Thank you for attending the 2025 Lawyer Show: ANNIE.
Information related to the 2026 Lawyer Show will be announced on Sept. 4, 2025.
To be the first to hear – subscribe to our Lawyer Show Newsletter
ABOUT The Lawyer Show
For over a decade, Nightwood Theatre’s annual fundraiser, the Lawyer Show, has hosted hundreds of legal professionals as they venture on stage in support of extraordinary Canadian theatre. Every year up to 40 members of the legal community rehearse for three months to stage an exhilarating, entertaining production, led by a team of professional directors, designers and vocal coaches. Cast members benefit from invaluable networking opportunities, all while putting on a truly spectacular show and supporting Canada’s flagship feminist theatre company.
With a cast of 34 legal professionals, the 2025 Lawyer Show raised over $80,000 – which went directly towards funding a mainstage production in our upcoming 25-26 Season. Since the Lawyer Show’s inception in 2010, over 300 legal professionals have appeared in 16 shows to raise more than $1,400,000 in support of Nightwood.
Testimonials
Frequently Asked Questions
Nightwood Theatre’s Lawyer Show is an annual fundraising event where a group of lawyers / legal professionals get together to rehearse for three months to perform in front of the friends, family, and colleagues for one spectacular weekend of performances. The “lactors” (legal-actors) are supported by a team of professional artists: director, musical director / conductor, designers, stage manager, and technical crew. We also have a live band for the show, made up of legal professionals and supported by a professional music director / conductor.
Nightwood Theatre is a charitable arts organization that supports women and gender expansive artists. The Lawyer Show is our biggest annuals fundraiser of the year (like a gala, but more fun!). The funding raised from the Lawyer Show goes directly to supporting our upcoming season of mainstage productions and all the artists involved. To learn more about Nightwood’s Mission & Values, click here.
Interested in supporting the Lawyer Show? Learn more about Sponsorship & Fundraising initiatives here.
You might be saying to yourself “this sounds cool…. but I’m not a performer, I’m a Lawyer!” That means you’re perfect for the Lawyer Show! No prior acting, singing, or dancing experience is necessary. We’re looking for legal professionals that are passionate about theatre, have some free time to dedicate, and are willing to play and have fun. Nightwood takes care of the rest. After all, creating theatre magic is what we do! Auditions help us to get to know you and your performing comfort-level, and help us to decide what role(s) to cast everyone in.
We promise not to bite! If your nervous coming into auditions, be honest about it! Our team is incredibly supportive and can help guide you.
Casting calls are announced in early Fall and auditions take place in October/November. When the audition call opens, there will be a submissions form to complete and instructions for live auditions will be provided. In your audition form, you can tell us about yourself and your comfortability with acting, singing, and dancing. You can also mention what type of role you’re interested in (lead, supporting, featured, and/or ensemble). We will also ask questions about your comfortability with fundraising, as everyone in the cast is expected to help Nightwood in achieving our fundraising goals for the event. Once applications close, our team will then reach out to schedule your audition. During live auditions, you can expect to meet some of Nightwood’s team, along with the Director and Musical Director of the show, and other people auditioning, some of which are Lawyer Show Alum. It’s a chance to get to know one another, so don’t feel too nervous! Ask questions, and show us the theatre-kid living deep inside.
After auditions, our team will send out specific invitations for Callbacks at a later date. If you don’t receive a callback, don’t panic! Callbacks are meant to pair characters together in different combinations to see what works. Due to time constraints, we don’t host callbacks for every role, especially for ensemble parts. When we invite you for callbacks, we will specify the date/time, character(s) we’d like to see you perform, and will provide you with any script or music materials you’ll need in advance. You don’t need to memorize materials, just familiarize yourself with them and come ready to play with others.
After auditions & callbacks are complete, the creative team will get together to put together the cast list, and then casting offers are sent out. You always have the option to accept or decline the role(s) you’ve been offered. We try to work with everyone to ensure they feel good about the casting decisions, and are open to feedback afterwards. Please note, we don’t typically offer leading roles to first time lawyer show performers. The show is a big commitment already, and the lead role(s) come with their own unique challenges and responsibilities. If you want to audition for a specific role in mind, please let us know during auditions.
