Subscribe to get notified about new events!

The Tamarack Festival

The Tamarack Festival celebrates and supports Northern Ontario creatives through arts programming, workshops, and community engagement, fostering a vibrant cultural landscape in the region.

OOPS! A Live Comedy Show About Fleeing America.&nbsp; This autobiographical solo comedy show about one queer woman&rsquo;s experience discovering herself south of the border and making major late-in-the-game decisions about where to thrive next. Provocative, intriguing and frequently hilarious, emme weaves jokes and gems of knowledge into her stories in an enlightening, informative and improvisationally entertaining way. Created and performed by emme kay kennedy.

Oops! Vol 1.5

This engaging workshop will equip participating teens (Grades 7-12) with a variety of acting tools and techniques they can use for their next big role. In the morning, Tamarack&#39;s Artistic Director, Jessie Bergeron, will lead the young actors in improv-based exercises that will allow them to flex their creative muscles. In the afternoon, selected scenes will provide the basis for a more text-based approach to the art of acting. Participants will leave with acting tips and tricks that they will be able to apply to future auditions and/or projects.&nbsp; *If desired, teens may choose to participate in only the morning or afternoon session. For those who choose to stay all day, we will break for lunch from 12:00pm - 1:00pm. Participants must provide their own lunch.*

Teen Acting Workshop

Cette toute nouvelle pi&egrave;ce &eacute;crite par dramaturge de Sudbury, Karen Thistle, est une com&eacute;die plein de coeur qui explore qui nous sommes et comment nous trouvons notre &quot;chez nous&quot;. Entre 1956 et 1973, pr&egrave;s d&#39;un million de gens ont quitt&eacute; les provinces de l&#39;Atlantique. L&#39;exploitation mini&egrave;re et la p&ecirc;che &eacute;tant en d&eacute;clin, les jeunes ont &eacute;t&eacute; forc&eacute;s de choisir entre le ch&ocirc;mage et l&#39;exil. L&#39;Ontario &eacute;tait la terre promise m&ecirc;me si elle &eacute;tait loin de la vie qu&#39;ils connaissaient. Calling the Rock Home raconte l&#39;histoire de trois jeunes Terre-Neuviens faisant ce choix, &eacute;crit par la fille d&#39;un mineur du Nord de l&#39;Ontario qui l&#39;a fait.&nbsp;

Calling the Rock Home

A heartwarming comedy about who we are and what makes home written by Sudbury playwright Karen Thistle. Between 1956 and 1973, close to one million people left the Atlantic provinces. Mining and fishing were in decline and young people found themselves forced to choose between unemployment and exile. Ontario was the land of promise although it was a world away from the life they knew. Calling the Rock Home is the story of three young Newfoundlanders making that choice, written by the daughter of a Northern Ontario miner who made his.&nbsp;

Join us as we wrap up the 2025 Tamarack Festival with good food and good friends, featuring the musical stylings of last year&rsquo;s fan favourites, Bella Corda!&nbsp;

2025 Closing Reception

Rejoignez-nous pour c&eacute;l&eacute;brer la fin du Festival Tamarack 2025 avec de d&eacute;licieuses collations, des boissons rafra&icirc;chissantes et, surtout, notre brillante communaut&eacute; artistique !

Réception de clôture 2025

Un rassemblement de tous les artistes qui cr&eacute;ent de l&#39;art &agrave; Timmins pour discuter avec des personnes semblables des joies et des d&eacute;fis, des obstacles et des avantages de cr&eacute;er de l&#39;art dans notre communaut&eacute;.

Rencontre des artistes de Timmins

A gathering of all artists that make art in Timmins to discuss with like-minded people the joys and challenges, obstacles and benefits of making and creating art in our community.

Timmins Artist Gathering

Une artiste de danse-th&eacute;&acirc;tre provenant de Sault Ste. Marie, Skye Smith, partage ses id&eacute;es sur la fa&ccedil;on de prendre soin de son corps, de son esprit et de son &acirc;me en tant qu&#39;artiste de la sc&egrave;ne.

