Shakespeare in the Ruff

Our final Build-a-Bard media club of the season features guest dramaturg Mollie Garrett and one iconic album.

Register via Zeffy: http://shakespeareintheruff.com/build-a-bard-2026/.

Before the Eras Tour, before the rerecord project, before becoming a billionaire there was “reputation." Come and listen to Taylor Swift's sixth studio album, an album that is equally the most misunderstood and most celebrated in her body of work. Let's dig into the dramaturgy of an album born out of mass cancellation, and find the vulnerable love story at its core. This Build-A-Bard will dive deep into this album, but will also invite a broader conversation about songwriting, album curation, and the joys and pitfalls of constant creative output within a career.

About Mollie Garrett:
Mollie Garrett is a playwright and dramaturge based in Toronto. As an artist Garrett is interested in text-based creation processes and the inclusion of accessibility dramaturgy in the creative process. She is curious about how audience engagement is considered during the creation process and believes that joy and humor can be our most radical tools for change. In 2018 she completed an MA in playwriting and Dramaturgy at RADA and stayed in London until the pandemic brought her home to Toronto. Her playwriting has been supported across Ontario by the TAC, OAC, Theatre Gargantua, Tottering Biped Theatre, Nightwood Theatre, Green Light Arts, and Tarragon Theatre. She had been produced within the larger anthology works of Urban ARTeries (Theatre Gargantua) and Play This: Hamilton (Tottering Biped Theatre). In 2023 with support from the TAC, Green Light Arts and Tarragon Theatre she completed her first full-length play and hosted a workshop and reading at Factory Theatre. While living in London she started two new-work festivals under the banner, The Search for Blue Theatre and assisted in the curation and facilitation of dozens of emerging playwright's creation processes as Festival Dramaturge. She has facilitated new play, production and adaptation dramaturgy processes on numerous projects, supporting artists and creative processes at Theatre Gargantua, Landor Space, CentrE17, Theatre Royal Haymarket and Camden People's Theatre. Most recently she was the Festival Dramaturge for Fresh meat Fest (2025) in Ottawa, and Assisstant Dramaturge on Public Consumption (Lester Trips, 2025) at Factory Theatre. She sits on the Board of Directors for LMDA (Canada).

Build-a-Bard is generously supported by East End Arts and LMDA Canada.

We made it to a five-hour marathon! Shall we try for six? 👀 Join us June 13 at to watch this durational piece unfold! All donations support our new youth program The Garden Initiative, in partnership with .

Donate via our linktree.

Calling everyone who loves love! Ruff’s Build-a-Bard media club returns next week with a screening of Gregg Araki’s 1999 film Splendor. If you’ve ever thought, “This classic love story’s problems could have been solved by polyamory,” then this movie is for you!

Wednesday May 27
6:30-9pm at East End Arts' St. Matthew’s Clubhouse (450 Broadview Ave.)
Free (register via the link below, or just drop in!)

Snacks and beverages provided. A brief discussion will follow the screening.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/build-a-bard--2026

The hurly-burly’s not done yet! After postponing Marathon Macbeth due to illness, we're gearing up again for the madness! We're very close to a 5-hour marathon, and we have the next month to try and reach our 7-hour maximum! Click the link below for our Zeffy fundraising page and help us hit our $5000 goal. And join us Saturday June 13th at 1:30pm at Video Cabaret to watch it all unfold! All proceeds support THE GARDEN INITIATIVE, our new outreach program for young mothers.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/marathon-macbeth

💥 This morning Ruff collective member, Patricia Allison (right), co-led a workshop at the Stratford Festival with the brilliant Lois Adamson (left). Lois was the founder of the Young RUFFian Apprenticeship Program back in 2013 and now leads education at the Festival. She is a brilliant educator and generous soul!

For the fourth year in a row, Shakespeare in the Ruff is proud to provide on-site childcare for our summer team. We’re looking for a fun, responsible caregiver to lead what we affectionately call Camp Ruff!

Check out the complete call, including schedule and fee, on our website:

http://shakespeareintheruff.com/were-hiring-summer-caregiver/

Our first Build-a-Bard May 20 will focus on Alice Wu's 2004 film Saving Face!

In early aughts New York, a Chinese-American woman balances a blossoming q***r romance with her tenuous relationship with her mother.

We'll watch the film and use it as the basis for some dramaturgy chats and exercises.

6:30-9pm at the St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Thank you to East End Arts and LMDA Canada for their generous support of this event!

Sign up via Zeffy:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/build-a-bard--2026

Build-a-Bard is back for 2026!

These free, drop-in creative skill-building sessions are geared toward writers and dramaturgs who want to gain fresh perspectives on their craft. Come join facilitator Nathaniel Hanula-James for a chill evening of conversation, snacks, and exercises about the craft of dramatic writing.

Inspired by our mainstage adaptation of As You Like It, this spring’s Build-a-Bard sessions will be focused on love and romance! Each session, we’ll screen or listen to a non-theatre artwork, discuss it, and use it as dramaturgical inspiration.

May 20
Film — Saving Face, by Alice Wu (2004)

May 27
Film — Splendor, by Gregg Araki (1999).

June 3
TBD — hosted by special guest and dramaturg extraordinaire Mollie Garrett

Where: East End Arts’ St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Avenue in Toronto on the eastern edge of Riverdale Park.

When: 6:30-9pm May 20, May 27, and June 3

Register for free on Zeffy to sign up. (Max 25 participants per session, age 18+)
https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/build-a-bard--2026

Build-a-Bard 2026 is generally supported by East End Arts, and is in partnership with Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) Canada.

Announcing a new date for Marathon Macbeth! We've rescheduled our durational performance-slash-fundraiser to Saturday June 13 at Video Cabaret.

We're endlessly grateful to the folks at Video Cabaret for their support of this project, and to our creative dream team of Kwaku Okyere, Christine Horne, Dan Mousseau, and Jacob Beecher! All donations to Marathon Macbeth will continue to support Ruff's new youth program in partnership with the June Callwood Centre for Young Women: The Garden Initative, for young mothers aged 24 and under.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/marathon-macbeth

Unfortunately, we have to postpone today’s performance at Video Cabaret due to an unexpected illness in the creative team.

Rest assured that Marathon Macbeth will still happen this spring! Stay tuned for information about a new performance date.

All the funds we raise through Marathon Macbeth will still support The Garden Initiative, Ruff’s new outreach program for young parents under 24 years of age.

Enjoy your weekend and stay tuned for updates on the Marathon. And a huge thank you to everyone who has supported our youth initiative!