Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia – Youth & Family Arts Programming
132 Gerrish Street, Windsor, CA B0N 2T0
About
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia – Youth & Family Arts Programming includes live theatre, puppetry, 2D and 3D animation, digital animation, and puppetry instruction. The program also involves film and television programming, teaching and mentoring, artist residencies, education and outreach programs, curriculum-based touring programs, and cinematically captured live theatre.
Mermaid Theatre has been in continuous operation since it was founded in 1972 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and the company moved to the neighboring town of Windsor in 1987. Mermaid Theatre began with a mission to make the arts accessible to children in outlying communities around Atlantic Canada, and the company has been touring the world since the 1970s. Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s mandate is to introduce to family audiences the excitement of innovative performing and visual arts, to promote the art of puppetry through live performance, digital programming, and instruction, to serve as cultural ambassadors for Windsor, Nova Scotia, and Canada, to provide a touring and digital showcase for Atlantic Canada’s artists, and to encourage literacy, storytelling, and the love of reading.
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia has reached more than 7 million spectators worldwide, and each year presents more than 400 performances for 200,000 spectators. Many of these spectators are new to the theatre experience, and Mermaid regularly crosses Canada and the United States and has represented Canada in more than a dozen countries. Mermaid Theatre’s touring productions serve as a continuous showcase for the Atlantic Region’s performing artists, writers, directors, designers, and technicians, and recorded narration facilitates performances in English, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, French, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Simultaneous tours have enabled the company to appear in Canada, the United States, and China on the same day.
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, and the company states that it is privileged to work on unsurrendered lands of the Mi’kmaq People and continues to prioritize and create opportunities for Indigenous artists and underrepresented voices. The company helped to revitalize Windsor’s historic downtown business core after moving there in 1987 and serves as cultural ambassadors for Windsor, Nova Scotia, and Canada. Mermaid’s Institute of Puppetry Arts entertains and informs students and teachers throughout the region and encourages educators to incorporate the performing arts in the teaching of science. The MIPAC Performing Arts Series attracts audiences of all ages, with many traveling from nine counties to join local fans, and loft artist residencies and the Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts presenting series are part of Mermaid’s community enrichment and engagement activities.
Mermaid Theatre is a registered charity and has received Export Excellence awards from both the Government of Canada and the Government of Nova Scotia. The company has been recognized by CAPACOA with an award for Best Performing Group, received the Crystal Tourism Ambassador Award from Nova Scotia’s tourism industry leaders in the fall of 2008, and several productions have earned Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA.
Mermaid Theatre leverages 2D and 3D animation to push the boundaries of modern digital narratives and performance, and has developed original film and television programming created at its creative complex in rural Windsor, Nova Scotia, promoted across its streaming technology and digital platform, MermaidTV. Animalingo is a 30-episode digital language and culture learning series that teaches Mi’kmaq, Acadian-French, and Gaelic through the art of puppetry and digital animation with cultural leaders. Mermaid’s digital portal celebrates original digital storytelling and technology-enhanced learning tools for educators.
Last updated June 11, 2026.
Mermaid Theatre has been in continuous operation since it was founded in 1972 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and the company moved to the neighboring town of Windsor in 1987. Mermaid Theatre began with a mission to make the arts accessible to children in outlying communities around Atlantic Canada, and the company has been touring the world since the 1970s. Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s mandate is to introduce to family audiences the excitement of innovative performing and visual arts, to promote the art of puppetry through live performance, digital programming, and instruction, to serve as cultural ambassadors for Windsor, Nova Scotia, and Canada, to provide a touring and digital showcase for Atlantic Canada’s artists, and to encourage literacy, storytelling, and the love of reading.
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia has reached more than 7 million spectators worldwide, and each year presents more than 400 performances for 200,000 spectators. Many of these spectators are new to the theatre experience, and Mermaid regularly crosses Canada and the United States and has represented Canada in more than a dozen countries. Mermaid Theatre’s touring productions serve as a continuous showcase for the Atlantic Region’s performing artists, writers, directors, designers, and technicians, and recorded narration facilitates performances in English, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, French, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Simultaneous tours have enabled the company to appear in Canada, the United States, and China on the same day.
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, and the company states that it is privileged to work on unsurrendered lands of the Mi’kmaq People and continues to prioritize and create opportunities for Indigenous artists and underrepresented voices. The company helped to revitalize Windsor’s historic downtown business core after moving there in 1987 and serves as cultural ambassadors for Windsor, Nova Scotia, and Canada. Mermaid’s Institute of Puppetry Arts entertains and informs students and teachers throughout the region and encourages educators to incorporate the performing arts in the teaching of science. The MIPAC Performing Arts Series attracts audiences of all ages, with many traveling from nine counties to join local fans, and loft artist residencies and the Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts presenting series are part of Mermaid’s community enrichment and engagement activities.
Mermaid Theatre is a registered charity and has received Export Excellence awards from both the Government of Canada and the Government of Nova Scotia. The company has been recognized by CAPACOA with an award for Best Performing Group, received the Crystal Tourism Ambassador Award from Nova Scotia’s tourism industry leaders in the fall of 2008, and several productions have earned Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA.
Mermaid Theatre leverages 2D and 3D animation to push the boundaries of modern digital narratives and performance, and has developed original film and television programming created at its creative complex in rural Windsor, Nova Scotia, promoted across its streaming technology and digital platform, MermaidTV. Animalingo is a 30-episode digital language and culture learning series that teaches Mi’kmaq, Acadian-French, and Gaelic through the art of puppetry and digital animation with cultural leaders. Mermaid’s digital portal celebrates original digital storytelling and technology-enhanced learning tools for educators.
Last updated June 11, 2026.
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