Atelier des Soins personnels pour artistes

Sault Ste. Marie dance-theatre artist, Skye Smith, shares insight on caring for one&#39;s body, mind and soul as a performing artist.&nbsp;

Self Care for Performers Workshop

Come meet playwright, Ian McCormack, one of this year&#39;s artists-in-residence, and get a taste of what they&#39;ve been working on during their residency!

Artist-in-Residence Presentation

Venez rencontrer dramaturge Ian McCormack, l&#39;un des artistes en r&eacute;sidence de cette ann&eacute;e, et d&eacute;couvrez ce sur quoi iels ont travaill&eacute; pendant leur r&eacute;sidence !

Mise en lecture et discussion avec l'artiste

Get ready to vibe with this up-and-coming Afrobeats group from Sudbury!

Nyama Nyama Sound

Pr&eacute;parez-vous &agrave; vibrer avec ce groupe Afrobeats provenant de Sudbury !

&quot;Behind its thrills and twists,&quot; this award-winning one-act by Tamarack&#39;s own, Jessie Bergeron, &quot;boasts a heartfelt, tender story.&quot;&nbsp;

The Whitefish River

&laquo; Derri&egrave;re ses frissons et ses rebondissements &raquo;, cette piece en un acte par Jessie Bergeron, de Tamarack, &laquo; se vante d&#39;une histoire sinc&egrave;re et tendre &raquo;.

Une c&eacute;l&eacute;bration du travail de nos &eacute;crivains locaux, mettant en vedette l&#39;artiste en r&eacute;sidence Elizabeth Rosell, avec des lectures sp&eacute;ciales par des auteurs invit&eacute;s de tout le Nord de l&#39;Ontario!

Micro ouvert littéraire

A celebration of the work of our local writers, featuring artist-in-residence Elizabeth Rosell, with special readings by guest authors from across Northern Ontario!

Literary Open Mic

Come learn about the Writers&#39; Union of Canada from Chair of the Council, Kim Fahner, and as an added bonus, she&#39;ll teach you how to write your own ekphrastic poem!

Writers' Union of Canada Workshop

Venez en apprendre davantage sur l&#39;Union des &eacute;crivains du Canada aupr&egrave;s de la pr&eacute;sidente du Conseil, Kim Fahner, et en prime, elle vous apprendra &agrave; &eacute;crire votre propre po&egrave;me ekphrastique !

Atelier de l'Union des écrivains

A veritable smorgasbord of Timmins talent awaits... Come experience bite-sized offerings by your favourite local performance artists!

Community Cabaret

Un v&eacute;ritable buffet de talents de Timmins vous attend... Venez d&eacute;couvrir des courtes performances de vos artistes locaux pr&eacute;f&eacute;r&eacute;s !

Cabaret communautaire

In a spaghetti western with northern flare, North Bay playwright Garrett M. Ryan tackles serious themes with a whole lot of humour.&nbsp;

The Quickest Gun in the North

Dans un western spaghetti avec une touche nordique, Garrett M. Ryan, dramaturge de North Bay, aborde des th&egrave;mes s&eacute;rieux avec beaucoup d&#39;humour.&nbsp;

The Quickest Gun in the North (Le pistolero le plus rapide du nord)

Join us as we kick off the 2025 Tamarack Festival with tasty snacks, refreshing drinks and, most importantly, our brilliant arts community!

2025 Opening Reception

Rejoignez-nous pour lancer le Festival Tamarack 2025 avec de la bonne bouffe, des boissons rafra&icirc;chissantes et, surtout, notre brillante communaut&eacute; artistique !

