Fonds MS-3-34 - Up Start Theatre fonds

Upstart Theatre originated with Tom Regan, who wanted to establish a Halifax theatre dedicated to producing plays previously unseen in the Halifax area. The first step to achieving his goal was the founding of Dark Night, a play-reading group, with Martin Surrette, L.H. Paris, and Sharon Kline. In 1988 Regan, Paris, and Kline were joined by Iris Quinn, Lynn Ostergaard, Pamela Robinson, Moira Dann, David Renton and Deborah Allen as the founding members of Upstart Theatre. Sten Eirik and Jennifer Hogan joined the group shortly thereafter. Upstart Theatre was self-supporting with assistance from provincial government grants and local donations, and was run primarily by volunteers.

In its first season, Upstart offered Lynn Ostergaard’s Moving Day and George Boyd’s Gideon’s Blues. The company was praised for tackling thought-provoking material. Although the company was artistically acclaimed, financial problems plagued it from the start. This, combined with the loss of venue in 1991, caused the theatre to cancel its 1991/1992 season. Although it was able to produce Betty Lambert’s Under the Skin in the fall of 1992, it was officially dissolved in September 1993.