What Shifting Ground Collective does

Shifting Ground Collective is a Toronto-based not-for-profit arts organization founded in Spring 2022 by Artistic Producer Joshua Kilimnik and Executive Director Colette Richardson. Operating as a registered Canadian charity (charity number 78318 2827 RR0001), the company positions itself as Toronto's home for emerging musical theatre artists and serves three primary segments: early-career musical theatre artists seeking professional opportunities, Toronto musical theatre audiences, and Canadian musical theatre writers developing original works. The organization is led by a small core team including Executive Producer Shannon Murtagh and FOH Manager Julian Da Silva, with governance provided by a Board of Directors chaired by Ellen McGregor alongside directors Jaclyne Rieve, Mohit Narang, Alethea Bakogeorge, and Steven Hao (郝邦宇).

The company's core offerings comprise full-scale productions of established musical theatre favourites, developmental processes for new Canadian musicals, and concert/cabaret programming. The production slate includes the debut Ordinary Days (2023), Merrily We Roll Along (2024), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2025), Ride the Cyclone (2025), and The Drowsy Chaperone (2026), with upcoming productions of Amélie at Native Earth's Aki Studio Theatre (September 21-October 10, 2026) and Once (March 2027). A six-month Tranzac Club residency hosts Musical Theatre Pub Nights, Aged Out Musical Readings, and New Musical Nights, complemented by annual cabaret events including Hollywood Harmonies and Postmodern Broadway. The company's distinguishing production technique is a lottery-based live role assignment system debuted in Ordinary Days, in which audience-driven coin tosses moments before each performance determine cast roles across more than a dozen possible combinations. A branded merchandise line (hoodies, crewnecks, baseball tees, t-shirts, tote bags) and a six-tier donor membership program round out the product surface.

The revenue model relies on four streams: ticket sales through Theatre Passe Muraille's Patronbase ticketing platform; monthly recurring donations across six tiers (Emerging $5/month to Major Gifts $5,000+); event-based fundraising via silent auctions at cabaret concerts; and merchandise sales through the company's e-commerce storefront. Distribution is anchored by Theatre Passe Muraille as primary venue partner, supplemented by the Rivoli for cabaret events and Native Earth's Aki Studio Theatre for technical rehearsals. Licensing relationships with Concord Theatricals (Ordinary Days) and Music Theatre International (Merrily We Roll Along) enable performance of standard repertoire. The company has received four Dora Mavor Moore Awards, won the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award in two consecutive years, and was named among Toronto Life's 25 Rising Stars of 2025.

Name

Shifting Ground Collective

Legal name

Shifting Ground Collective

Website

https://shiftinggroundcollective.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Shifting Ground Collective is a Toronto-based not-for-profit arts organization founded in 2022 that produces full-scale musical theatre productions, develops new Canadian musicals, and runs cabaret and community programming for emerging musical theatre artists and Toronto audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre Production

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Musical theatre productions
• New works development
• Cabaret programming
• Community theatre programming
• Live performance arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from full-scale productions of musical theatre favourites and cabaret/concert programming sold through Theatre Passe Muraille's Patronbase ticketing platform.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including tote bags, crewnecks, hoodies, baseball tees, and t-shirts through their e-commerce storefront.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Monthly recurring donations through donor tiers ($5-$100+ monthly) and annual giving campaigns. Also includes revenue from annual silent auctions. Organization is a registered Canadian charity (78318 2827 RR0001) issuing tax receipts for donations.
4. Event-based Fundraising: Annual silent auction events alongside cabaret concerts generate additional fundraising revenue through auction prizes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shifting Ground Collective produces full-scale musical theatre productions of beloved favourites and develops new Canadian musicals through structured developmental processes. It also runs annual cabaret events (Hollywood Harmonies, Postmodern Broadway), a Tranzac Club community residency featuring pub nights, table reads, and new-musical showcases, and sells branded merchandise, with the entire program designed to spotlight emerging musical theatre talent.

