Event Details

Talk Is Free Theatre is based in Barrie, Ontario. The company was founded in 2002 by Artistic Producer Arkady Spivak and since then has produced sixty productions. Our mission is to produce and to develop a wide range of ensemble-based programming, concentrating largely on new writing, rediscoveries of neglected work from the past and drastic re-examinations of classical repertoire.

This application is for “Don’t Touch the Art (DTTA)”, taking place from September 17 to October 4, 2026, in Barrie, Ontario at the Barrie by the Bay complex. DTTA is an immersive, site-specific performance experience that transforms a large building into a living gallery of contemporary theatre and performance. Featuring ten simultaneous works from TIFT’s repertory, DTTA invites audiences to create their own self-directed journey through a series of surprise encounters staged in individual rooms, hallways, and unexpected spaces throughout the building. Each visitor is admitted for a 2.5-hour experience, allowing them to choose where to go, how long to stay, and which performances to discover, encouraging repeat visits and extended cultural tourism engagement. The programming for “Don’t Touch the Art (DTTA)” includes: (1) Immersive performance gallery: ten simultaneous performance installations unfolding across a single building, with each work occupying its own dedicated space and offering audiences an intimate, surprise-driven theatrical encounter; (2) Self-directed audience experience: minimal pre-show information provided to audiences, empowering patrons to curate their own journey and shape a unique path through the gallery over a 2.5-hour admission window; and (3) Repertory of diverse contemporary works: a curated selection of performances exploring themes of power, belonging, personal agency, and community across a wide range of forms including Indigenous storytelling, queer object theatre, political farce, feminist comedy, classical satire, and new Canadian musical writing.