Cycles

What is a Cycle?

Theatre Gargantua has been making theatre in Toronto since 1992. Our approach to playmaking is constantly changing and developing, but it is grounded in a method which was created by Artistic Director, Jacquie P.A. Thomas. After working with companies such as Ossetynski Actor's Lab (Los Angeles), The National Theatre of Greece and The Gardzienice Theatre Association (Poland), Thomas applied her experience to the development of her own artistic vision, initiating a process of theatre-making which is unique in Toronto.

The foundation on which we build our theatre is the notion that beautiful, meaningful work takes time to create. The economics of Canadian theatre do not support such a model and the too often industry standard of rehearsing for a mere three weeks is not nearly enough time to produce a show which intimately integrates all the elements in a Gargantua production. Our solution was to break the model down into a process involving several phases, which generally occur over a two year cycle.

Theatre Gargantua has finished seven complete cycles and in the spring of 2006 will begin work on our eighth. Each cycle involves annual spring, summer and fall phases, with planning and preparation taking place between each phase. These breaks also serve as time for reflection and for the development of new ideas. Every fall phase is followed up with a fully mounted production, while spring and summer phases usually have smaller scale presentations. Once cycles are completed, and have received their final full production, they enter into the company's repertoire, and may be remounted for tours or festivals.