Meet the 2026 ALERT Resident Company!
The Artistic Leadership and Entrepreneurial Training (ALERT) program is a professional development program designed for emerging artistic leaders 18 years and over who want to help define the theatre culture in Hamilton. Participants take part in workshops with arts professionals and are partnered with professional mentors.
Meet the 2026 ALERT Company-In-Residence: BATESON & SHAW
Justin Shaw
Devin Bateson
Colina Phillips
Rebeca Costa
BATESON & SHAW is a comedy theatre company dedicated to creating character-driven stories that make broad use of practical effects and stagecraft to take audiences by surprise with explosions of laughter.
Founders Devin Bateson and Justin Shaw are the writers and performers that strive to push the boundaries of how much chaos can two people create on stage while crafting a compelling story.
In a world wrought with uncertainty, fear, anger, frustration, and other unfun words, the only way to combat darkness is with light. Combining hilarity, mischief, and maybe a little anarchy, BATESON & SHAW strive to stand up to the terror of the world by daring to create something that is purely joyful. In this day and age, three words ring true: Whimsy. Is. Anarchy.
Justin Shaw and Devin Bateson. Photo by Graeme Reed.
The ALERT Resident Company program is a customized training opportunity for emerging producers (“Junior Producer”) and companies/collectives with one or more works-in-development (“Resident Company”). The program culminates in a public presentation at the 2026 Hamilton Fringe Festival (July 15-26, 2026).
The ALERT Resident Company receives a $2000 bursary and engages in a series of free workshops and training sessions tailored to the company’s unique needs. They will also be paired with professional mentors throughout the term. The program gives the company access to a dedicated ALERT Program Coordinator, experienced HFTco senior staff, and the broader network of the Hamilton arts and culture sector through HFTco’s existing partnerships. They will be invited to attend HFTco staff meetings and events.
The ALERT Resident Company will be supported by two Junior Producers. The Junior Producers will be selected by the Resident Company in consultation with HFTco staff. The ALERT Junior Producers will support the ALERT Resident Company through the full program term and attend all ALERT workshops and training sessions along with the company.
The Artistic Leadership and Entrepreneurial Training (ALERT) Resident Company program is a paid, custom 7-month training opportunity for emerging companies/collectives with one or more works-in-development, with the intention of moving from one phase of development to another. Companies/collectives must have presented at least one public work.
The successful ALERT Resident Company will receive a $2000 bursary and take part in a series of free workshops and training sessions tailored to the Company’s unique interests and needs. They will also have the opportunity to learn laterally with, mentor, and receive producing support from two Junior Producers throughout the program.
The program culminates in a public presentation during the 2026 Hamilton Fringe Festival (July 15-26, 2026).
Who Should Apply?
If you are an emerging live performance maker based in the Greater Hamilton area—and you’re eager to level up your company’s creative and production skills—the ALERT Resident Company program is for you!
Applicants should:
- Be over 18 years of age
- Be an existing company or collective with a minimum history of 1 (one) public production or showing
- Define yourselves and/or your company as “emerging” or “early stage” in that you will clearly benefit from participation in the ALERT program
- Be based in the Greater Hamilton Area (ie. less than 40km beyond Hamilton)
Who Should Apply?
If you are, or are interested in:
- producing original work (including your own work),
- gaining the skillset to be hired as an indie theatre/live arts producer in the future,
- curious about live event production and project management,
- an emerging arts administrator or aspiring arts manager,
- craving connection and community with Hamilton’s artists and arts and culture leaders,
- and/or an artist looking to learn about the other side of the audition table.
Applicants should:
- Be over 18 years of age
- Define themselves as “emerging”, “early stage”, or “new-in-craft” in that you will clearly benefit from participation in the ALERT program.
- Be based in the Greater Hamilton Area (ie. less than 40km beyond Hamilton)
Applications for the ALERT Junior Producers are now closed!
Please contact Managing Director Franny McCabe-Bennett with any questions about the program or the application process.
Program Terms:
- Foundations (Nov 2025-Jan 2026)
- Integration (Feb-April 2026)
- Production (May-July 2026)
Foundations (Nov 2025-Jan 2026) – The first term will give the Junior Producers a chance to learn or refresh theatre-specific producing skills (budgeting, marketing, fundraising, etc).