Réception d'ouverture 2025

Bienvenue dans notre boutique en ligne 🛍️ Chaque achat nous permettra de continuer &agrave; offrir aux artistes du Nord la possibilit&eacute; de partager leurs &oelig;uvres avec le public du Nord et de percevoir les salaires de l&#39;industrie. Merci de soutenir la communaut&eacute; artistique du Nord ; votre contribution est inestimable. Bon magasinage ! 🌟 L&#39;&eacute;quipe du Festival Tamarack

Bienvenue dans notre boutique en ligne 🛍️Chaque achat nous permettra de continuer à offrir aux artistes du Nord la possibilité de partager leurs œuvres avec le public du Nord et de percevoir les salaires de l'industrie. Merci de soutenir la communauté artistique du Nord ; votre contribution est inestimable.Bon magasinage ! 🌟L'équipe du Festival Tamarack

Merchandise du Festival Tamarack

Welcome to our online shop 🛍️ Every purchase you make will help us continue to create opportunities for northern artists to share their work with northern audiences and be paid industry wages. Thank you for supporting the northern arts community &mdash; your contribution is invaluable. Happy shopping! 🌟 The Tamarack Festival Team

Welcome to our online shop 🛍️Every purchase you make will help us continue to create opportunities for northern artists to share their work with northern audiences and be paid industry wages. Thank you for supporting the northern arts community — your contribution is invaluable.Happy shopping! 🌟The Tamarack Festival Team

The Tamarack Festival Merch

Cette ann&eacute;e, &nbsp;la r&eacute;ception d&#39;ouverture met &agrave; l&#39;honneur une installation et une performance par l&#39;artiste en r&eacute;sidence, Cesar Forero. Rejoignez-nous pour lancer le Festival Tamarack 2026 avec de la bonne bouffe, des boissons rafra&icirc;chissantes et, surtout, notre brillante communaut&eacute; artistique !

Réception d'ouverture 2026

This year&#39;s Opening Reception features a unique art installation and performance piece by Artist-in-Residence, Cesar Forero. Join us as we kick off the 2026 Tamarack Festival with tasty snacks, refreshing drinks and, most importantly, our brilliant arts community! &nbsp;

2026 Opening Reception Featuring Cesar Forero

Un v&eacute;ritable r&eacute;gal pour vos papilles th&eacute;&acirc;trales : d&eacute;couvrez une s&eacute;lection de pi&egrave;ces en un acte, toutes &eacute;crites, mises en sc&egrave;ne et interpr&eacute;t&eacute;es par des artistes du Nord de l&rsquo;Ontario ! - La Nonna est Qui&nbsp;par Skye Smith, Sault Indie Theatre Collective- A Man Dies by The Gun&nbsp;par Stefani Celine &amp; Andrew Paulsen, New Noise Productions- The Beautiful Tree&nbsp;par Michael Buhler, Take Two Theatre- Between Heartbeats par Emma L. R. Hogg, Sault Indie Theatre Collective- 50 Shades of Brown: The First Shade par Faye Naveau, Indigenous Theatre Timmins- Slash/ers Anony\mous par Andrew Paulsen, New Noise Productions

Le Buffet théâtral

A true treat for your theatrical taste buds, enjoy a selection of one act plays, all written, directed and performed by Northern Ontario artists!&nbsp; - La Nonna &egrave; Qui&nbsp;by Skye Smith, Sault Indie Theatre Collective- A Man Dies by The Gun&nbsp;by Stefani Celine &amp; Andrew Paulsen, New Noise Productions- The Beautiful Tree&nbsp;by Michael Buhler, Take Two Theatre- Between Heartbeats by Emma L. R. Hogg, Sault Indie Theatre Collective- 50 Shades of Brown: The First Shade&nbsp;by Faye Naveau, Indigenous Theatre Timmins- Slash/ers Anony\mous by Andrew Paulsen, New Noise Productions

