As our first season wraps, we’re reflecting with pride on a remarkable year of new Canadian musical theatre—full of creativity, collaboration, and momentum.

Launched in 2024, the National Centre for New Musicals (NCNM) at Theatre Aquarius is a bold initiative dedicated to developing original Canadian musicals in Hamilton, Ontario. 

With generous support from the Incite Foundation for the Arts, five exceptional projects were chosen for our inaugural cohort. Each took meaningful steps forward this year with the support of our dramaturgs, music supervisors, cast members and creative partners.

OUT

By Ian Chan, Kalos Chu, and JuHye Mun

This heartfelt coming-of-age musical explores friendship, identity, and connection. After a development week in New York with Broadway Music Supervisor Lily Ling (Hell’s Kitchen) and Stratford Festival Director Esther Jun, the OUT team dove into a two-week workshop at Theatre Aquarius. With a stellar cast and creative team, they shared an excerpt with a packed studio theatre and a national Zoom audience, marking a major milestone.

The Pryce Academy

By Mazin Elsadig & Philip McKee

Set in a contemporary prep school, this bold, genre-defying work dives headfirst into race, capitalism, and the ghosts of the institution’s past—all through the lens of a musical-within-a-musical. Following months of intensive rewrites, the creative team gathered for a high-energy two-week workshop led by co-directors Elsadig and McKee, music supervisor Wayne Gwillim, and dramaturg Natasha Mumba, joined by a powerhouse cast. The workshop exploded with creativity and culminated in an exciting presentation of scenes and songs that propelled the piece to an entirely new level.

Clown Riot

By Christo Graham & Tyrone Savage

This bold rock opera—based on the true story of a 19th-century clown riot in Toronto—continued to take shape with a story-focused workshop in the fall. In early 2025, the creative team held a movement workshop in Stratford with director and choreographer Stephanie Graham to explore how the show could tell its story through movement. They also released a concept album online, giving audiences an exciting first taste of the show’s powerful rock-opera score.

The 7 Fires

By Dillan Chiblow & Landon Doak: Part of our Incubation Stream. 

The 7 Fires, supported by dramaturg Mary Francis Moore, has undergone deep, thoughtful development as it explores themes of identity, culture, and reclamation rooted in Anishinaabe storytelling and song. An exciting new partnership with another Ontario theatre company will help carry the project into its next phase in winter 2026. Stay tuned for that announcement.

Limerick Gaolbreak

By Sarah Wilson & Mike Ross: Part of our Incubation Stream.

Limerick Gaolbreak writers Mike Ross and Sarah Wilson are hard at work shaping their story. Set against the backdrop of a 19th-century Irish prison and inspired by a real historical escape, Limerick Gaolbreak follows nine spirited women who, driven by resilience and rebellion, conspire to sing their way to freedom—blending folk, humour, and rebellion into a vibrant theatrical escape plan. The team is currently focused on building the show’s narrative architecture, musical language, and ensemble voice, laying the groundwork for future workshops and development.

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It’s been a thrilling first year for NCNM—filled with music, bold storytelling, and meaningful growth. We are incredibly proud of the five projects that shaped this inaugural season and all the artists who brought them to life.

We’ll be announcing our next NCNM cohort soon, and we can’t wait to welcome a new group of writers to Hamilton as we continue building a national home for new Canadian musical theatre.

Visit theatreaquarius.org.