The rehearsal space at SHO, Art, Spirit & Performance on Monmouth Road carries a specific scent. It is the smell of floor wax, old brick and the kind of high-stakes anxiety that only exists when a new theatre company tries to prove it belongs in the conversation. I sat down with the architects of Tall Tale Theatre earlier this month. They were coming off the back of a grueling daily rehearsal schedule for their debut, *A Bad Man’s World*. It is a gritty, original piece of Canadian theatre. And it is a massive gamble.
The local scene is often a revolving door of familiar faces doing familiar plays. But Eric Branget and Michael J. Krym are looking to disrupt that cycle. Branget, who directs and co-founded the outfit, and Krym, the lead actor and fellow co-founder, found themselves crossing paths on various sets across the city. They realized they shared a specific, nagging frustration. They wanted original Canadian scripts. They wanted professional-grade execution. Most importantly, they wanted to stop the talent leak that drains the city of its best artists.
“When Eric and I got into conversation about film and theatre, we realized we agreed on a lot of the same things,” Michael says. “There is so much talent that comes out of Windsor from our BFA program, but the problem is that they get shipped out to bigger cities right away. After putting our heads together, we realized the reason why people move onto other cities is because they get paid.”
This is the hard truth of the Windsor arts economy. We train them at the University of Windsor, we sharpen their skills in community theatre and then we watch them board a train to Toronto because the local ecosystem refuses to treat acting like a real job. Tall Tale Theatre is attempting to break that trend by paying their entire cast. It sounds simple. It is actually revolutionary for a startup company in this postal code.
The logic is sound. If you want professional results, you provide professional compensation. Actors are not hobbyists; they are workers. Whether the medium is photography, sculpting or modelling, the labour deserves a cheque. Everyone deserves to make a living wage for doing what they love. But in the theatre world, that often feels like a pipe dream. Branget and Krym are putting their money where their mouths are.
“We wanted to start out our first season with a bang,” Eric says. “We wanted to put on two original, contrasting pieces. Starting off with an emotional drama like ‘A Bad Man’s World’ and then switching to a comedy that we are putting on at Cooper’s Hawk Vineyard for one night only. We want to be able to put on shows that make people go ‘what are they going to do next!?’”
The ambition is clear. But the execution of *A Bad Man’s World* is where the real risk lies. They are eschewing the traditional proscenium setup. You won't find rows of chairs facing a distant stage here. Instead, they are opting for "Theatre in the Round."
I watched them run the final scene from the third row—or what passes for the third row in a circular configuration. The chairs surround the actors. It is intimate. It is uncomfortable in the way good drama should be. Depending on where you sit, you might be looking at the back of a character’s head during a pivotal confession, or you might be inches away from a tear hitting the floor.
I am so grateful for the performers we have - they are all so incredibly talented. ...I love where everyone’s mindset is at for this company. Putting on original pieces can definitely be scary as you have no idea what to expect the outcome to be. But with the enthusiasm these performers and production team have, I have no doubt they are heading towards amazing things.
This staging choice is a double-edged sword. It demands a level of 360-degree intentionality from the actors. There is no "off-stage" when the audience is everywhere. From my vantage point, the proximity makes the stakes feel dangerously real. You can hear the breath catching in their throats. It strips away the artifice.
The narrative itself is a heavy lift. *A Bad Man’s World* follows Cole, played by Krym, a man attempting to navigate the wreckage of his own poor choices. He is trying to win back Julia, the love of his life, while clinging to a twenty-year friendship with Jeremy. It is a study in masculine failure and the desperate hope for redemption.
Then there is Vik. Vik enters the frame and effectively detonates Cole’s plans with news that threatens to unbalance the entire fragile structure of his life. It is a classic dramatic catalyst, but in the hands of this cast, it feels fresh. The scene I witnessed was thick with mystery.
The cast is a lean, four-person unit. Krym is joined by Kyle Arthur Kimmerly as Jeremy, Shannon Pitre as Julia and Somerville Black as Vik. There is a visible chemistry here, the kind that only develops when a group is locked in a room for weeks on end trying to make sense of a new script.
“I am so grateful for the performers we have - they are all so incredibly talented,” Eric says.
The director’s praise is not just fluff. In a city where original scripts can often feel like vanity projects, the commitment to the craft here is evident. But let’s be honest: original work is terrifying for a producer. You don’t have the safety net of a pre-sold title. There is no Broadway buzz to lean on. You are selling the audience on a total unknown.
And that is exactly why this matters. Windsor doesn't need another production of a show that’s been done to death. It needs a reason to stay in its seats. Tall Tale Theatre is betting that the audience is hungry for something they haven't seen before.
The technical hurdles of "Theatre in the Round" at SHO are not insignificant. Lighting becomes a logistical puzzle when you have to avoid blinding half the audience while keeping the actors visible. My only critique is that in such a tight space, the blocking needs to be surgical to ensure no one feels left out of the emotional beats. But the energy in the room suggests they are up to the task.
Beyond the drama of Cole and Julia, the company is already looking toward their next move. The contrast between this heavy drama and their upcoming comedy, *For The Love of Late Night*, shows a tactical awareness of how to build a season. You hook them with the grit, then you give them a reason to laugh at a vineyard.
The production of *A Bad Man’s World* runs from May 10-12 and May 17-19. All shows start at 8pm. The venue, SHO, Art, Spirit & Performance at 628 Monmouth, provides the perfect industrial backdrop for a story about rebuilding a life from the scrap heap.
Tickets are $20. It is a small price to pay to see if Windsor can actually sustain a professional-tier company that keeps its talent at home. The enthusiasm from the production team is undeniable. They are heading toward something significant.
Whether Cole manages to get his life back on track is one question. Whether Tall Tale Theatre can shift the paradigm of local theatre is another. Based on the raw emotion of that final scene, I wouldn't bet against them.
Go for the drama. Stay for the fact that we might finally be giving our actors a reason to stay in the 519. It is about time.
Get Tickets
