The Sunset Theatre’s Exploration Series is a crucible for emerging and established theatre artists to create new work.

The Sunset Theatre’s support of new Canadian plays has been at the core of the company’s mandate from its inception, and would not be possible without the support of the BC Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Launched in 2006, the Exploration Series supports the creation and development of new plays in varying phases of the creative cycle from inception to workshop production.

The format for each project is as unique as each artist.

Whether forming initial ideas and concepts, engaging a dramaturg, workshopping a script, or wanting to hear your play read in front of an audience for the first time, the Exploration Series offers Canadian Theatre Artists a safe and supportive environment to create their best work.

STAY TUNED FOR AN UPDATED LIST OF ARTISTS WE HAVE HOSTED IN OUR EXPLORATION SERIES.

WHAT ARTISTS HAVE SAID ABOUT THE EXPLORATION SERIES:

From the moment we pulled up to the theatre, and saw ‘Welcome James & Jamesy’ on the theatre’s marquee, we knew we had arrived at a space that would nourish our creativity. The anxiety we had been feeling associated with having an opening date for a yet-to-be-written show began to dissipate. We arrived with a theme and loose show structure, and left with a first draft of a script in hand, and a public showing under our belt!

- Alastair Knowles, Right This Way! June 2022 • James & Jamesy Performance Society

My lodgings were warm, well stocked and thoughtfully detailed with homey touches and welcoming messages. The serene setting allowed hours of uninterrupted writing/editing time that primed rehearsals in the morning and honed discoveries at night.

– Lana Skauge, Queen Bee, 2019

"The opportunity to be free from the stress and demands of the regular day to day, in a theatre rich with history and great care, in a location brimming with natural beauty, was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before in my 30+ years of creating.

– Paul Tedeschini, The Grace of Strange Weather, 2019