Arkady Spivak
Producer and CEO of Talk Is Free Theatre

Arkady Spivak was recently cited as a 2020 Canadian Arts Hero by the Globe and Mail. Spivak founded Talk Is Free Theatre in Barrie in 2003 and is the company’s Artistic Producer, in charge of both artistic and administrative visions. Since TIFT's founding, Spivak has produced 152 works in Barrie and has toured nationally and internationally (most recently to New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and Suriname). In 2018, he produced one of the most ambitious theatre experiences in the world, entitled The Curious Voyage. It was a 3-day journey, during which each patron became the protagonist of their own story, and was transported, quite literally, from Barrie, Canada, to London, UK.  TIFT is a recipient of Canada’s prestigious Dora Awards for its productions of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Assassins. 

Spivak has served as a grants juror for the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts. He was recently a juror for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards in the Musical Theatre division, is a Board Member of Tourism Barrie, and a member of the Rotary Club of Barrie. He has also been a volunteer mentor at Business and the Arts, helping emerging and small-scale companies with organizational development and sponsorship. Spivak is a recipient of the inaugural Barrie Arts Award and a Contribution to Tourism Award.  

For the past twenty years, Spivak has mentored several young people and emerging artistic leaders. He has also initiated numerous special initiatives to strengthen the theatre ecology, such as the recent Artist Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) program. The first initiative of its kind for independent arts practitioners in Canada, it provides artists with a minimum basic income guarantee for three years.

Sector Representative: Arts and Culture, Live Entertainment 
Elected to a four-year Term, 2023-2027. 
Re-elected Term Ending 2031