At Pleiades, our aim is to bridge cultural divides by bringing people together through the art of theatre. Our exciting, bilingual educational program, Speak the Speech! is driven by the same philosophy. While integrating Ontario Curriculum Guideline expectations into the work, we go into GTA schools and Community Centres where our theatre professionals work alongside teachers, using classical and contemporary text, movement, voice, mask and collective creation to improve literacy, self-expression and confidence. Through the work we do with youth and adult ESL students we not only help improve language and communications skills, but we encourage the development of creative potential through the use of drama. Wherever possible, our workshops focus on a dominant cultural group within a school or neighbourhood. Most of our workshops have been created specifically to empower students to have a deeper understanding of their own cultures and lives, as well as those they are less familiar with. The purpose of this is to stimulate curiosity and cultural inclusion rather than segregation and indifference. The ultimate goal is to encourage young people to use theatre in the telling of their own stories. While providing teachers and youth workers with ideas and exercises they can use in their classrooms, we have helped thousands of young people discover the power of language and the enjoyment of creative work.

We also want to ensure that the creative process of theatre is accessible to young people of all cultural and social backgrounds. We offer significantly discounted ticket prices to young people through our programme Get Thee to a Theatre!

In 2009 alone, through workshops, talkbacks, and innovative programming, we reached almost 3000 young people by celebrating the diversity that makes our country what it is.