Coal Mine Artistic Director Ted Dykstra will appear on The Vault stage this month for four performances of Ted (Actually) Talks, a new one-person show directed by Diana Bentley, his real-life partner and artistic director of The Vault Creation Lab.
Located upstairs from Coal Mine Theatre’s Danforth Avenue home, The Vault describes the upcoming presentation as built around original music and personal storytelling. Dykstra, seated at the piano, is expected to draw on material spanning childhood, family life, personal challenges, professional artistic milestones and setbacks.
The project also marks Dykstra’s first appearance on The Vault stage, placing the veteran actor, writer, musician and theatre leader in a setting designed for development, experimentation and close audience response.
Diana Bentley said she has encouraged Dykstra for years to create a show of this kind. Their existing artistic relationship, she said, has helped shape the work in rehearsal and development.
“He is such a magnetic and charismatic performer. Watching him open his heart and share personal stories from his career and life is really thrilling as his creative partner and wife.”
Bentley described the process as one grounded in trust and familiarity. Dykstra has previously provided dramaturgical support on her own play, and Bentley said that history has made the current collaboration feel natural.
“It’s a delight to do this show with him,” she said. “There have been many laughs and many tears because this show has the most of him. I love that I know when to push him and when to leave him alone; that sometimes feels like the most intimate part of director-actor work, so it’s nice having that part of the dance well worked in.”
Dykstra said no one knows him better than Bentley, adding that his trust in her intelligence, love and care is the reason he believes in the show, which brings a measure of uncertainty. He said he has questioned why he is making the show and whether he has something worth saying, while also acknowledging that Bentley’s involvement has been central to the process.
Asked what he hopes audiences will take from the work, Dykstra offered a modest answer: that viewers find the experience worthwhile. Beyond that, he said, audiences are free to take from the show what they choose. The rest is pure gravy.
The conversation around Ted (Actually) Talks also reflects the pair’s broader presence in Toronto theatre. Bentley pointed to the ongoing work at both The Vault and Coal Mine Theatre, while noting the pressures facing theatre artists.
“That’s a good question…it’s a really hard time to be a theatre artist and stick with it, but I have never felt more proud about the work we’re doing upstairs and downstairs.”
Dykstra was more reserved when asked about the idea of leaving a footprint in the theatre ecology.
“I can only hope that; I have no way of knowing. It’s not important to me, though.”
What matters, he said, is the work immediately in front of him.
“Whatever I’m working on is all there is. I’ve always felt that. If that all adds up to something for others, I’d be humbled and flattered.”
Bentley said she continues to consider how to grow as a writer and creator, even when that growth feels uncertain.
“I’m trying to encourage myself to keep moving into the scary spaces. It’s what Ted and I do together and what we love so.”
Ted (Actually) Talks runs August 12 to 15 at 7:30 p.m. nightly at The Vault Creation Lab, 2076 Danforth Avenue.
For tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/ted-actually-talks-public-lab
To learn more about The Vault Creation Lab and its 2026-27 programming: https://www.thevaultcreationlab.ca/what-is-the-vault
To learn more about Coal Mine Theatre and its upcoming 2026-27 season: https://www.coalminetheatre.com/