Nightwood depends on the funds raised from the Lawyer Show for our upcoming Mainstage productions. Everyone in the Lawyer Show cast is expected to help with fundraising and reaching our goal. Recognizing that everyone’s limitations will vary, our team has come up with a myriad of ways you can contribute!
Ways to fundraise:
– Sponsorship from your firm / employer
– Sourcing donations for the online/live silent auction
– Solicit ad sales for the show’s e-program
– Encouraging all your friends, family and colleagues to purchase a ticket to the show (or, if they can’t attend, make a donation to NW on your behalf)
Participating in the Lawyer Show is no small commitment – think of it as a “spring camp.” All cast members contribute in the form of a $1,000 buy-in for participating. Your buy-in includes 10 tickets to the show ($250 value) and the remaining ($750) is considered a tax-deductible donation to the organization. Since this is a fundraiser event, we are unable to offer sliding-scale for participation. In return of your buy-in, we promise to deliver on a experience unlike anything else. Every participant gains acting, vocal, and/or dance training from a team of professional artists. The designers, production team, and IATSE technicians will ensure it all comes together for the performances, providing costumes, set, props, lighting and sound. In addition to the theatre experience, the Lawyer Show is an excellent way to network with other legal professionals. Participants have made lifetime friends (and sometimes, future colleagues) out of the Lawyer Show. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know more people in your industry that share a passion for theatre. Whether you’re just getting started in your career, looking to making a transition, or wanting to deepen connections with other GTA-professionals – the Lawyer Show is a great place to start!
Rehearsals typically go from March to June. We rehearse for about 12-15 hours a week, spread out over 2-3 days a week. For example, in 2025 our rehearsal schedule was Wednesdays from 6:00 – 10:00 PM + Sundays from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. You are not expected to be available for the full length of every rehearsal, we typically schedule folks for 3 to 4 hours max per day. Rehearsal schedules are sent out two weeks in advance. We try our best to accommodate everyone’s availability (recognizing that lawyers have demanding jobs that aren’t always flexible). If you miss a rehearsal, we expect you to check-in with fellow cast members to get caught up. Rehearsal absences are understandable, but can add challenges for your fellow cast members. Please try to respect everyone’s time, and be upfront about your availability so that we can try our best to accommodate.
The week leading up to the performances is called “Tech Week” and it is the most vital time we need you present. During Tech Week (Sunday to Thursday), the cast is required all day on Wednesday and Thursday – this will be the only time we request you take time off from work, as attendance is MANDATORY (unless you have a court hearing/emergency scheduled outside your control). The show has four performances, including a matinee, Thursday to Saturday.
ABSOLUTELY! If you’re not feeling up to performing, but want to support the Lawyer Show, there are other ways to help….
– If you play an instrument, join the band!
– Volunteer time to help with fundraising (sponsorship/donation requests, marketing the show, etc.)
– Tell your friends! Share our audition call and invite everyone you know to buy a ticket to the show in June
We love questions! Please reach out to Ashley, our Administrator / “Lawyer Show expert” to ask your questions and learn more. Ashley has been stage managing the Lawyer Show since 2017, she’s heard it all, there are no silly questions. You can reach her by email at ashley@nightwoodtheatre.net or by phone during business hours at 416-944-1740 ext. #100
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Interested in our Lawyer Shows?
Even if you can’t participate in the next production, we’d love to keep in touch!
Stay up to date on our upcoming show announcements, audition details, and related events year after year. We send occasional emails, about 4-6 per year.
Lawyer Show Production History
- Annie (2025)
- The Sound of Music (2024)
- Urinetown the Musical (2023)
- The World Goes ‘Round (2022)
- The Stars of Mars, virtual (2021)
- Cabaret Show, virtual (2020)
- Mamma Mia (2019)
- The Drowsy Chaperone (2018)
- Legally Blonde (2017)
- Guys & Dolls (2016)
- Love’s Labour’s Lost (2015)
- The Comedy of Errors (2014)
- Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2013)
- Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
- As You Like It (2011)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2010)