Two Planks History

Founded in 1992 in rural Kings County, Nova Scotia, Two Planks and a Passion Theatre is dedicated to commissioning, developing and producing challenging Canadian drama as well as innovative interpretations and adaptations of historical works relevant to our community. Two Planks and a Passion refers to the central aesthetic of the company- the intentional embrace of simple, restrictive design and staging in pursuit of innovation and intimate engagement. Committed to theatre that reflects and provokes our audiences, we disseminate this work primarily through site- specific outdoor productions at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, where we have been a resident company since 2005.

Since 2006 the company has concentrated its dissemination activity on an outdoor summer season at the Ross Creek Centre. This series has produced the premieres of new Canadian works including Rockbound by Allen Cole, Beowulf by Rick Chafe, The Miracle Man by Cole/O’Brien, Jerome- The Historical Spectacle by Ami McKay and Dustbowl Joan by Ken Schwartz, as well as unique interpretations of plays from history including The Tempest, As You Like it, Lysistrata, Our Town and The Crucible. The company has created a new theatrical venue for fireside performance, creating a series of unique adaptations of The Iliad, St. Joan, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Turn of the Screw, Animal Farm and Frankenstein.

Since 2008 the company has been nominated for a total of 99 Merritt Awards for excellence in professional theatre in Nova Scotia, winning 30, including Outstanding Production in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2016. In 2010 the company was a finalist for the Lt. Governor’s Masterworks Award for its production of Rockbound.

Two Planks also maintains a commitment to working with members of our community on projects that utilize theatre as a tool for empowerment and change. The company has, over the last twenty years, initiated projects on youth homelessness and youth violence in collaborations with various community organizations and continues to work with students in the public system on a variety of projects with the art of live theatre as a central component.

Two Planks and a Passion has an important place in the theatre ecology of our region and country. From a small village of 600 in rural Nova Scotia, the company has made a significant impact, brining Canadians from Coast to Coast to our small corner of the world to engage with a unique theatrical experience, reflecting a rural perspective to an increasingly urban landscape. Well into its third decade of development, the company is moving forward with the long-term development of new Canadian works for innovative site-specific productions in our rural home and beyond.