The Purple Stage is a professional neuro-diverse theatre company. It’s a space for Purple Carrots alumni to take their work to the next level!
The Purple Stage projects are generously supported by the Toronto Arts Council and community donations – click below to donate today.
The Purple Stage presents…
WAITING FOR COFFEE
Part of the 2025 Toronto Fringe Festival
Two women in their 40’s waiting, waiting, waiting.
The Purple Stage is a neurodiverse theatre company of artists with complex disabilities, which began in 2019 from Purple Carrots Drama Studio. This year’s theatrical experiment blends neurotypical performers and neurodivergent performers in an absurd play about WAITING.
What are you waiting for?
July 2 – 6:15pm
July 4 – 6:15pm
July 5 – 2:15pm
July 6 – 2:00pm
30 Bridgman Avenue – Tarragon Theatre Extra Space
Written and Directed by
STARLIGHT
Developed with the Company
Featuring
Devin Harrington
Kyle Leung
Robin Chase
Steph Crothers
Dramaturgy
Eliza Martin
Stage Management
Aaheli Mukherjee
Territorial Acknowledgement Support
Carmen Alvis
Anishinaabemowin Language Keeper
Awanigiizhik Bruce
Vocal Coach
Fides Krucker
PAST PROJECTS
Our first project was an original show Here We Are, which premiered in December 2019 at Array Space in Toronto. In this project, six Purple Carrots artists shared their dreams, wishes, fantasies and realities in a roller-coaster performance of song, poetry, rap, dance and scene work. We had a sold-out run and the show was very well received by our community.
MIND THE UMBRELLAS!
Part of the Toronto Fringe Festival 2024
Mind the Gap! Mind the Umbrellas! Come with me to New York City! I have the perfect shoes.
Based around five umbrellas and a clothing rack, this physical theatre show is an absurd and honest fever dream. Five neurodiverse artists traverse ambitions and desires in the face of reality. Each stop along the way is a portal to song, dance, and surprising characters.
The Purple Stage is a professional theatre company for Purple Carrots Drama Studio alumni with varying and complex disabilities.
With support from Toronto Arts Council, R.A.R.E. Theatre Company and Modern Times Stage Company. A special thank you to our community of donors.
Created and Performed by
Devin Harrington
Kyle Leung
Melvin Sanchez Caba
Mitchell Daw
Robin Chase
Directed by
Jordan Campbell
Steph Crothers
Eliza Martin
In Partnership with Purple Carrots Drama Studio
With support from Alana Perri
ARE YOU MY FRIEND?
Are You My Friend? was our first fully virtual production and premiered in 2021. At the beginning of the year, we made this beautiful film together. We were in the harshest of COVID lockdowns, we could not gather. We worked hard over Zoom, we shared our feelings and ideas about friendship, and we made a really wonderful time capsule of this strange time in our community. Plus, our film was featured at the Pegasus International Film Festival in October 2022!
ALLIGATOR QUEEN UMBRELLA
Our 2022 Purple Stage project, ALLIGATOR QUEEN UMBRELLA was our first show IN-PERSON after the pandemic at Array Space, December 8-10, 2022! Seemingly simple, yet deeply fantastical. This show is a quirky multidisciplinary journey of song, dance and scene inspired by the creative company. Join 5 neurodiverse artists from The Purple Carrots community as they transform small objects into poignant and unexpected moments on The Purple Stage.
I DONT MIND THE GAP!
Our 2023 Purple Stage project, I DONT MIND THE GAP! has made it’s way into 2024 with a revamped version of the show as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival.
INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?
We hold an audition process when it’s time to add new performers to our team. Working as a performer-creator in The Purple Stage is a paid position, and requires more commitment than Purple Carrots programming. For this reason, we only take on artists who we feel are ready for this kind of process, and who we have worked within a minimum of 3 recent Purple Carrots workshop series.
The Purple Stage is all about inclusion & accessibility for our community, and we design the process around our artists’ needs. If you are interested, we would love to hear from you and talk about how we could work together in the future.
For more information please contact the Purple Stage Artistic Director, Jordan Campbell.
Contact Jordan at purplestageperformance@gmail.com