Odyssey Theatre

What Odyssey Theatre does

Odyssey Theatre is a registered Canadian charity (BN 11907 1140 RR0001) and Ottawa-based non-profit professional theatre company founded in 1986, specializing in masked outdoor performance, Commedia dell'Arte, physical theatre, clown, and puppetry. Its flagship product is the annual Theatre Under the Stars summer season in Strathcona Park beside the Rideau River, operating July through August with evening performances Tuesdays through Sundays at 8pm and Pay-What-You-Wish Sunday matinees — currently in its 40th anniversary season with Mirandolina (a Goldoni adaptation) running July 23 – August 16, 2026. The company maintains a curated collection of 350+ hand-crafted theatrical masks created by Canadian mask artists and operates Canada's only play development program dedicated to mask and movement-based theatre forms, which has produced 12 original full-length plays and 13 full-length new translation-adaptations.

Beyond live performance, Odyssey operates a multi-surface platform: The Other Path podcast (five original audio-dramas by Canadian writers reaching listeners in 50+ countries), the in-development Odyssey's World of Theatre Masks digital resource centre (pilot summer 2026, full launch spring 2027, in partnership with Carleton University and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation), the annual Festival of Myth (launched 2024, 67 artists), a Summer Youth Apprenticeship Program for ages 14-22 (~9 apprentices per cohort, $400 honorarium), year-round training programs, OAC Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators ($1,000–$3,000 grants), and a Community Neighbours program partnering with 20+ charities to provide free tickets to underserved populations. Odyssey also publishes digitized scripts (e.g., The Miser) for licensing to other theatres.

Name

Odyssey Theatre

Legal name

Odyssey Theatre

Website

https://odysseytheatre.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Odyssey Theatre is a registered Canadian charity and Ottawa-based non-profit founded in 1986 that produces an annual outdoor masked theatre season in Strathcona Park (July–August), alongside a youth apprenticeship program, digital mask resource centre, podcast, and community outreach partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Theatre

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Masked theatre productions
• Outdoor summer theatre
• Physical theatre training
• Community arts outreach
• Youth apprenticeship theatre

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue source covering a portion of live theatre production costs. Tickets sold online, by phone, and at park. Community donations cover approximately 35% of production costs.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tier corporate partners and individual donors. Includes Export Development Canada, BDO Canada as season sponsor.
3. Individual Donations: Friends of Odyssey Theatre program with tiered benefits. Charitable tax receipts issued for donations. Stuart Conger Endowment Fund supports special projects.
4. Partnership Revenue: Dinner package partnership with Working Title Kitchen at $49/person creates ancillary revenue and enhances audience experience.
5. Government Grants: Ontario Arts Council recommender grants for theatre creators. Ontario Trillium Foundation funding for digital mask resource centre.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Odyssey Theatre is a registered Canadian charity that produces professional outdoor masked theatre performances (Theatre Under the Stars) in Strathcona Park, Ottawa, running annually July-August. The company develops new Canadian plays in physical theatre forms, runs a youth apprenticeship program, produces audio-drama podcasts, and is building a digital mask resource centre. Its offerings are built around Commedia dell'Arte, mask work, and cross-cultural physical theatre traditions.

