The Belfry Theatre has 18 months to find a new artistic director with longtime leader Michael Shamata stepping down.
Shamata will step down as of September 2026 as artistic director at the popular Victoria venue after 18 years of leadership. The Belfry board has engaged Martin Bragg & Associates to conduct a national search for its next artistic director.
“Michael has been a remarkable artistic director. He is an amazing artist, programmer, and leader. He is also a gentleman – firm when needed, but always thoughtful, sensitive and open to the perspectives of others. Michael will be missed and will not be easily replaced,” Richard Brownsey, the Victoria theatre’s past president of the board, said in a news release.
Shamata took on the role in December 2007 and has been a key contributor in enhancing the Belfry’s national profile as one of the country’s leading producers of Canadian plays, including numerous commissions and first productions.
“It has been an amazing experience collaborating with Michael, bolstering the Belfry’s artistic and financial strength. We have faced several complex situations together, and we could not have navigated them without his openness, honesty, and good humour. I will miss Michael tremendously,” executive director Isaac Thomas said.
Shamata began his career 50 years ago, on the stage crew at the Shaw Festival. He became a stage manager at the Shaw and Stratford festivals, before moving into direction. He and his productions have won several awards. He counts as important mentors John Hirsch, Bill Glassco, and Douglas Campbell.
He spent more than five seasons as artistic director of Theatre New Brunswick, and four in the same position at the Grand Theatre in London, Ont. before returning home to Toronto, where he worked as a freelance director for nine years before moving to the Belfry.
“My career to date has been filled with blessings, and none more rewarding than being gifted the opportunity to take a long theatrical journey at the Belfry with the most intelligent, open, and curious audience in the country, working side-by-side with the best staff and production teams in the world,” Shamata said.
As a writer, Shamata is best known for his adaptation of A Christmas Carol. He has also adapted other literary classics for the stage, including Griffin and Sabine (with Nick Bantock), Great Expectations, The Wind in the Willows and The Secret Garden (with Paula Wing). Most recently, he co-created with Tobin Stokes I Think I’m Fallin’: The Songs of Joni Mitchell and If You Could Read My Mind: The Songs of Gordon Lightfoot.
“My thanks to our 200-plus volunteers and our generous donors and partners who have helped make this theatre what it is,” Shamata said. “While I am retiring from the Belfry, I am looking forward to future artistic challenges.”
