Second Annual NEW BAD IDEAS LIVE 2026 to be Presented by Bad Hats Theatre

New Bad Ideas Live will return at a new venue: The Great Hall. Premiering four newly commissioned works by celebrated Canadian Music Theatre creators alongside highlights from Bad Hats' ever-growing canon of musicals and songs from our acclaimed New Bad Ideas program, New Bad Ideas Live is an annual invitation for audiences to see what's going on behind the scenes at Bad Hats while getting a sneak peak at some of Canada's most exciting new musicals in development. 

Playing only on October 25, 2026 at the historic Great Hall, New Bad Ideas Live once again invites audiences into the first sparks of creation. Bad Hats Artistic Director Fiona Sauder and Artistic Managing Director Matt Pilipiak have curated a dynamic evening of new music and storytelling, all led by Music Director Ben Kopp and performed by a knockout ensemble of Canadian talent to be announced in the coming weeks.

New Bad Ideas Live is an expansion of Bad Hats' larger New Bad Ideas initiative, a program founded in 2018 that has supported over 38 emerging and mid-career creators to create 20 new musical works for young audiences and families through dedicated financial, dramaturgical, and production support. Designed to launch musicals to their next stages of creation and development, the program boasts over 75% of its projects continuing on towards future opportunities of development and production after their time in the program.

New Bad Ideas Live features new commissioned short stories by four writing duos:

• Rosamund Small (Vitals, Tomorrowlove, Performance Review) & Suzy Wilde (After the Rain, Predictable Holiday Rom Com: the Musical);
• Makram Ayache (Small Gods the Musical, The Green Line, A Witch in Algiers) & Anton Lipovetsky (Blackout, Way Out There, Cowboy Tempest Cabaret);
• Nam Nguyen & Wilfred Moeschter (A Perfect Bowl of Pho, Red Tide);
• Marie Farsi (Fifteen Dogs) & Kevin Wong (Soft Magical Tofu Boy(s), Polly Peel, Hyacinthia)