“DaPoPo Theatre was founded in 2004 by Garry Williams and Howard Beye as the in-house company as a by-product of starting the Bus Stop Theatre. Our inaugural production was the collaborative creation Four Actors in Search of a Nation (2004). This year, we presented Jay Whitehead’s play 333, our original musical revue So… What ELSE About Love? at the Halifax Fringe Festival, and the annual DaPoPo Live-In Festival—LIF(e) at The Nest.
Our mandate is to create challenging and innovative theatrical productions and experiences; to stimulate, educate and entertain through a variety of theatrical forms and performance styles; offer training, experience and performance opportunities to artists at all stages of their development/career; encourage collaboration and the dissemination of new work; and explore radically queer stories. Our name derives from being da-ring, po-litically engaged, po-etically-minded, dedicated to working within an artist-focused, po-pular theatre tradition.
We currently operate a collaborative arts hub The Nest on Quinpool Road with a core group including Ivy Abbott-Charles, Kristi Anderson, James Thornton, and Garry Williams, as well as a blush of project-specific collaborators, associate artists, and fellow Nesters.”
We asked Artistic Director Garry Williams a few questions so members could learn more about DaPoPo Theatre:
What is the driving force behind your company’s mission? What impact do you hope to have on your audience and the artistic community?
The driving force behind our company’s mission is, perhaps, the idea of play—playfully building community by sustaining a fun and lively cultural practice. Discovery, exploration, and an element of risk have always been key to our work. We hold high the social and cultural value of art and community, and we believe it can be fun. We hope to exchange ideas, cross-fertilize, grow, and build connections between people through discussion, participation, and collaboration.
Every theatre company has its standout productions that linger in the hearts of the audience. Could you share a memorable Atlantic Canadian production from your company’s repertoire? What made it special, and how did it resonate with both the team and the audience?
One of our stand-out productions was Café DaPoPo, described as “theatre á la carte”. Our original venue was Mollyz Diner, but we have performed Café DaPoPo in various bars and restaurants since. Audiences sit at tables and order performances—songs, scenes, monologues, improvisation, puppets, etc—from a specially created menu. The orders are delivered to their table or make use of found spaces in the venue. The material ranges from canonical texts through performance art to original material. Every performance is distinct in its delivery, unrepeatable, blending a playful sense of chaotic energy with the magic of arresting and memorable performances, and encouraging a high degree of interaction between the audience and team. Some of our favourite memories include performing tender art songs with puppets; full-company, room-encompassing musical numbers; long-form character improvisations; special events in collaboration with Mayworks and Pride; and our sold-out, celebrated run at the Freies Museum Berlin and Museum FLUXUS+ in Potsdam.
How has PARC impacted and/or supported your company and its growth?
PARC has generously supported our company in the development of new work and mentored many of our members. Some of our PARC-supported projects—two of which originated at the PARC Retreat—include Four Actors In Search of a Nation; Apocalypse 2006/9; So… What About Love?; Jesus Is A Faggot; the musical KAMP (book by Jamie Bradley); Malleus Maleficarum; The HAL Project; and So… What ELSE About Love? PARC has also been a long-term supporter of our Live-In Festival—LIF(e)’s script series, making it possible for artists to have first readings of new works with mediated talk backs. Many of these works have since been professionally produced and/or toured, while others are in development. PARC has helped our members grow as playwrights, dramaturgs, and readers, and make valuable connections with emerging and established artists.
Is there a new Atlantic Canadian Production or any other future event you want to highlight and share with our audience? Please provide a description and as most details as possible (including links for tickets or registration, if needed).
We want to highlight Jay Whitehead’s play 333, winner of the 2026 Jenny Munday Award, nominated for a PEI Arts Award, which DaPoPo co-presented last summer on a Maritime Tour to critical and popular acclaim. The production starred Diego Guerrero, John Tasker, and Jay Whitehead, and was directed by Garry Williams, with lighting and set designed by Ian McFarlane, costumes designed by Diego Cavedon Dias, sound designed by Aaron Collier, with fight choreography by Dylan Brentwood. Set against the shadow of Toronto’s infamous 1981 bathhouse raids (known to police as Operation Soap) the play 333 tells the story of three fictional men who are caught up in them: Honey, an aging queen with secrets to hide; Darren, a closeted married man; and Eddy, a long-suffering bathhouse employee and recent immigrant to Canada. Three men, three experiences, three reactions. What will happen to these individuals discovered in room 333 during one of the largest mass arrests in Canadian history? With sharp wit, theatrical designs, and an unapologetic queerness, 333 challenges audiences to reflect on how far we’ve come in Canada—and how far we still have to go. Though there are no confirmed dates or venues, we hope to continue our tour of the 2026 production in 2027/28.