Meeting and training sessions will be held bi-weekly on Friday mornings.
Integration (Feb-April 2026) – In the second term, the Resident Company and the Junior Producers participate in customized mentor-led workshops and in-depth conversations with theatre professionals, with topics and themes that fulfil a need specifically identified by the Resident Company.
Meeting times will be scheduled in consultation with the Resident Company.
Production (May-June 2026) – The ALERT Resident Company program culminates in the third term with a public presentation at the 2026 Hamilton Fringe Festival.
Meeting times will be scheduled in consultation with the Resident Company.
Submit your application to the ALERT Resident Company program by December 8, 2025 at 11:59PM.
Please contact Managing Director Franny McCabe-Bennett with any questions about the program or the application process.
Working with the Junior Producers
In 2025-2026, the Junior Producers will be selected and begin foundational producer training before the Resident Company is selected, to ensure the Junior Producers have some exposure to producing basics before the specialized training of the Integration term or the hands-on approach of the Production term. Junior Producers will be invited to consider non-creative roles/departments for the Production phase such as Publicity & Social Media, Fundraising, Marketing, Outreach, Finance Officer (Grants & Budgets), Audience Experience (Box Office, Front of House, Volunteers), or a general Associate Producer role in a jack-of-all-trades/fill in where needed tasks. The Junior Producers, Resident Company, and ALERT Admin Team will collaboratively determine which role(s) the Junior Producers will fill during the Production term. There will be regular meetings to ensure the Resident Company and the Junior Producers are receiving the support(s) they need, engaging in realistic goal-setting, navigating conversations around deadlines and quality of work, and people-management skills for the Resident Company overseeing the Junior Producers.
Integration (January-April 2026)
In the second term, the Resident Company and the Junior Producers participate in customized mentor-led workshops and in-depth conversations with theatre professionals, with topics and themes that fulfil a need specifically identified by the Resident Company.
If Friday mornings are unavailable, meeting times will be scheduled in consultation with the Resident Company.
Production (May-July 2026)
The ALERT Resident Company program culminates in the third term with a public presentation at the 2026 Hamilton Fringe Festival, with support from the Junior Producers.
Meeting times will be scheduled in consultation with the Resident Company.
Submit your application to the ALERT Resident Company program by December 8, 2025 at 11:59PM.
Please contact Managing Director Franny McCabe-Bennett with any questions about the program or the application process.
The ALERT Artist Development program would not be possible without the generous support of our partners:
Previous ALERT Cohorts
Resident Company 2024-2025
Afterlife Theatre
Carly Anna Billings
Patrick Teed
Junior Producers
Tone Bailey
Annie Laleon
Resident Company 2023-2024
femmepire
Kitoko Mai
Claud Spadafora
Junior Producers
Lian McMillan
Teryn Lawson
2022-2023 Participants
Mohad Abdiyan
Jordan M. Burns
Shayna Burns
Trick Campbell
Sungwon Cho
Fay Daemi
Faith Mo
Johnny Thirakul
2021-2022 Participants
Catherine Allen
Lexi Bardy
Jordan M. Burns
Jet Coghlan
Chelsea Haraburda
Justin Shaw
Brianna Seferiades
Olivia Zotti
2020-2021 Participants
Carly Anna Billings
Sophie Hughes
Manisha Maharajh
Mykola Paskaruk
Olivia ‘Margo’ Prunean
Kit Simmons
2019-2020 Participants
Nathalie Cortes
Olivia Hopen
Matthew Lazaris-Brunner
Micaela Morales
Rachel Offer
Ryan Percival
2018-2019 Participants
Luis Arrojo
Beekaa Abraham
Aaron Joel Craig
Khaleel Gandhi
Rebekka Gondosch
Victoria Hudson-Muir
Anthony Raymond Yu
Dylan Vandemaele
2017-2018 Participants
Krista Colosimo
Michael Kras
Lily Sutherland
Emma Grafham
Stephanie Hope Lawlor
Jamie Milay
2016-2017 Participants
Adam Lemieux
Adam Bryan
Carlyn Rhamey
Claudia Spadafora
Rose Hopkins
Jesse Horvath