The Short Play Buffet

Tamarack&#39;s first Poetry Night will feature readings by Artist-in-Residence, Kyrie Babin, as well as guest poet, Kim Fahner. Various local poets will also read their work, competing for the chance to win $100 in one of five categories: 01.&nbsp;The People&#39;s Choice Award&nbsp;(selected by&nbsp;the audience)02.&nbsp;The Literary Hero Award&nbsp;(selected by the Timmins Public Library staff)03.&nbsp;The Tamarack Award&nbsp;(selected by the Tamarack Festival team)04.&nbsp;The Poet&#39;s Poet Award&nbsp;(selected by featured poet, Kim Fahner)05.&nbsp;The Young Poet Award&nbsp;(selected by Artist-in-Residence, Kyrie Babin)

Poetry Night Featuring Kyrie Babin & Kim Fahner

Rejoignez-nous pour une nuit de rires et de joie, alors qu&#39;artiste en r&eacute;sidence Courtney Racicot pr&eacute;sente son nouveau spectacle complet ET vous pr&eacute;sente 10 tout nouveaux comiques locaux en formation !&nbsp;

Soirée de comédie

Join us for a night of laughter and light, as Artist-in-Residence Courtney Racicot delivers her new full set AND introduces you to 10 brand new local comics-in-training!&nbsp;

Comedy Showcase Featuring Courtney Racicot

Appel &agrave; tous les &eacute;crivains locaux ! Tamarack a une autre opportunit&eacute; de d&eacute;veloppement professionnel exceptionnelle en pr&eacute;paration pour vous. Inscrivez-vous pour r&eacute;server votre place !

Atelier littéraire 2026

Calling all local writers! Tamarack has another stellar professional development opportunity in the works for you. Sign up to reserve your spot!

2026 Writers' Workshop with Sean Minogue

Avec plus de 30 ans d&#39;exp&eacute;rience th&eacute;&acirc;trale, la productrice artistique de Burning Passions Theatre, Laurel Smith, animera un masterclass d&#39;&eacute;tude de sc&egrave;ne pour les acteurs exp&eacute;riment&eacute;s souhaitant &eacute;largir leur bo&icirc;te &agrave; outils. Saisissez cette opportunit&eacute; de travailler avec une metteuse en sc&egrave;ne professionnelle ayant une richesse de connaissances et de comp&eacute;tences &agrave; partager.&nbsp;

Masterclass d'Étude de Scène

With over 30 years of theatre experience, Artistic Producer of Burning Passions Theatre, Laurel Smith, will deliver a Scene Study Masterclass for experienced actors looking to expand their toolkit. Seize this opportunity to work with a professional director with a wealth of knowledge and skill to share.&nbsp;

Scene Study Masterclass with Laurel Smith

Rejoignez-nous pour un avant-go&ucirc;t du nouveau sc&eacute;nario de l&#39;artiste en r&eacute;sidence Alyssa Kostello sur les femmes de Cobalt au debut du 20&egrave;me si&egrave;cle. &nbsp;Ensuite, restez pour en apprendre davantage sur son processus cr&eacute;atif. Quels sont les joies et d&eacute;fis particuliers de l&#39;&eacute;criture de fiction historique ? Comment aborde-t-elle l&#39;histoire en traitant d&#39;&eacute;v&eacute;nements r&eacute;els et de personnes r&eacute;elles ? Soyez parmi les premiers &agrave; d&eacute;couvrir ce script en cours d&#39;&eacute;laboration mis en sc&egrave;ne par des acteurs locaux !&nbsp;

Argent et or : Une Mise en lecture de Scénario et Présentation de recherche sur l'histoire

Join us for a sneak peek at Artist-in-Residence Alyssa Kostello&#39;s new stage play about the women of Cobalt in the early 1900s. Then, stick around to learn all about her creative process. What are the particular joys and challenges of writing historical fiction? How does she approach shaping narrative when dealing with real events and real people? Be among the first to experience &nbsp;this script-in-the-making brought to life by local actors!&nbsp;

