About - Forte Musical Theatre Guild

Forte Musical Theatre Guild

Forte Musical Theatre Guild (Forte) is a company on the leading edge of musical theatre. We are the only professional company in Western Canada dedicated exclusively to new musicals and, with our stable of established and emerging artists, we create engaging and intimate evenings of award-winning entertainment. Forte also creates educational and professional development opportunities for students, writers and young professionals to gain experience in this dynamic art form.

Forte aims to be a global force in new musicals and took our first bow on the world stage by producing a five-time award winning production at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2013. Since 2009, Forte has produced 27 new musicals including 18 world premieres which have, collectively, been nominated for 48 Betty Mitchell Awards, including 11 wins, and 18 Calgary Critics' Awards, with 7 wins. Funny, cheeky and sometime subversive, Forte’s shows leave you with a tune in your heart and a smile on your face.

Our Mission

We develop and produce socially relevant new musicals which engage audiences while cultivating professional development opportunities for musical theatre artists.

Our Vision

Calgary is recognized internationally as a unique incubator for new musicals, and a place where musical theatre artists choose to live and stay.

Forte strives to reflect our diverse society in its productions and encourages artists of all ethnicities and cultures to apply to work for our company. We are committed to providing safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment. To ensure such working conditions, we follow Respectful Workplace Policy set by Canadian Actors' Equity Association.

Our Team

Joe Slabe

Artistic Director

Joe Slabe is an internationally recognized writer, composer and musical director with a Masters Degree in musical theatre from Goldsmiths College of the University of London. Honours include a Calgary Critics' Award for Best Production of a Musical for Touch Me: Songs for a (dis)Connected Age, five awards from the New York Musical Festival for Crossing Swords, and four Betty Mitchell Awards for his musical direction. Joe is the founding artistic director of Forte Musical Theatre Guild and received the 2004 Greg Bond Award for outstanding contributions to musical theatre in Calgary. His last name rhymes with "The Bay".