Theatre on the Ridge (legal name: Theatre 3x60) is a collaborative, not for profit professional theatre company operating in Port Perry, Scugog Township in the Region of Durham, Ontario. We are a registered charity and annually produce a summer theatre festival, a new short-plays festival, public staged readings and offer a variety of theatre related educational programs for all ages.

We believe in the power of theatre as a universal language and medium of entertainment, self-expression and communication to broaden understanding and empathy between individuals and communities.

 We tell our individual and collective stories through high calibre productions (live/digital), the creation of new plays and are adaptive and attentive to the impact of heritage and change. We increase accessibility to theatre and contribute to our community’s sense of well-being and connection.

Our Values

Supporting and inspiring the whole community, including youth, through dedicated programs and activities.

Taking artistic risks through the support of new artists and the production of challenging, new and thought-provoking works from diverse perspectives.

Enriching and growing theatre through collaboration, education and accessibility.

Recognizing and supporting the financial, cultural and holistic worth of our contributors, participants, artists and personnel.

Engaging with and giving back to our community by sharing our history, challenges and stories through theatre.

Founded in 2013 as Theatre 3x60, by Joan Etienne and Carey Nicholson, we then incorporated in 2014 under the same name to serve the communities of Durham and eventually chose to make our home in Scugog. In 2018 the company rebranded as Theatre on the Ridge and now operates under the leadership of our volunteer Board of Directors and Artistic Director/General Manager, Carey Nicholson.

Recent Accomplishments

In 2023 we received the Scugog Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for Resiliency for our ability to stay operational and provide performances to the public throughout the pandemic and in 2024, we were a finalist for the Not-For-Profit Excellence Award. In 2025, we received the Chamber’s Not For Profit of the Year and Community Engagement Awards.

 In 2026, we are in year six of a ten year lease with the Township of Scugog and Scugog Shores Museum to hold our annual summer festival on the museum grounds. We have a second lease with the Township for storing our extensive costume/props/set collection at the Old Cartwright Town Hall in Blackstock.

The company began modestly with eight performances of Vimy by Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen in a local church. We have since taken our programs and productions to other non-traditional venues such as libraries and coffeehouses, and work with community partners to bring production tours to schools and community venues in Durham. With the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we have partnered with the Lake Scugog Historical Society to develop a theatrical heritage walk, Pine Grove Plots, produced a one act educational play festival for area community theatres. We have also created an original theatre for young audiences production at the Scugog Memorial Public Library, with the support of the Scugog Council for the Arts and the Scugog Lake Stewards. We also achieve our goals of fostering community through theatre with education and mentorship programs, secondary and post-secondary placement and employment programs for both artists and production personnel, and providing actors for scenario training with the Durham Region Police Services.

Our summer theatre festival in Port Perry was launched in 2015 and has our signature and most recognized theatre event. The festival continues to grow as a vehicle and opportunity for nurturing new artists and practitioners in all facets – artistic, technical and operational - and we are building a strong positive reputation in the theatre industry for artistic programming and artist engagement. Through the festival, we have been able to provide professional theatre students with summer employment and creative projects in their field, and have given them the opportunity to expand their skills through rich opportunities in performance, direction, teaching and management. Each season we present professional theatre and musical productions of new, Canadian and international works that entertain and engage our audiences, pairing quality big city theatre experiences with the welcome and appeal of small town rural hospitality.

As a supporter of Theatre on the Ridge, your donation, large or small, will go directly to the funding of:

• professional development programs for emerging artists
• development of new theatrical works
• community engagement projects
• more access to productions for schools
• youth opportunities for performance, playmaking and technical skills
• greater access to theatre for marginalized communities
• improved rehearsal, storage and office space for the company