Green Thumb Theatre creates and produces plays that explore social issues relevant to the lives of children, youth, and young adults. We provide theatre that celebrates the language and stories of today’s generation and culture to stimulate empathy, debate, and critical thinking.
To produce excellent material that is rewarding for artists and audiences alike by valuing youth engagement and artistic integrity, and by presenting content that is reflective of youth’s lived experiences.
Green Thumb Theatre was founded in 1975 to develop original Canadian plays for young audiences. Since that time, Green Thumb has emerged as one of Canada’s leading theatre companies for young people, producing exceptional and engaging material for audiences and artists, and contributing to the growing body of work evolving in this field. Green Thumb demonstrates a new excitement and potential for theatre for children, youth, and young adults. With more than four decades of quality award-winning productions, Green Thumb Theatre is still at the forefront of the Theatre in Education movement, using the emotional impact of live performance to educate and empower young people. We challenge our audience to re-examine their beliefs and prejudices, and to define their feelings and aspirations. Green Thumb believes that young Canadians face the same scope of issues, problems, concerns, and interests that adults do; however, many young people are disempowered from effectively confronting difficult or complex situations, a result of societal, systemic, or cultural beliefs and discrimination. As Canadian society diversifies, it is more important than ever that people respect each other and each other’s differences.
As Green Thumb Theatre approaches its 50th anniversary, we remain committed to creating exceptional theatre that speaks to the experiences, challenges, and aspirations of children, youth, and young adults. Since 1975, Green Thumb has been a leader in theatre for young audiences, producing original Canadian works that encourage empathy, debate, critical thinking, and meaningful dialogue on the social issues that shape young people’s lives. The 2025–2028 Strategic Plan reaffirms this commitment while recognizing the opportunities and challenges facing the arts sector today. Changing audience needs, increasing financial pressures, evolving accessibility expectations, and the growing importance of equity and inclusion require organizations to be both adaptable and purposeful. Green Thumb’s strategy for the next three years focuses on strengthening the organization while ensuring that artistic excellence and youth engagement remain at the heart of everything we do.
The plan identifies four interconnected priorities that will guide our work.
Financial Planning focuses on strengthening organizational resilience through diversified revenue sources, responsible fiscal management, and sustained investment in artists, staff, and contractors.
Business and Outreach Model focuses on expanding access to Green Thumb’s work, deepening relationships with communities and stakeholders, enhancing educational programming, and exploring new opportunities to extend our impact locally, nationally, and internationally.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility focuses on ensuring that our programming, leadership, practices, and partnerships reflect the diversity of the communities we serve while fostering accountability, accessibility, and meaningful engagement with Indigenous and marginalized communities.
Facilities Development focuses on maximizing the potential of the Schoolhouse facilities through strategic stewardship, increased community use, accessibility improvements, and sustainable long-term planning.
These priorities are supported by the strength of Green Thumb’s Board, staff, artists, and community partners, whose expertise and commitment continue to drive the organization forward. Together, they support our core work of commissioning, developing, producing, and touring exceptional theatre for young audiences.
By pursuing these priorities over the coming years, Green Thumb will strengthen its financial sustainability, broaden its community impact, deepen its commitment to equity and accessibility, and ensure that future generations continue to experience theatre that reflects their realities and inspires understanding, connection, and change.
Shannon Maung | General Manager
Anita Rochon| Artistic Director
Green Thumb Theatre’s core priorities remain the commissioning, development and touring of exceptional theatre for children, youth, and young adults. Additional priorities are educational workshops, international touring, and rental opportunities at our facility at the Schoolhouse.
Over the years, Green Thumb has identified three areas of the organization as ones that need to be continually monitored and maintained, considering the guiding principles listed below:
Green Thumb Theatre’s Board of Directors reflect a diverse array of community members. Largely a governance board, there are long-standing members with a historical knowledge of the organization, able to share that knowledge with newer members. The Board is collegial and dedicated to the work of Green Thumb Theatre.
Green Thumb Theatre’s staff brings real-life experience working in live theatre and in the arts and culture sector to the organization, with specializations in touring, producing, commissioning and education. Green Thumb is actively implementing and supporting emerging leadership in all facets of the organization.
While we will continue to explore additional programming and activities as laid out in our strategic priorities for the coming three years, our core live touring programming remains the cornerstone of the organization.
We have identified four key areas of the organization’s work still requiring further development over the next three years. These key areas are intrinsically linked to one another and support all aspects of the organization. Development in these areas will be integral to maintaining a sustainable organization for the decades to come.
Strengthen the company’s financial position by continuing to diversify our revenue sources
Evolve its business model to be diverse and responsive to the current and emerging needs of its audiences and stakeholders
To continue the work in these areas to ensure the organization follows equitable practices and is a leader in the sector
To fully utilize the facilities of the Schoolhouse buildings for programming and rentals
1.) Focus on potential areas of fund and revenue development, such as planned giving, while continuing to increase monthly donors and long-term funding relationships with corporate and private partners.
2.) Continue the commitment to maintain a long-term, sustainable, balanced budget within the revenue and expenditures approved by the Board.
3.) Diversify our funding sources to supplement our current funding and focus on building greater financial resilience.
4.) Continue to prioritize artist and contractor wages above industry minimums, and to support advocacy of fair and equitable wages across the sector.
1.) Look for opportunities to make secondary schools shows more accessible by formalizing a subsidy fund when approaching sponsors.
2.) Extend the impact of our work by piloting and developing educational initiatives
3.) Develop and strengthen relationships with local, remote, and rural communities in order to support connections to the benefit of both the organization and the community-at-large.
4.) Explore the revenue opportunities of public performances.
5.) Innovate with intention—pushing boundaries while staying grounded in our core values and purpose.
6.) Re-invigorate national and international relationships (regarding different ways of touring).
1.) Produce programming that reflects the diverse social location* of British Columbia and Canadian audiences.
2.) Expand models for new play development and production leadership to make space for diverse ways of knowing and working.
3.) Work to create collaborative relationships with the Indigenous communities whose lands we tour to and operate on in order to ensure best practices.
4.) Continue the Racial Equity Advisory Committee, led by Green Thumb leadership, board, and community members, for the purposes of creating organizational accountability.
5.) Commit to further annual EDI and accessibility workshops and training for the staff and board.
6.) Work to create collaborative relationships with marginalized communities that we serve in order to ensure we maintain best practices.
7.) Prioritize the well-being of our artists and staff, recognizing that meaningful work is only possible in an environment of trust, respect and support.
* Social location is an all-encompassing term to reflect age, disability, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, Indigenous versus settler, nationality, gender, gender orientation, and/or intersectionality.
1.) Continue providing market rentals within the theatre community, and seek out new rental clients from other arts and cultural sectors.
2.) Refresh rental subsidy program for qualified applicants, as appropriate.
3.) Build and finance a maintenance schedule to protect the long-term use and condition of the buildings.
4.) Deepen our relationship with the Vancouver School Board as Green Thumb’s landlord.
5.) Continue to make Green Thumb’s facilities fully accessible to all members of the community.
Green Thumb's offices are located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. As a touring company, Green Thumb Theatre’s work often takes place throughout the traditional homelands of most of the Indigenous Nations and cultures across British Columbia and beyond.
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