Bad Hats is thrilled to announce the return of our new works development program, New Bad Ideas. We are seeking submissions from creative teams or individuals developing a new work or a new adaptation intended for audiences of all ages. The show doesn’t need to be intended for young audiences or families; we’re seeking pieces that have a universal appeal, stories that speak to a wide-range of audience members. We’re looking for pieces in which music forms an integral part of the story; these can be new musicals or plays with music at any stage of development, including pieces that are still in their conceptual phase.
From our submissions, Bad Hats will select one to two teams of creators to support the development of their pieces.
This is a paid opportunity in which creatives will be compensated for a structured development period. Each new work will receive dramaturgical support throughout 2026, on a timeline determined collaboratively by participants and Program Curators. Following the final development period, Bad Hats will host a workshop for the pieces and record music and/or excerpts from the new works for the writing teams’ continued use in future development. The program will be curated and led by Matt Pilipiak [Managing & Artistic Producer, Bad Hats] and Fiona Sauder [Artistic Director, Bad Hats], produced by Victor Pokinko [Executive Producer, Bad Hats]. Aiding the selections committee and providing additional dramaturgy will be Andrew Cheng [NBI Dramaturg-Facilitator since 2021, Sheridan College, fu-GEN Theatre Company].
Bad Hats Theatre is located in Toronto, however, we are open to accepting submissions from creators or teams from anywhere across Canada.
Guaranteed minimum of $4,000.00 in allocated funding per project. Opportunity for an increase in fees based on size of team, scope of work, and other relevant factors.
Dramaturgical support throughout the program from Program Curators and Program Dramaturg, Andy Cheng, tailored to the needs of each specific piece.
A workshop of your piece led by Bad Hats’ Artistic Director, Fiona Sauder, Managing and Artistic Producer, Matt Pilipiak, with a Music Director and an ensemble of 6 actors.
Audio assets of your piece (recorded songs, scenes, etc) that can be shared with your community or artistic leaders that might be interested in developing or presenting your work, used on grant applications, or as promotional material for you as an artist.
Access to mentorship from the Bad Hats Core Team. We’ll provide you with resources and tools for personal artistic development and further development of your work, including strategies for getting your work programmed in the future.
Access to additional resources based on the needs of your piece. In the past, these have included masterclasses, funded research, musical dramaturgy, supplies, and the purchase of instruments for writing.
Any professional Artist, 18 years of age and older, who is a Canadian Resident.
Priority will be given to the following groups:
BIPOC Artists
LGBTQIA+ Artists
Next Generation Artists (Aged 18 - 30)
Deadline for submissions is Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 11:59PM EDT.
A Note from Program Curators, Matt Pilipiak and Fiona Sauder
This program is very close to our hearts. Since 2018, we’ve had the privilege of supporting writers whose ideas we deeply admire; writers in varying stages of their careers, whose discoveries in this program have delighted and inspired us. With each year, we learn more about the delicate process of supporting new works, and in this eighth iteration of New Bad Ideas we are thrilled to welcome a new cohort of artists into our circle of creatives.
We create and champion work that speaks to multi-generational audiences, work that ignites our imaginations, that finds and celebrates the extraordinary within the ordinary. We foster processes centered around play as we embrace the rigour, joy, and frustrations of generating new work.
Over the course of the program, we’ll work closely with you to support your project to its next step, tailoring the process to your team’s specific needs and objectives.
Thank you in advance for your interest in the program. We look forward to collaborating with, learning from, and supporting your ideas.
About our Dramaturge Facilitator Andrew Cheng
Andrew Cheng is a Toronto-based dramaturg, actor, and educator with over fifteen years of experience in new play development and theatre pedagogy. He currently serves as Program Coordinator and Part-Time Professor at Sheridan College, teaching in the joint Theatre and Drama Studies program with the University of Toronto Mississauga, as well as in Sheridan's Musical Theatre Program.
Since 2010, Andrew has been Associate Dramaturg with fu-GEN Theatre Company, teaching collective creation and traditional playwriting methods while providing dramaturgical support to emerging artists. He also serves as Dramaturg Facilitator for Bad Hats Theatre since 2021, administering the New Bad Idea Program and developing professional development curriculum. His dramaturgical work spans collaborations with theatres including Soul Pepper, Hart House Theatre, Factory Theatre, and Buddies in Bad Times, and includes residencies at the Banff Playwrights Colony and the Smithsonian's National Museum of The American Indian.
As an actor, Andrew's credits include Letterkenny (New Metric Media), Gavin Crawford's Wild West (CBC), for which he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Comedy, and stage performances including The Life and Death of Fred Herko and Hotcuts. He holds an MFA in Theatre from York University.
