Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA)

Established in 1976, the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA) plays a unique role in the community, offering programs and services to support the development of theatre practitioners as artists and administrators, working to strengthen the local theatre industry and building community. 

GVPTA, a non-profit charitable organization which serves as a support system and advocate for theatre and the arts throughout Metro Vancouver and the province of British Columbia, encourages new theatre audiences, provides opportunities for convening, and a forum for the discussion of mutual priorities and concerns within the industry. 

GVPTA members include theatre companies, theatre makers and artists, and other organizations and individuals that support theatre. 

As an arts service organization, the GVPTA is responsible and accountable to the community as a whole; this community extends beyond those working in theatre, crossing disciplines and sectors. By working to remove physical, social, and economic barriers to participation, GVPTA aims to provide programs accessible to all theatre artists and arts workers.

GVPTA’s work includes:

• Advocacy, research, and education to raise awareness of both the value and needs of the theatre and arts sector to stakeholders and the general public. This includes recent research and data collection projects related to the current realities, challenges, and status of the B.C. arts & culture sector. Free webinar series and artist spotlights are curated to cultivate discussions about theatre practices, promote cross-disciplinary conversations, and raise the profile of local theatre-makers. Industry-related news and information, job postings, auditions, funding, and other theatre opportunities are shared online and through its Industry News newsletter. 

• Industry development, offering programs and resources that support learning, professional growth, and capacity building; provide opportunities to convene and forge connections; and develop improvements to workplace culture and wellbeing of the sector, artists and arts workers. This includes the annual Making a Scene theatre conference, webinars, town halls and info sessions, as well as paid learning opportunities for individuals. Some recent opportunities include: 

• The Pathways pilot program, a year-long process that supports arts, culture, and heritage practitioners to learn, reflect and integrate equity and access more deeply into their work, presented with Arts BC, the BC Museums Association, and Rural Arts Inclusion Lab, in partnership with the BC Arts Council;

• REFLECT: ​Radical Empathy For Leaders: ​Equity, Connection, and Time, a funded opportunity for cohort-based learning for underrepresented, equity-deserving individuals to support, develop and enhance leadership in the cultural sector, a joint initiative between The Cultch and GVPTA, in collaboration with the City of Vancouver Cultural Services; and 

• The Hello program, an online platform for theatre performers, designers, stage managers, technical directors, and production managers to get on the radar of theatre hiring personnel. 

• Building community, cultivating relationships across disciplines, sectors, and with the public. GVPTA participates in and convenes a wide variety of conversations, gatherings, committees, working groups, and consultations. 

• Building audiences through GVPTA’s online Theatre Guide, publicly promoting the latest shows on stage across Metro Vancouver.

With an eye toward addressing the current cultural climate and needs of the sector, GVPTA is currently focused on advocating for the industry’s recovery; addressing the gaps in knowledge, education, and training to improve performing arts workplaces; and reducing barriers to access by underrepresented groups.