NTS DramaFest is Ontario’s largest youth theatre festival. It returns in 2026 with celebrations across the province that will come to a grand finale with the 2026 Ontario Provincial Showcase in North York.
The initiative was founded in 1946, and marks a milestone this year with its 80th anniversary. The festival has been presented by the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) since 2017, an organization which is also celebrating its 65th anniversary during the 2025–26 season.
NTS DramaFest
“For 80 years, NTS DramaFest has been far more than a celebration of theatre,” says Fanny Pagé, CEO of the National Theatre School of Canada, in a statement. “It has empowered generations of young people, championed collaboration, storytelling, and community, and inspired artistic citizenship across Canada. I am deeply proud of the students and educators whose work continues to shape NTS DramaFest, and whose impact reaches far beyond the stage.”
It’s designed to be a platform for encouraging empowerment through theatre among Canada’s youth, and supports thousands of students each year in creating and presenting theatrical performances. Works are presented via district, zone, regional, and provincial showcases, and take place in high school hosts across the country.
NTS DramaFest connects with more than 12,000 secondary school students and educators annually. Its mission is firmly founded in principles of accessibility and inclusion, and it encourages collaborative efforts, curiosity, and equity.
DramaFest 2026
The fun begins with the NTS DramaFest District Festivals on February 17. A province-wide team of teachers, volunteers, artists, and community members support NTS DramaFest by organizing the 19 District Festivals each year.
Next come the six Regional Festivals — North, East, South, West, Central, and Toronto — which typically run from three to six nights each. From each region, two exceptional productions are chosen to perform at the Ontario Provincial Showcase.
The location of the Showcase changes each year. For 2026, it takes place in North York.
Audiences get a chance to see the bright lights of Ontario’s theatre next gen.
“In its 80th year, the NTS DramaFest is proof that youth creativity is a key to nation-building. When students are given the space and support to tell their stories, they don’t just make theatre. They make a community,” says Richard Lee, Co-Director of NTS DramaFest.
While it’s rooted in Ontario, NTS DramaFest also connects young artists across British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
Original Work and Playwriting
Student and teacher playwrights are celebrated and supported through NTS DramaFest. Published anthologies, including Concrete Daisy and Other Plays, which was released to mark the organization’s 45th anniversary, along with another volume for its 65th anniversary, and Festival Voices: Plays by Students and Teachers for the Sears Ontario Drama Festival, published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2010, commemorate their work.
“As we celebrate 80 years of NTS DramaFest, we’re celebrating more than longevity — we’re celebrating possibility,” says Erika Kierulf, Co-Director of NTS DramaFest. “The festival continues to evolve because young people continue to challenge us with their creativity, perspectives, and questions. This isn’t just high school theatre — it’s young artists engaging seriously with the world around them.”
Professional Adjudicators
Adjudicators for DramaFest come from Canada’s professional theatre, film, and television communities. They have included people like Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kim’s Convenience) adjudicating the East Toronto district, alongside artists such as Micah Jondel DeShazer (Durham) and Kaitlyn Riordan (York), among others.
NTS DramaFest represents a crucial link between youth theatre and the professional stage.
Supporting the Next Generation of Theatre Artists
Each year, NTS DramaFest awards:
- Four $3,000 Ken & Ann Watts Memorial Foundation Scholarships
- Up to four $1,500 bursaries to graduating students pursuing careers in the performing arts
- A $750 Playwriting Award bursary recognizing original student work
Toronto District Festivals take place between March 2 and March 6, 2026, and the Toronto Regionals take place at Hart House Theatre at the University of Toronto on April 11. The Ontario Provincial Showcase takes place May 20 to 23 at York University.
- Find more details [HERE].
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