Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) is an arts service organization that represents and supports theatres, productions, and individual artists within the Toronto theatre, dance and opera communities. They offer a series of services for their members such as discounts on advertising rates, eligibility for their artist programs, and the chance to submit your production for the DORA awards. TAPA also offers many services that are free to the public such a job postings, audition postings, access to whatsontonight.ca, and many more.
Here are some of the many resources that TAPA has to offer which can help you in producing your production, event, or workshop:
- Industry Listings TAPA offers a free resource for artists to post about auditions, workshops, events, announcements and opportunities within the performing arts community. It is free to subscribe to the industry listings or request to add your own listing.
- What’s on Tonight? a listing of shows happening around the city of Toronto. Get your production listed by becoming a member of TAPA here.
- hipTIX offers $5 tickets to high school and university students to productions across the city through whatsontonight.ca. hipTIX now additionally offers $25 tickets to Mirvish and Soulpepper productions. TAPA members can participate in this program by contacting TAPA’s Outreach Manager.
- citySPECIAL offer’s newcomers and at-risk youth to attend productions around the city at no cost. If you want to provide tickets to citySPECIAL contact TAPA's Outreach Manager through the registration page.
Membership
TAPA offer’s plenty of free services to arts workers but they also offer a variety of programs specifically for their members.
Here is a list of the various membership levels (as stated on TAPA's Membership Page):
Professional Member (PM)
Members in this category are actively and directly involved in Toronto’s professional theatre, dance or opera industry. They may be a professional theatre, dance, or opera company; an independent producer of theatre, dance or opera; of a presenting theatre, dance or opera company. The location of the company’s head office and the majority of the work produced or presented by the company must be in the City of Toronto.
Provincial Member (ProvM)
Based outside the City of Toronto, the member must be a professional theatre, dance or opera company. The company must be based within the province of Ontario. TYA companies who are located within the province of Ontario and are mandated to tour are eligible to register their Toronto performances for the Dora Awards.
Associate Member (AM)
Associate Members are involved in an active business relationship with Toronto’s theatre, opera or dance community. An AM may be a non-producing performance facility, an arts management company, a production company, a fundraising or promotional company, a talent or casting agent, a theatrical union or professional association, a service organization or a supplier specializing in theatrical goods and services. An AM may also be a community theatre or dance company, an educational institution’s drama or dance department, an acting or dance studio, or a professional music producer.
Non-Producing Member (NPM)
A Non-Producing Member (NPM) is defined as a professional performing arts company who wishes to remain a member of TAPA during a period of non-production. A NPM member remains in good standing with limited access to benefits of membership (for the most up-to-date list of benefits, please see below). If during the year, a NPM becomes an active producing company, the company must inform TAPA of the change in status a minimum of 3 months prior to the opening date of the upcoming production. At this point, the member will be upgraded to a Professional Member (PM) with all duties and dues of that category reinstated. Payment of remaining dues must be made within 30 days of reactivation to TAPA (dues owed is the increase from a NPM to a PM).
Community Theatre Member (CTM)
A Community Theatre Member (CTM) is a non-professional theatre company (TAPA defines professional as a company who actively engages in the CTA, Equity Agreements, or Artists Contracts in which the artists are paid) who is currently a member in good standing with Theatre Ontario. These members have access to a limited number of benefits offered through TAPA.
Individual Member (IND)
As an Individual Member you are eligible for TAPA Membership rates to the TAPA Trade Series, discounted tickets and you will also receive the monthly e-newsletter The Communiqué. Individual Members are artists and arts workers who work in Toronto's professional theatre, dance and opera community.
If you wish to become a TAPA member you can apply for membership here.
Contact TAPA
Any further questions or inquiries about any of the TAPA programs/ offerings can be directed to their contact page.