small town trapped indoors by a prolonged snowstorm.
“Essentially these two friends get separated by this snowstorm... and the town the audience of that day,” Flynn said. “The 100 people in the Richardson Studio on that day will be the members of the town.”
Audience members take on roles such as the mail carrier, librarian, or weatherman, while two storytellers guide them through themes of isolation, lost passions, and the power of community. Created by Julia Lederer (Toronto) and Julie Ritchey (Chicago), the piece was developed before the pandemic but resonates strongly with its aftermath.
“It has so many themes that are connected to that, like isolation and loneliness and losing these people in your life... It feels like it’s a pandemic play. But it’s not,” Flynn said. “They’ve really created this magical piece to allow us to connect with that time period.”
Returning with impact: The Mush Hole (Nov. 1–9, 2025)
MTYP welcomes back The Mush Hole, created by Santee Smith and performed by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, which uses movement, theatre, and song to confront the devastating effects of residential schools.
“This year is the 20th anniversary of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. And they were like, we’re bringing it back. Do you want it? And we were 100%, yes, please. We need this show,” Flynn said.
The title references the nickname survivors gave to the Mohawk Institute because of the mushy food they were fed. The piece focuses on the children institutionalized as well as the ripple effects on parents and communities.
“It really allows you to connect with those themes without it being quite like you’re being told how to feel,” Flynn explained. “It just makes you have all those feelings you should have and teaches you sort of about what happened in that space.”
Though Flynn has yet to meet Santee Smith, she looks forward to their arrival this fall. “I’m excited to get to meet Santee when she comes with the company in the fall.”
Myth and mayhem: The Lightning Thief (Dec. 5–28, 2025)
Rounding out the fall lineup is The Lightning Thief, a high-energy musical adventure adapted from Rick Riordan’s popular Percy Jackson book series.
“It takes these real mythological characters, but then puts them into present day,” Flynn described, highlighting characters like Aries as “a biker dude” and Poseidon as a “surfer dude” with salty hair and a Hawaiian shirt.
The story follows Percy and his friends on a quest to recover Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt and prevent a war, facing chimeras, furies, and a modern-day Medusa who runs a garden gnome emporium.
The MTYP production uses the Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) edition — a condensed, roughly 75–80 minute version of the Broadway musical.
“There’s this one song that goes through this whole adventure... and you get through all of these things that happen to them... and you’re just like, wow, it’s this tornado of a song. It’s amazing,” Flynn enthused.
Imaginative stories continue in 2026: Tad and Birdie (Jan. 30–Feb. 8, 2026)
The new year kicks off with Tad and Birdie (Jan. 30–Feb. 8, 2026), a tender story about friendship and acceptance reminiscent of MTYP’s past hit Frog and Toad.
The play takes place in a boy’s bedroom where Tad (a tadpole), the newcomer, and Birdy (a bird), who’s been there a while, navigate their different worldviews. “Tad wants to explore the world and is naive and interested in everything that could exist. And Birdy has had some stuff happen in the past that’s made them a bit scared and a bit afraid of the world and thinking of this boy’s bedroom as a safe place to be.”
Their contrasting desires — “wanting to stay and wanting to go” — form a beautiful relationship as Tad slowly “picks away” at Birdy’s resistance.
Written by Anika Dowsett, an MTYP instructor involved with the company’s Young Creators unit called the Sandbox, Tad and Birdie developed from a Sandbox exercise two years ago.
“They’re a good friend of mine. I really love their work. They’re so smart and they find beautiful ways to put these characters in these interesting environments,” Flynn said. “There’s a quote from the play that’s actually a quote from something a kid said to them in the class they were teaching. They’ve really found a beautiful way to have that childlike wonder and desire to fit in within these characters.”
Colorful creativity: Doodle Pop (Feb. 27–Mar. 8, 2026)
Presented by Korea’s Brush Theater, Doodle Pop is a lively production combining live music, animation, and markers to conjure fantastical worlds live on stage.
“They’re so fun. It’s such beautiful work that you can’t help but be engulfed in the world they create,” said Flynn. “They have the music happening live on stage, the set is set up, but then they also draw on the set.”
The story follows two characters, Boogie and Woogie, on a sea adventure meeting turtles and travelling by boat. “They’re trying to teach you how to unlock your creativity,” Flynn explained. “They tell kids at the end, ‘Go draw on the walls,’ which is maybe not ideal, but it’s about discovering everything you can create in your own mind and going on these adventures.”
Brush Theater previously brought MTYP the Poly Pop production, strengthening this ongoing relationship.
Movement and mystery: Glitch (Apr. 10–19, 2026)
Glitch, from Quebec’s Bouge de la! dance company, blends dance and theatre to create a sensory-rich experience. The story centers on four young people who find a basement filled with mysterious boxes, guided by a laser beam that leads them through objects, triggering dances and stories.
“They create all these worlds and storylines, competitions and games within each other through the things they find,” said Flynn.
Having only seen video previews so far, anticipation is high: “I’m really excited to be in the space and have all the lights, lasers, smoke, movement, and music happening around me,” Flynn added. Bouge de la! is renowned for their engaging dance-theatre works for young audiences.
Season closer: Otosan (Apr. 24–May 17, 2026)
Closing the season is Otosan, presented by Little Onion Puppet Company. This intimate tale follows Shiz, a young girl, who hides in her father’s suitcase and embarks on one of his Arctic wildlife videography adventures.
“Otosan is told through tabletop puppetry, which makes it feel like you could tell that story at home yourself with your dolls,” said Flynn. The show incorporates real wildlife footage shot by the father character, deepening the immersive experience.
The creator, Shizuka Chai, explains the story is “not only about father and daughter. It’s about anybody that you love, anybody or your family.”
An extraordinary season ahead
With this season, MTYP continues to offer “entertaining, thought-provoking and engaging productions for young audiences.
From the imaginative to the deeply reflective, MTYP’s 2025–26 season promises to inspire creativity, connection, and conversation among the next generation of theatre lovers.