Product overview

Odyssey Theatre is Ottawa's premier outdoor summer theatre company specializing in masked performance and physical theatre. The company operates as a multi-platform arts organization offering: Theatre Under the Stars (mainstage outdoor productions in Strathcona Park), The Other Path Podcast (audio-drama series), Odyssey's World of Theatre Masks (digital resource centre in development), Festival of Myth (annual multidisciplinary arts festival), Play Creation Program (new play development), Summer Youth Apprenticeship Program (youth training), year-round Training Programs, and OAC Recommender Grants. The company also publishes scripts for other theatres to produce and provides community outreach services. All offerings center on the company's core expertise in mask work, Commedia dell'Arte, clown, puppetry, and physical theatre forms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theatre Under the Stars Annual outdoor summer theatre productions held in Strathcona Park, Ottawa, featuring masked performance, Commedia dell'Arte, and physical theatre. The 40th anniversary season presents Mirandolina. Performances run July-August annually, Tuesdays-Sundays at 8pm with Pay-What-You-Can Sunday matinees at 2pm.
• The Other Path Podcast Original audio-drama podcast featuring five episodes of myth and folklore tales set in modern contexts, written by Canadian writers and performed by Odyssey actors. Available globally at theotherpath.ca/listen.
• Odyssey's World of Theatre Masks Digital mask resource centre providing interactive tours of over 350 hand-crafted theatre masks, workshops in mask-making and performance, and resources for educators and theatre professionals. In development with planned full launch in 2027.
• Festival of Myth Annual multidisciplinary arts festival exploring myth through music, dance, theatre, storytelling and visual arts, gathering artists from the region.
• Play Creation Program Canada's only play development program specializing in mask and movement-based theatre forms, supporting new play development with dramaturgy, workshops, digital readings, and staged readings. Accepts applications from Ontario-based professional theatre creators.
• Summer Youth Apprenticeship Program Free training program for youth aged 14-22 providing professional theatre training in mask work, Commedia dell'Arte, production skills, and hands-on experience with summer productions. Approximately 9 apprentices per cohort with $400 honorarium.
• Training Programs Year-round training including Winter Intensives (focused skill workshops), Spring Revival (mask-making and performance workshops), and Community Outreach (workshops for underserved groups).
• Community Outreach (Community Neighbours Program) Free and low-cost theatre workshops and partnerships with over 20 local charities providing free theatre tickets, serving artists with mental illness, Indigenous artists, visually impaired enthusiasts, and underserved populations.
• Odyssey Scripts Digitized collection of original scripts and translations developed for mask and physical theatre, available for other theatres to produce. Currently available: 'The Miser' with more to follow.
• OAC Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators Ontario Arts Council recommender grant program supporting professional theatre creators with $1,000-$3,000 grants for physical theatre projects including mask, clown, puppetry, and Commedia dell'Arte. Odyssey serves as recommender for the program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced 12 original full-length plays and 13 full-length new translation-adaptations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Working Title KitchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering pre-theatre dinner packages at $49 per person for Odyssey audiences. Includes fixed-menu dinner with 5:00pm, 5:30pm, or 6:00pm reservation times and guaranteed departure for the performance. Creates enhanced audience experience and drives ancillary revenue.
• Carleton University - Public History DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on digitizing Odyssey's collection of 350+ theatrical masks and 40 years of productions. Emily Walsh intern from Carleton's Public History Department assists with mask accessioning for the digital resource centre.
• Sri Lankan State Dance EnsemblestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Artistic Director Laurie Steven and Ravibandu Vidyapathy on 'The Blue Demon' project, blending Kolam masked dance-drama with Commedia dell'Arte and Sri Lankan myth.
• Accessible Arts OttawacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partnership providing mask theatre workshops for visually impaired theatre enthusiasts. Part of community outreach programming.
• The Creative WellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership offering free and low-cost theatre workshops for artists living with mental illness. Joint workshop on creative expression and mask performance.
• Community Neighbours Partner OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 20+ local charities providing free theatre tickets to underserved populations including Indigenous artists, high school students, and people experiencing homelessness.
• Cosmic Fishing TheatrestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerOAC grant recipient Viktorija Kovac digitizing Cosmic Fishing Theatre's 'DiSCoVeR' project through collaborative workshop. Focus on puppetry and object animation for young audiences.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Arts Centre: Canada's national performing arts centre in Ottawa, presenting theatre, dance, and music across multiple venues. Directly comparable as Ottawa-based performing arts presenter, with overlapping audience base, federal/provincial funding access, and community outreach programs.
• Mirvish Productions: Toronto-based commercial theatre producer presenting Broadway-scale productions, musicals, and plays. Comparable in ticketed live entertainment distribution and corporate sponsorship model, though operating at significantly larger commercial scale.
• Stratford Festival: Canada's largest classical theatre festival producing Shakespeare and classic drama in outdoor and indoor venues. Comparable in seasonal outdoor programming model, classical adaptation focus (e.g., Goldoni adaptations like Odyssey's Mirandolina), and Canadian arts funding profile.
• Soulpepper Theatre: Toronto's largest Canadian theatre company with year-round programming, training academy, and youth programs. Comparable in donor cultivation practices, youth training mission, and new Canadian play commissioning focus, though at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Tarragon Theatre: Toronto-based theatre company renowned for developing and producing new Canadian plays. Shares Odyssey's commitment to new play creation, dramaturgy support for playwrights, and subscription-based audience model with tiered donor benefits.
• Canadian Stage: Major Canadian theatre company producing contemporary drama, musicals, and international works across multiple venues. Comparable in scope of programming diversity, multi-platform distribution, and Canadian new play commissioning approach.
• Great Canadian Theatre Company: Ottawa-based professional theatre company producing contemporary plays and new works. Operates as a regional theatre with similar audience development focus, multi-platform programming, and Canadian new play development mandate, making it the closest geographic and functional peer.
• Volcano Theatre: Canadian non-profit theatre producing experimental and physically-based work including mask, movement, and devised theatre. Closely comparable to Odyssey's specialization in physical theatre forms and Commedia dell'Arte traditions.

Emerging players

• Complicité: Internationally renowned British theatre company specializing in physical theatre, mask, and devised work. The closest international peer to Odyssey's mask and physical theatre specialization, representing the global standard Odyssey benchmarks against.
• Mummenschanz: Swiss mask theatre troupe performing visual, non-verbal theatre using masks, shapes, and movement. Direct peer in mask theatre craft and international touring, with comparable positioning as a niche mask-focused company.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OdysseyTheatre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OdysseyTheatreOttawa
• Facebookfacebook.com/odysseytheatreottawa
• Instagraminstagram.com/odysseytheatreottawa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/odyssey-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Odyssey Theatre