From the Artistic Director’s Chair Series – #1
“I love the theatre because…”
by Emily Oriold

I was recently inspired by our production of Mechanically Inclined by Steve Ross to kick off this new edition of our Foster Festival e-Newsletter. If you saw the show, you might remember those wonderful moments when each character stepped forward to finish the sentence, “I love the theatre because…”

It made me stop and think — why not share my own answer to that question? My love of Canadian theatre, the twists and turns of my journey, and how I ended up as the Artistic Director (and artist) I am today.

So, each month, I’ll give you a little snapshot of my story: how it all began, what’s kept me going, and how I continue to fuel my passion for theatre.

The beginning…

The Kitchen Table That Changed Everything

When I was a kid growing up in Wroxeter, Ontario (population: 300), I often sat at our kitchen table listening to adults talk about theatre. At the time, I didn’t realize the greatness across from me — Paul Thompson and Anne Anglin, Canadian theatre legends. They were simply “friends of my parents.”

I was raised on The Farm Show, though back then it felt less like history and more like community storytelling. Only later did I recognize that those kitchen-table conversations planted the seed of something that would define my life: an unshakable passion for Canadian theatre.

Theatre became my compass. I sat front row at Blyth, Stratford, Shaw, and even my mom’s Sears Drama Festival shows at LDSS. Each performance felt like magic unfolding in front of me. Those experiences shaped not just my love of the stage, but my conviction to champion Canadian creativity for the rest of my life.

Hooked by a Front Row Seat

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Shakespeare. I was 14 or 15 years old, sitting front row at the Stratford Festival, watching Romeo & Juliet with Antoni Cimolino and Megan Follows. My whole world cracked open in that moment. The language, the passion, the electricity — I was hooked.

But it wasn’t just Shakespeare. I sang Mini Pops at the top of my lungs in my living room (secretly hoping a talent scout might somehow hear me in tiny Wroxeter). I wore out my Abbey Road CD. I obsessed over Jesus Christ Superstar. Creativity was oxygen.

When I discovered drama class in high school, I suddenly had permission to create and direct pieces that stretched as far as my imagination would take me. Then came the Blyth Festival Young Company, where mask work taught me how to disappear into a character.

And then, at 19, Norm Foster entered my life. I saw The Melville Boys at Blyth — front row, again — and didn’t know it would be the only Foster play ever produced there. I just knew I was falling deeper in love with Canadian theatre.

A Life Woven by Theatre

University gave me Shakespeare’s great women: Bianca, Hermia, Portia; and Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Constance. But life gave me something better — love, family, and a purpose stitched together by theatre.

Six years after graduating, I found myself at the Blyth Festival again, assistant directing Queen Milli of Galt by Gary Kirkham. On Monday, the first day of rehearsal, I met an actor, Darren Keay. By Friday, we were together. That was 17 years ago.

Now, we have a son — Emerson. When I was in Blyth, company members nicknamed me “Lil’ Emmers.” I used to joke that if I ever had a child, he would be “Emmers’ son.” And here he is: our own little creative thinker.

Theatre has been the thread tying my whole life together. It’s where I grew up, where I fell in love, where I found my purpose, and where I continue to discover magic. I’m endlessly grateful to my parents for introducing me to this artform and for filling my life with the voices of artists — William Hutt, Sheila McCarthy, Colm Feore, Goldie Semple, Peter Donaldson, Michelle Fisk, Yanna McIntosh, Jim Mezon, Tom McCamus, Brian Bedford, Janet Amos, Stephen Ouimette, Christopher Plummer, and so many others — who will live in my heart forever.

Theatre gave me everything. And through The Foster Festival, I hope to pass on that same magic to you.

Each month, I look forward to sharing more stories from my theatre life with all of you, our Foster Friends. Some are heartfelt, some silly, and even a few that are outright embarrassing… stories that answer, “I love the theatre because…”

I hope you’ll join me on this journey, and maybe even reflect on your own love of theatre along the way.

I’ll see you at the theatre!

Emily Oriold,
Artistic Director & Founder