Staged Reading and Artist Presentation by Alyssa Kostello

Join us for an evening of musical magic featuring singer-songwriters Islay Smedley &amp; Sara Rose H&eacute;bert in heartfelt collaboration.&nbsp; Artist-in-Residence, Islay Smedley, was an emerging artist with the Canadian Musicians Cooperative in 2023 and 2024, where she performed in their annual showcase. Blending elements of pop, folk, and country, her sound carries a dreamy, emotional quality while telling a grounded story of reclaiming voice and power. Timmins, Ontario born-and-raised, Sara Rose H&eacute;bert (they/them) has released three albums in English since 2010. Their unique songwriting offers a blend of indie and anti-folk sounds laden with soulful vocals and hypnotic guitar parts. With intricate melodies and heartfelt lyrics, fans describe Sara Rose&#39;s performance as a &quot;hug in music form.&quot;

Concert Featuring Islay Smedley & Sara Rose Hébert

Rejoignez-nous pour une soir&eacute;e de magie musicale avec les auteurs-compositeurs Islay Smedley et Sara Rose H&eacute;bert en collaboration sinc&egrave;re.&nbsp; L&#39;artiste en r&eacute;sidence, Islay Smedley, &eacute;tait une artiste &eacute;mergente avec le &quot;Canadian Musicians Cooperative&quot; en 2023 et 2024, o&ugrave; elle a chant&eacute; dans leur spectacle annuel. Fusionnant des &eacute;l&eacute;ments de pop, folk et country, son son a une qualit&eacute; r&ecirc;v&eacute;e et &eacute;motionnelle tout en racontant une histoire ancr&eacute;e de r&eacute;clamation de voix et de pouvoir. N&eacute;e et &eacute;lev&eacute;e &agrave; Timmins, Ontario, Sara Rose H&eacute;bert (iel/eux) a sorti trois albums en anglais depuis 2010. Leur style unique offre un m&eacute;lange de sons indie et anti-folk avec une voix expressive et des parties de guitare hypnotiques. Avec des m&eacute;lodies complexes et des paroles sinc&egrave;res, les fans d&eacute;crivent la performance de Sara Rose comme un &laquo; c&acirc;lin sous forme musicale &raquo;.

Concert avec Islay Smedley et Sara Rose Hébert

A group vocal exploration workshop for seasoned and shower singers alike.&nbsp; Everyone can sing! Not everyone can sound how they want to sound, but certainly everyone can sing. This is a workshop for singers and non-singers alike. If you feel happy when you sing (even if only in the car) you&rsquo;re welcome here! The beauty of group singing is you never have to sing alone. Leave your inhibitions at the door, bring a friend you trust, and join us in this low-pressure, non-judgemental playful, song circle. We&rsquo;ll face our fears together and connect in the joy of singing together, listening deeply, being spontaneous, and enjoying how our voices blend. Come rest your nervous system and explore how it feels to sing with others in a playful setting. Sara Rose H&eacute;bert (they/them) has been a performer, singer-songwriter, and recording artist for over 18 years. Born and raised in Timmins, ON, Sara Rose now also calls Victoria, BC home, where they are owner and founder of Lyrebird Creative, offering more accessible voice, performance, and songwriting coaching for gender-diverse and neurodivergent singers.&nbsp;

