Jumblies Theatre
Jumblies Theatre is a Toronto-based not-for-profit arts organization, founded in 2001, that creates and presents radically inclusive community-engaged theatre, choir, residency, and installation programming free of charge, funded by grants and donations and serving GTA residents and communities across Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Jumblies Theatre does
Jumblies Theatre is a Toronto-based, not-for-profit community-engaged arts organization founded in 2001 by Ruth Howard. It creates, supports, and presents radically inclusive arts projects — theatrical productions, multimedia installations, a community choir, artist residencies, and workshops — for residents of the Greater Toronto Area and, more broadly, communities across Canada. As of 2023, the organization operates under the artistic direction of Sharada Eswar from its primary venue, The Ground Floor studio at 132 Fort York Blvd, Toronto. Major multi-year projects include 'blue skies, red earth & tall pines' (2022-2024), the Border Crossing Odyssey (June 2024), and the newly launched 'La-la Land' (2024-25 onward), alongside co-productions such as 'What Was My Backyard?' (with Theatre Direct and Community Arts Guild) and 'Odaabaanag' (with Soundstreams).
Jumblies' core methodology centers on removing barriers to participation: programming is offered free of charge, with no auditions (notably in the long-running Gather Round Singers community choir), learning by ear, and comprehensive accessibility supports including transportation, food, language interpretation, and childcare. The organization runs a Jumblies Artists in Residence (JAR) program providing workspace, mentorship, and professional development to community-engaged artists, and partners with a broad ecosystem of schools, theatres, contemporary-music ensembles (Soundstreams, Continuum Contemporary Music, KasheDance), cultural institutions (Harbourfront Centre, The Bentway Studio), and funders (Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, SOCAN).
The business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than commercially monetized: revenue is derived from public and private grants and from individual donations solicited through the CanadaHelps platform, with all programming offered free to participants. Distribution is via direct engagement at The Ground Floor, touring productions to schools and partner venues, and word-of-mouth through community networks. The organization is currently hiring its first General Manager, indicating ongoing professionalization as it enters its 26th season.
Jumblies Theatre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Jumblies Theatre
- Legal name
- Jumblies Theatre
- Website
- https://jumbliestheatre.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Jumblies Theatre is a Toronto-based not-for-profit arts organization, founded in 2001, that creates and presents radically inclusive community-engaged theatre, choir, residency, and installation programming free of charge, funded by grants and donations and serving GTA residents and communities across Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Jumblies Theatre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Performing Arts
- NAICS
- Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI), Media Arts & Performance (Film, Stagecraft, Lighting, Sound) (EDAMAAAJ), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)
Keywords
Where Jumblies Theatre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Jumblies Theatre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Jumblies relies heavily on donations from the public, accepting contributions through CanadaHelps platform for their campaigns.
- Government and Foundation Grants: Funded by public and private sources including Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and other institutional funders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Free | Free community choir participation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Jumblies Theatre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Jumblies Theatre creates and presents radically inclusive community-engaged arts programming in Toronto and across Canada, including free community choir rehearsals, multi-year multi-arts projects (e.g., La-la Land, blue skies, red earth & tall pines), touring theatrical productions, multimedia installations, artist residencies (JAR), and recurring workshops (e.g., puppet repair clinic, weaving drop-ins). Programming is delivered free to participants at The Ground Floor studio and at partner venues and schools.
Product overview
Jumblies Theatre is a community arts organization that does not operate a software product. Instead, it offers a portfolio of arts programs, productions, and community engagement initiatives. The core offerings include La-la Land (multi-year sleep exploration project), the Gather Round Singers community choir, and various artist residency programs. The organization creates theatrical productions, multimedia installations, and educational programming for radically inclusive community engagement. The Ground Floor at 132 Fort York Blvd serves as the primary venue for programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- La-la Land Multi-year, multi-arts exploration of sleep including its disturbances, rituals, settings, and dreams, with weaving workshops and community artmaking activities for diverse community members in Toronto.
- Gather Round Singers Radically inclusive community choir for singers of mixed ages, abilities, and backgrounds, with weekly rehearsals at The Ground Floor studio in Toronto and no audition required. Operates free of charge with comprehensive accessibility supports.
- lines between things Multimedia installation presenting visual and audio artwork created through the blue skies, red earth & tall pines project, featuring hundreds of comics about border crossing experiences, presented as a retrospective exhibition.
- Jesse's Puppet Repair Clinic Weekly puppet repair workshop hosted by Jesse Wabegijig at Jumblies, inviting puppet clinicians and makers to repair, disassemble, and rebuild puppets as a recurring community arts program.
- What Was My Backyard? Interactive musical show co-produced with Theatre Direct and Community Arts Guild, exploring Indigenous lives and lands through music, movement, and puppetry based on 11,000-year-old footprints discovered under Lake Ontario, touring to schools and communities.
- Odaabaanag Suite of musical compositions by Melody McKiver and Beverley McKiver, co-commissioned with Soundstreams, expressing experiences before, during, and escaping from residential school, premiered at Harbourfront Centre in 2019.
