Rising Tide Theatre
Since 1978, Rising Tide Theatre has been one of the mainstays of professional theatre in Newfoundland & Labrador.
History
Since its founding in St. John's as a professional theatre company in 1978, Rising Tide Theatre has offered audiences some of the finest plays and talent available in Canada. It has explored current and controversial issues on stage, rejuvenated and modernized classics, and created plays which seek to portray the culture and character of Newfoundland and Labrador for audiences throughout the province, across Canada, and in the United Kingdom. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Donna Butt, Rising Tide has been the genesis of a repertoire of original stories including Canada's 2001 Governor General's Literary Award-Winner for English Language Drama Harps of God.
In 1993, Rising Tide Theatre premiered The New Founde Lande Trinity Pageant, in Trinity, Trinity Bay and the following year, in 1994, Summer in the Bight, the company's annual theatre season began.
Since 2000, Rising Tide has focused on developing new and innovative works by writers such as Des Walsh, Berni Stapleton, Al Pittman, Michael Cook, Kevin Major and Ruth Lawrence. One such collaboration, The Harps of God, a play about the 1914 sealing disaster developed with Kent Stetson, received the 2001 Governor General's Literary Award for English Drama.
In 2000, the construction of the Rising Tide Arts Centre in Trinity established a new permanent home for the company and a focal point for the 20,000 annual visitors who are drawn to the unique blend of art, entertainment, and history unlike anything offered elsewhere.
Artistic Director
A Member of the Order of Canada and a recipient of Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Artist of the Year honours, Donna Butt is the founder and Executive and Artistic Director of Rising Tide Theatre. Whether as actor, writer, director or producer, Donna works tirelessly to promote and maintain professional theatre in the province, especially in work that seeks to portray the culture and character of Newfoundland and Labrador.
