This is the twenty-first in a series of Q&A Profiles of London area theatre companies and groups. Today, we interview Elizabeth Durand, co-founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Aezir.
Q. When was your company founded? By whom and why?
Theatre Aezir was co-founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Durand, David Bogaert, Rob Deman, and Olaf Plotzke. Our last show before COVID in 2019 was Falling: A Wake. When Theatre Aezir came back in 2023, I was the remaining co-founder, and I decided to change the company into a professional company. We became a non-profit and a registered charity in 2024.
Q. Is your company best described as professional or not-for-profit community theatre? Or both?
We are a professional company and registered charity with a mandate to expand our services into educating actors and theatrical professionals.
Q. What venue(s) do you use to stage your productions?
Theatre Aezir is a theatre production company without a home theatre, so we use various spaces based on the needs of the play. We have used the Auburn Developments Stage, Procunier Hall, outdoors at the Guy Lombardo Pavilion, and the gym at First Baptist Church.
Q. Does your company have a Mission or Statement of Purpose?
Theatre Aezir is a professional live theatre production company located in London, Ontario, and serves London and the surrounding counties. Positioned between the region’s large-scale productions and mid-sized community theatre, Theatre Aezir fills a vital gap in London’s theatre scene. We are theatre artists committed to presenting audiences with a diverse selection of engaging and thought-provoking performances by playwrights from across the city, the nation, and around the world.
Theatre Aezir’s Motto is “Theatre that makes you think.” Our mission is to create theatre that challenges the intellect, excites emotion, and confronts the present. Quirky, edgy, and provocative.
(Pictured: Theatre Aezir co-founder and Artistic Director, Elizabeth Durand.)
Q. Does your company have a Board of Directors and paid Staff?
Yes, we have a Board of Directors and paid part-time staff.
Q. Tell me about your 2025-2026 Season. Does it have any underlying theme?
At this time, we are still planning 2026.
Q. What show(s) will you be staging this fall (September to December)? Tell me a little bit about each.
Coming This Fall: Disastrous Dates. Delightful Theatre. Serious Training.
This Fall, it’s Dating Games — and it’s not just a show.
This November, Theatre Aezir invites you to laugh (and cringe) your way through Dating Games by Garth Wingfield — a night of five hilariously awful dates, brought to life by some of the most promising emerging talent in London.
But here’s the twist: Dating Games is more than just a comedy. It’s also a hands-on, full-throttle training initiative for the next generation of theatre professionals.
Early-career directors will be responsible for a short play, supported every step of the way by an experienced mentor.
Ten+ local actors will dive into an intensive week-long skills workshop in breathing work, vocal production, diction, and character analysis — the kind of rigorous, pro-level training that usually only happens behind conservatory doors.
Our design team — including professional lighting, sound, and stage management — will bring their A-game.
Performances: November 6–16, 2025, evenings at 8:00pm, matinees at 4:00pm
First Baptist Church, 568 Richmond Street.
Q. Do you have any thoughts about the London area theatre community and your part in it?
London needs another venue for independent theatre companies. If London had another space that was technically adequate and reasonably priced, more production companies would create more theatre.
For more information about Theatre Aezir, visit https://theatreaezir.com/
Follow Theatre Aezir on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.568444074983017&type=3
Follow Theatre Aezir on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theatreaezir/
The Beat Magazine 2025 