Our History
Celebrating over 20 years of Suitcase in Point
Suitcase in Point was founded in 2001 when a handful of graduates of Brock University’s Dramatic Arts program committed to stay in Niagara and build careers as artists. We worked on a project-to-project basis before incorporating as a not-for-profit in 2007, enabling us to program a full season of activity. To date, Suitcase in Point has created and produced eighteen new Canadian plays, and presented over 40 cabaret sketch comedy shows and special events, including In the Soil Arts Festival, now in its fourteenth year.
Suitcase in Point has received awards from past Local View magazine readers (‘Best Theatre Company’, ‘Best Comedy Troupe’), and the City of St. Catharines’ Trillium Arts Award for ‘Innovation in the Arts’ (2008, 2011). We have twice been featured in the Canadian Theatre Review, the major magazine of record for Canadian Theatre (CTR 143 Summer 2010; CTR 150 Spring 2012).
In 2014, Suitcase in Point was nominated for a Dora Award for Best Touring Production with The Keith Richards One Woman Show. This show went on to tour Western Canada, was presented at international theatre festival, High Performance Rodeo and was featured on CBC’s international program Q.
In October 2014, Suitcase in Point moved from our studio space in the historic Harris Building to the 3rd Floor of the Oddfellows Union Lodge. It is located in the heart of downtown on James Street and is one block away from the site of the new Performing Arts Centre and Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. In honour of Michael Green, a dear friend and mentor who passed away in February 2015, we named our space The Green.