Our Summer 2026 Lineup
Coming to the Theatre on the Ridge Performance Tent in 2026
Life is full of big stories, little stories, love stories, stories about death, happy stories, sad stories, funny stories, fantastic stories and true stories
In the summer of 2026, Theatre on the Ridge brings four compelling and uniquely Canadian plays to the performance tent at Scugog Shores Museum to entertain and engage young and old alike.
From the retelling of a classic Shakespearan love story to the delight and whimsy of an imaginary Ontario town: from the fantastical tale of an outcast mosquito to a story of greed and deception set in another Ontario town in the 1960’s, Summer 2026 is full of stories that are magical, theatrical and full of life.
And who doesn’t love a good story?
Please Note:
Individual tickets for our Summer 2026 productions will go on sale April 1, 2026.
Group sales enquiries are currently welcome.
Romeo and Juliet
Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted by Landon Doak and Iain Moggach
Directed by Iain Moggach
Original Music by Landon Doak
June 17th – July 5th, 2026
In this thrilling and accessible adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, multi–Dora Award–winning composer Landon Doak teams up with Bluebirds director Iain Moggach to bring Shakespeare’s most famous love story to life in a way you have never seen before.
With live music woven throughout and a focus on the heart of the story (two young people caught between loyalty and love) this production promises an intimate, emotional night at the theatre that’s perfect for long-time fans and first-time Shakespeare-goers alike.
Romeo & Juliet is a remount and update of a production originally staged at Old Flame Brewery in Port Perry 10 years ago and is now being adapted specifically for the Theatre on the Ridge tent.
In addition to the public performances, a limited number of school packages are also available in partnership with Scugog Shores Museum.
The Creatives
Iain Moggach is the director of last summer’s Bluebirds and artistic director of Burro’d Theatre. This is Iain’s second season with Theatre on the Ridge.
Landon Doak is a theatre artist and Dora Award winning composer, originally from Port Perry and currently the artistic associate with Bad Hats Theatre.
Behind the Scenes
Suitable for ages 12 +
Content warning: stage violence and suicide
Running Time: 90 minutes. No intermission
Romeo & Juliet is included in the 2026 Summer Season Pass.
Romeo & Juliet is made possible with support from the Kellett Patrick Family Foundation
The Incredible Adventure of
Mary Jane Mosquito
Written by Tomson Highway
Directed by TBC
July 9th – 25th, 2026
Tomson Highway’s musical cabaret, The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito, couldn’t be more vividly presented unless you were sitting in the middle seat of the front row watching the Cree playwright, performer, musician and poet himself.
The story of a wingless little mosquito from Manitoba has all the whimsy and wise humour any audience could ask for. The ageless theme of a misfit, who finds her voice through song and who learns to make friends by communicating directly with her audience, is a timely treat for anyone who has felt like an outsider, dealt with bullying, moved to a new place, or was different from the rest of the pack.
The Creatives
Tomson Highway OC is one of Canada’s most prominent and influential Indigenous writers.
He is a playwright, novelist, children’s author and musician, best known for his plays The Rez Sisters and
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, both of which won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play and the Floyd S. Chalmers Award.
Behind the Scenes
Suitable for ages 4+.
Running time: Approximately 60 minutes. No intermission
Special pricing in effect for The Incredibile Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito.
(Not included in the 2026 Summer Season Pass.)
Individual Tickets:
$30 for adults
$15 for ages 12 to 18 years,
$10 for ages up to 11,
Family Bundle: $50 for up to 4 persons*
*Add a family bundle to a 2026 Summer Season Pass for only $30.
Sketches of Stephen Leacock
Adapted by Andy Massingham from the writings of
Stephen Leacock
Directed by Andy Massingham
August 5th – 23rd, 2026
The brilliant and satiric writing of Canada’s much beloved author and essayist Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) is the inspiration of this world premiere. In Sketches of Stephen Leacock, Andy Massingham brings together the myriads of eccentric characters Leacock became world-famous for.
Often called “Canada’s Mark Twain,” and lauded by
Groucho Marx as, “The funniest writer I have ever read”, Leacock wrote of thwarted love, bank managers, angry customers, nosy neighbours, love-struck kids (and NOT kids). They are all here for the fun and Leacock skewers them all wit his razor-sharp wit.
You will find yourself recognizing the same pitfalls and potholes which bedevil us all, as you stroll with us through Leacock’s fabled and imaginary town of Mariposa in an evening of laughter, music and celebration of one of Canada’s literary giants.
The Creatives
Andy Massingham is a Toronto-based Dora Mavor Moore and Prix Rideau Award-winning actor, director, teacher and playwright.
Andy has worked across Canada as an actor at such venues as the Stratford Festival, National Arts Centre, Theatre New Brunswick, the Banff Centre, Tarragon, Soulpepper,
and Young Peoples Theatre, among many others.
He is also a faculty member of the Toronto Film
School. This is Andy’s fifth season with Theatre on the Ridge.
Behind The Scenes
Suitable for ages 8+
Running time: approx. 90 minutes + intermission
Sketches of Stephen Leacock is included in the 2026 Summer Season Pass.
Piggyland
A new play by Graeme Powell
Directed by Carey Nicholson
September 9th – 20th, 2026
Piggyland is an exciting new drama by Graeme Powell. Inspired by true events that took place in
Sunderland, Ontario in the early 1960s, Piggyland is a tale of greed, deception and the pursuit of dreams.
Concocted by career conman John Laun, the Piggyland farm raised over a million dollars from investors eager to double, or even triple their investment. Instead, they lost it all.
The mysterious John Laun vanished without a trace…and so did all the money. Remember, If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is…
The Creatives
Graeme is a playwright and actor who is familiar to audiences throughout Durham Region from his many roles with Theatre on the Ridge, Borelians Community Theatre, and Oshawa Little Theatre, to name a few.
He is a member of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada, and his first play, Renovations, was awarded Best New Canadian Play at the Act-Co Festival in 2015. Other plays include: All
Together Now, Palmer Park, A Third of Richard, and a series of short plays called Pine Grove Plots. He lives in Sunderland with his family.
Carey Nicholson is a co-founder and current artistic director of Theatre on the Ridge and an accomplished director and theatre designer.
Originally trained in classical and contemporary dance, she has been on faculty with George Brown College and the Dance Arts Institute (formerly the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre) and is an independent arts educator.
Behind the Scenes
Suitable for ages 12 +
Running time: 90 minutes. No intermission
Piggyland is included in the 2026 Summer Season Pass.
