Here for Now offering Stratford audiences a different theatre experience

Theatre-goers are getting a unique experience at a small 66-seat venue in Stratford, Ont. Jeff Pickel reports.

Stratford, Ont. is known for its stage productions but one independent company, Here For Now Theatre, is offering audiences something a little different.

“We do exclusively one act plays, and it’s all new writing, so it’s either world premieres or Canadian premieres, but it’s all new plays,” explained Siobhan O’Malley, who, along with her on-stage acting roles, is also the marketing coordinator and artistic associate.

The 66-seat theatre on St. Andrew Street also aims to offer a more intimate theatre experience.

“Whenever you come to see a show, you’re never very far away from the performance. You’re literally a couple of feet away, you can hear every breath,” O’Malley added. “So, as an actor, there’s nowhere to hide. You have to be alive in every moment because the audience is right there with you.”

Here for Now Theatre said its 2026 season will feature five productions. Four of them are making their world premieres, and one its Canadian debut.

I am an Island, written by Julia Lederer, is the first play to hit the stage on May 27th.

“It’s about an island that’s sinking into the sea and only one person, the protagonist, knows that everybody needs to move,” said Allison Plamondon, the show’s director, who returns to the Here for Now Theatre after acting in a 2023 production.

She said a smaller budget means the production team has to get creative.

“You’re required to use your imagination. I think that’s really different from, if we had more budget, we could solve it with something that’s really high spectacle. In this way, everybody needs to connect to their imagination.”

Here for Now’s season runs until the end of August. Tickets are available on their website.