Sing Your Heart Out with Sara Rose Hébert

Un atelier d&#39;exploration vocale en groupe pour les chanteurs exp&eacute;riment&eacute;s et ceux qui chantent sous la douche. Tout le monde peut chanter ! Tout le monde ne peut pas sonner comme il le souhaite, mais certainement tout le monde peut chanter. Cet atelier s&#39;adresse aux chanteurs et aux non-chanteurs. Si vous vous sentez heureux lorsque vous chantez (m&ecirc;me si ce n&#39;est que dans la voiture), vous &ecirc;tes le bienvenu ici ! La beaut&eacute; du chant en groupe, c&#39;est que vous n&#39;avez jamais &agrave; chanter seul. Laissez vos inhibitions &agrave; la porte, amenez un ami de confiance et rejoignez-nous dans ce cercle de chant ludique, sans pression et sans jugement. Nous affronterons nos peurs ensemble et nous connecterons dans la joie de chanter ensemble, d&#39;&eacute;couter profond&eacute;ment, d&#39;&ecirc;tre spontan&eacute; et de profiter de la fa&ccedil;on dont nos voix s&#39;harmonisent. Venez reposer votre syst&egrave;me nerveux et explorer ce que cela fait de chanter avec d&#39;autres dans un cadre ludique. Sara Rose H&eacute;bert (iel/eux) est artiste, auteur-compositeur-interpr&egrave;te et artiste enregistr&eacute; depuis plus de 18 ans. N&eacute; et &eacute;lev&eacute; &agrave; Timmins, ON, Sara Rose vit &eacute;galement &agrave; Victoria, CB, o&ugrave; iel est propri&eacute;taire et fondateur de Lyrebird Creative, offrant un coaching vocal, de performance et d&#39;&eacute;criture de chansons plus accessible pour les chanteurs de genre divers et neurodivergents.

Chante de tout ton cœur

Artist-in-Residence Janet McQuaid from Thunder Bay will facilitate an immersive &#39;Colour to Heal Circle&#39; featuring the beautiful colouring pages she designed herself in residence. Art supplies and pages will be provided for participants.&nbsp; In this communal space, the social aspect of gathering and creating aims to reduce isolation and foster a sense of shared accomplishment. Participants will be taught how to use colouring as a vagal nerve calming technique with &#39;Coping Cards&#39; provided as a takeaway tool to continue this practice at home.

Colour to Heal Circle with Janet McQuaid

Rejoignez-nous pour c&eacute;l&eacute;brer la fin du Festival Tamarack 2026 avec de d&eacute;licieuses collations, des boissons rafra&icirc;chissantes et, surtout, notre brillante communaut&eacute; artistique !

Réception de clôture 2026

Join us as we wrap up the 2026 Tamarack Festival with good food and good friends!&nbsp;

2026 Closing Reception

The&nbsp;2026 Festival Pass is your key to enjoying everything the 2026 Tamarack Festival has to offer.&nbsp; It includes:&nbsp;- Access to ALL TICKETED EVENTS, including live theatre, music, comedy and more (more than $100 worth!)- Priority registration for ALL FREE OFFERINGS (both the Opening and Closing Receptions as well as 2 FREE WORKSHOPS) and remember, limited capacity means first come, first served- Priority registration and 50% off PAID WORKSHOPS (small group professional development opportunities)&nbsp;- PRIORITY SEATING at performance events Each pass sold also helps us continue to pay artists industry wages, offer thoughtful workshops, and keep events accessible for everyone in our community. Complete this form to secure your pass, receive festival schedule updates, and be the first to register for free offerings and workshops. Join us in supporting the arts in Northern Ontario!

The Tamarack Festival

The Tamarack Festival

Events

Events

2026 Opening Reception Featuring Cesar Forero

Get your tickets

The Short Play Buffet

Get your tickets

Poetry Night Featuring Kyrie Babin & Kim Fahner

Get your tickets

Comedy Showcase Featuring Courtney Racicot

Get your tickets

2026 Writers' Workshop with Sean Minogue

Get your tickets

Scene Study Masterclass with Laurel Smith

Get your tickets

Staged Reading and Artist Presentation by Alyssa Kostello

Get your tickets

Concert Featuring Islay Smedley & Sara Rose Hébert

Get your tickets

Sing Your Heart Out with Sara Rose Hébert

Get your tickets

Colour to Heal Circle with Janet McQuaid

Get your tickets

2026 Closing Reception

Get your tickets

2026 Festival Pass

Get your tickets

More ways to support us

The Tamarack Festival Merch

View shop

Powered by