- Jumblies Artists in Residence (JAR) Artist residency program bringing artists to The Ground Floor to develop and share new community-engaged projects, with mentorship from senior artists and dedicated support from the Ontario Arts Council.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multi-year projects spanning 2022-2024
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Jumblies Theatre
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Jumblies Theatre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Jumblies Theatre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Theatre DirectcoreCo-produced 'What Was My Backyard?' interactive musical show with Jumblies Theatre, developed to tour to schools and communities. The collaboration enabled educational outreach through theatre programming.
- Community Arts GuildcoreCo-produced 'What Was My Backyard?' with Theatre Direct and Community Arts Guild. Partnership brings theatre programming to schools across Toronto.
- SoundstreamscoreCo-commissioned Odaabaanag musical suite by Melody McKiver and Beverley McKiver. This collaboration across community arts and contemporary music led to premiere at Harbourfront Centre in 2019.
- The Rose Theatre, BramptonminorPartnered with The Rose Theatre for Forest Stories workshop series presentation in Brampton, with elder Cat Criger and tree scientist leading participants on forest walks.
- Broadening HorizonsminorPartnered with Broadening Horizons for Forest Stories project presentation, alongside funding from Ontario Arts Council.
- KasheDancecorePartner for 'songs from the edges' concert featuring dance piece inspired by the Epic of the Ramayana performed by Jumblies youth dance group in partnership with KasheDance.
- City ChoirminorGuest performer at 'songs from the edges' concert as part of the border crossing odyssey events.
- Harbourfront CentrecorePresented premiere of Odaabaanag at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto in November 2019, co-produced with Soundstreams.
- No Borders Voices/Debaser/Ottawa New Music CreationsminorPartnered for Odaabaanag remount in Ottawa in June 2022, bringing together musicians from Ottawa and Toronto.
- The Bentway StudiominorVenue partner for Odaabaanag Song Cycle Toronto remount in December 2022.
- Continuum Contemporary MusicminorPast performance partner for Gather Round Singers, collaborating on newly-commissioned works for over a decade.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Jumblies Theatre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- KasheDance: Toronto dance company partnering with Jumblies on 'songs from the edges'. Comparable as a Toronto performing-arts company with community-engaged programming and youth involvement.
- Theatre Direct: Toronto-based theatre company focused on work for young audiences; co-produced 'What Was My Backyard?' with Jumblies. Directly comparable as a community-engaged, education-touring peer in the same city and segment.
- Mammalian Diving Reflex: Toronto research-art organization known for community-engaged, socially inclusive performance projects. Closely comparable to Jumblies in methodology, scale, and Toronto community-arts positioning.
- Soundstreams: Toronto contemporary music organization that co-commissioned Jumblies' 'Odaabaanag'. Comparable as a Toronto performing-arts partner with overlapping community, choral, and contemporary-music programming.
- Why Not Theatre: Toronto-based indie theatre company producing boundary-crossing, multi-disciplinary, internationally collaborative work. Comparable in spirit of inclusive, genre-blending Toronto theatre practice.
- Native Earth Performing Arts: Toronto Indigenous theatre company producing work on Indigenous lands and stories. Comparable to Jumblies' 'What Was My Backyard?' and 'Odaabaanag' projects in centering Indigenous voices through community-engaged practice.
- The Theatre Centre: Toronto venue and incubator for experimental, community-engaged theatre. Comparable as a small-scale Toronto hub combining creation, presentation, and community programming.
Regional players
- SummerWorks Performance Festival: Toronto festival platform supporting experimental and community-engaged performance work. Comparable in supporting small-scale, innovative Toronto live-art makers and audiences.
Emerging players
- Article 11: Toronto-based platform for socially engaged, participatory art practice. Comparable to Jumblies in its emphasis on community-engaged methodology and inclusive participation.
- Workman Arts: Toronto arts organization supporting artists with lived experience of mental health and addiction. Comparable to Jumblies in the 'radically inclusive' framing of who gets to participate in art-making.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Jumblies Theatre social profiles
Digital presenceJumblies Theatre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Jumblies Theatre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Jumblies Theatre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Jumblies Theatre M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Jumblies Theatre
What does Jumblies Theatre do?
Jumblies Theatre creates and presents radically inclusive community-engaged arts programming in Toronto and across Canada, including free community choir rehearsals, multi-year multi-arts projects (e.g., La-la Land, blue skies, red earth & tall pines), touring theatrical productions, multimedia installations, artist residencies (JAR), and recurring workshops (e.g., puppet repair clinic, weaving drop-ins). Programming is delivered free to participants at The Ground Floor studio and at partner venues and schools.
Is Jumblies Theatre a public or private company?
Jumblies Theatre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Jumblies Theatre founded?
Jumblies Theatre was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Jumblies Theatre based?
Jumblies Theatre is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Jumblies Theatre make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are government and Foundation Grants.
Who are Jumblies Theatre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are KasheDance, Theatre Direct, Mammalian Diving Reflex, Soundstreams, Why Not Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts and The Theatre Centre. SummerWorks Performance Festival is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Article 11 and Workman Arts.
Does Jumblies Theatre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Jumblies Theatre.
What industry is Jumblies Theatre in?
Jumblies Theatre's product category is Community Performing Arts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAB, Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies, with a secondary code of MPAGABAE, Children’s & Youth Theatre. Its NAICS code is 711110 and its SIC code is 7900.