Product overview

Shifting Ground Collective is Toronto's home for emerging musical theatre artists, founded in Spring 2022. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected offerings: full-scale productions of beloved musical theatre favourites (including Ordinary Days, Merrily We Roll Along, Spelling Bee, Ride the Cyclone, Drowsy Chaperone, and upcoming Amélie and Once); new works development supporting original Canadian musicals through developmental processes and New Musical Nights programming; concert and cabaret programming including annual events like Hollywood Harmonies and Postmodern Broadway; community programming through the Tranzac Residency; and a merchandise line featuring branded apparel and accessories. The collective is a nationally registered charity offering donor membership tiers from $5/month Emerging to $5000+ Major Gifts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Scale Musical Theatre Productions
• New Works Development
• Hollywood Harmonies (Annual Cabaret)
• Postmodern Broadway (Annual Cabaret)
• Tranzac Club Residency
• Donor Membership Tiers
• Branded Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.5/4 stars from Toronto Star for debut production Ordinary Days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Theatre Passe MuraillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary venue partner for mainstage productions. The Drowsy Chaperone marked the first time in 27 years the show returned to TPM where it debuted before going to Broadway. All major productions staged at Theatre Passe Muraille.
• Tranzac ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-month residency partnership for musical theatre themed community nights including Musical Theatre Pub Nights (second Saturday monthly at 7:30pm), Aged Out Musical Readings (table reads of shows too old to audition for), and New Musical Nights (showcasing works in development).
• Native Earth Performing ArtssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Aki Studio Theatre at 585 Dundas St E used for technical rehearsals of the Amélie production (September 18-20).
• RivolisupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistoric Toronto venue partner for annual cabaret concerts including Hollywood Harmonies and Postmodern Broadway events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TO Live: Toronto's municipal live-performance venue operator running the Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre, and other venues, hosting touring and resident productions. Comparable as a Toronto performing arts venue operator that books musical theatre productions, though at a much larger scale and with a venue-operator business model.
• Mirvish Productions: Toronto's largest commercial theatre producer, presenting Broadway-scale musicals and plays (e.g., at the Princess of Wales Theatre and CAA Theatre). Comparable because both operate in Toronto musical theatre production and rely on licensed titles, but Mirvish is a much larger commercial incumbent rather than an emerging-talent-focused company.
• Tarragon Theatre: Long-established Toronto theatre company producing a season focused on new Canadian plays and works in development. Comparable as a Toronto not-for-profit theatre producer with season programming and an investment in developing new Canadian work, but primarily drama-focused rather than musicals.

Direct peers

• Canadian Stage: One of Canada's largest not-for-profit contemporary performing arts organisations, producing theatre, dance, and music across multiple Toronto venues. Directly comparable as a Toronto-based not-for-profit performing arts producer with season-based programming and ticket-based revenue, though at a much larger scale.
• Soulpepper Theatre Company: Toronto-based not-for-profit theatre company producing a multi-show season at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Directly comparable as a Toronto resident theatre company with a season model, though Soulpepper operates at a substantially larger scale and is more repertory-focused.
• Outside the March: Toronto-based independent theatre company producing ambitious, innovative productions (including site-specific and immersive work). Comparable as a Toronto indie producer with an experimental edge and focus on emerging theatre-makers, similar to Shifting Ground's lottery-storytelling innovation.
• Coal Mine Theatre: Toronto independent theatre company producing a small season of plays and musicals at an intimate venue, with a focus on emerging Canadian talent and innovative staging. Comparable as a small Toronto indie producer with a curated season and emerging-artist focus.
• The Musical Stage Company: Toronto's only dedicated musical theatre company focused on Canadian work, with a developmental mandate for new musicals. Highly comparable as both organisations centre on musical theatre in Toronto with developmental and full-production programming serving emerging artists and writers.
• Bad Hats Theatre: Toronto-based independent theatre company producing new musicals and original Canadian work, including co-productions with larger companies. Closely comparable as a smaller Toronto producer focused on original or reimagined musical theatre for emerging artists.
• Acting Up Stage Company: Toronto-based not-for-profit musical theatre company that produced full-scale and cabaret-style musical productions focused on the Canadian musical theatre canon. Closely comparable as a Toronto not-for-profit musical theatre producer with a similar emerging-talent and Canadian work mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Shifting Ground Collective