Associated Designers of Canada

08/05/2026

Welcome to OFFSTAGE – Episode 9: Scrappy & CourageousIn this conv...

06/24/2026

🚨 Attention all designers! Design Futures: ADC's National Mentorship Program is now accepting applications!

This program is a unique, paid mentoring experience created by designers, for designers. The application is done by the mentee. The mentee will have contacted a Full ADC659 member as a dedicated mentor and identified at least one of the mentor's projects to work on, from initial design discussions through opening night. The mentee and mentor will determine the nature of the working relationship based on each mentee's needs and desired learning outcomes. Mentees will receive a $2,500 fee, and mentors will receive an honorarium of $750.

To learn more and apply, visit: https://designers.ca/programs/mentorship-program/.
Applications close: July 15th, 2026

(Image artwork by Denyse Karn)

06/23/2026

📣 Applications are now OPEN for our Design in Action: ADC’s National Assistant Designer Program! This program supports Full ADC659 Designers in hiring emerging or early-career designers as assistants on professional live performance productions. Full ADC659 Designers across the country are encouraged to apply to hire an Assistant Designer.

Assistants are provided with $27.50/hour, up to a maximum of $ 3,300 or 120 hours per Assistantship.

Applications are open to all, with priority given to those who identify as Indigenous, Black, Person of Colour, 2SLGBTQIAP, Deaf, Person with Disabilities, women, or who identify with intersections of any of the above—applications close: July 15th, 2026.

Learn more and apply at https://designers.ca/programs/design-in-action-adc-national-assistant-design-program/

(Image artwork by Denyse Karn)

06/09/2026

The summer edition of Drinks With Designers (DWD) is happening soon, with events taking place across the country from June 14 to 22. IATSE Local ADC659 will once again be providing nibbles! Check the graphics to find the location and time nearest you!

Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to connect with your local theatre community. Everyone is welcome!

06/08/2026

Congratulations to Susan Benson - Set and Costume Designer and painter - on her Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award! The GGPPA's were presented on June 5th during a ceremony at Rideau Hall.

Susan Benson, C.M. – Set and costume designer and painter

05/18/2026

🌟 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS 🌟
The 2026 Siminovitch Prize, Canada’s most valuable theatre prize, begins with a peer nomination. Who will you put forward?
The $100,000 Siminovitch Prize honours a groundbreaking mid-career theatre artist whose work demonstrates compelling vision, artistic excellence, and transformative impact, and whose artistic journey is still growing.
This year, playwrights, directors, DESIGNERS, and multidisciplinary creators are all eligible. The award recognizes theatre artists who are breaking new ground and advancing the art form, and enables them to grow, develop, and expand their distinctive artistic practice.
Nominate an outstanding mid-career artist whose vision and work are transforming Canadian stages.
📅 Nominations close June 1, 2026.
💡 Learn more and submit a nomination: https://siminovitchprize.com/siminovitch-prize/
💬 Share this post to help shine a national spotlight on Canada’s outstanding theatre artists.

04/22/2026

🎉 Attention designers! 🎉 We are delighted to announce that Drinks With Designers (DWD) will be returning to Toronto, Regina, and Stratford later this month.

Event Details:
Toronto: The Rivoli, 334 Queen St W, on April 27 at 8pm EDT.

Regina: Hotel Saskatchewan, 2125 Victoria Ave, on April 27 at 7pm CST.

Stratford: The Starlight, 64 Wellington St, on April 29 at 7pm EDT.

DWD is a fantastic opportunity to meet other designers, catch up with old friends and colleagues and build community. We hope to see you there!

04/10/2026

For the 2027 Canadian Exhibition of Countries and Regions at the Prague Quadrennial (PQ), Mishelle Cuttler's and Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen's Co-Creating Alternative Futures: Using Sound and Somatic Design to Presence the Absent Matriarch, curatorial starting point is The Seventh Fire, an immersive audio performance drawing on oral Anishinaabe stories and societal roles as a way to evoke ceremony in the everyday.

Importantly, it presences those who have been historically silenced in Canada. The goal is to create a somatic link to ancestral realms, with sound design as the primary activating force, while also incorporating a highly intentional spatial design and a focus on audience care.

Ravensbergen and Cuttler aim to expand this inquiry: How can design illuminate those who have been forgotten or unheard, particularly through sound—a discipline often overlooked in exhibition environments? Both curators believe that Canadian designers excel at elevating voices that persist despite silence, and this exhibition seeks to demonstrate that resilience on an international stage.

Stay tuned for more information about the 2027 Canadian Exhibition of Countries and Regions at the Prague Quadrennial (PQ), produced by ADC in association with the University of Alberta. We invite you to visit our Canada Helps fundraising page to contribute to this inspiring initiative! https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/associated-designers-of-canada/campaign/adc-prague-quadrennial-exhibition-2027/