Company of Sirens


Company of Sirens is a Canadian feminist theatre company formed in 1986. Company of Sirens developed the feminist play The Working People's Picture Show.

History

Company of Sirens was officially founded in 1986 by Lina Chartrand, Aida Jordao, Catherine Glen, Lib Spry, Shawna Dempsey, and Cynthia Grant. Grant came to work with the new company after leaving Nightwood Theatre to work with a theatre that was more political and had more of a collective structure. The women founded Company of Sirens after coming together to work on a commission from Organized Working Women.
The Working People's Picture Show was commissioned by Organized Working Women in 1985 to celebrate their 10th anniversary and began as a ten-minute piece. The show developed into a full-length play and subsequently toured Ontario. In 1987, they performed WPPS on International Women's Day with sponsorship from Canadian Action for Nicaragua and the March 8 Coalition. Company of Sirens continued to perform WPPS in various contexts for at least six years after its premiere. Lois Sweet of the Toronto Star described WPPS as "blatantly pro-union pro-feminist".
In 1991, Company of Sirens received a $12,500 grant from from Metro Toronto's arts budget. This funding was criticized by Toronto Star arts critic, Gina Mallet, whom the company felt to have a prejudice against small, independent, theatre.

Production history

1987
1988
1991
1990
1992
1993
1994
1996
1998

Notable performers