The OFFTA is a festival dedicated to emerging and avant-garde creation in the live arts. Created on the fringes of the Festival TransAmériques (FTA), the OFFTA showcases creators whose singular and committed approaches lay the groundwork for new artistic currents. The festival aims to decategorize contemporary artistic practices and their respective audiences. It presents and produces events that challenge established norms and question modes of representation, fostering collaboration and collective experiences.

Following the disappearance of the Festival international de nouvelle danse (FIND) in 2003 and the Nouvelle Scène section of the Festival de Théâtre des Amériques in 2007, a large segment of Montreal’s artistic community found itself without a platform. It was in this context that the idea for the OFFTA emerged.

With vision and determination, five young theatre artists — Jasmine Catudal, Stéphanie Capistran-Lalonde, Johanne Haberlin, Emmanuelle Kirouac-Sanche, and Jacques Laroche — organized the first edition in 2007, which ran from May 23 to June 7 and featured seven plays presented across five venues.

The following year, the festival’s artistic committee expanded to include members from the dance, visual arts, and interdisciplinary fields. Over the years, many renowned artists have presented work at the OFFTA, including Mani Soleymanlou, Félix-Antoine Boutin, Philippe Boutin, Maxime Carbonneau, Sarah Berthiaume, L’eau du bain, Jacob Wren, Jacques Poulin-Denis, Adam Kinner, Mélanie Demers, Étienne Lepage, Frédérick Gravel, Nicolas Cantin, Emmanuel Schwartz, Sylvie Cotton, Productions Porte Parole, and Nadège Grebmeier-Forget.

In 2015, OFFTA expanded its mission and team with the creation of LA SERRE – arts vivants. This new structure quickly became a cornerstone of Montreal’s cultural landscape, responding to a pressing need in the sector: supporting emerging artists through key stages of creation. LA SERRE now serves as the producer of the OFFTA.

In addition to the festival, LA SERRE organizes a range of structural initiatives, including YOU ARE HERE, a springboard for recent performing arts graduates, as well as residency programs, workshops, and delegated productions. Since relocating to Ahuntsic in 2021, LA SERRE has hosted numerous artists in residence, provided structural support, and fostered dramaturgical development. The organization also actively engages with the local community by producing events tailored to the residents of this part of the island.

Since its founding, the organization has supported over 1,500 artists, 17 delegated productions, 19 editions of the OFFTA, and 10 editions of YOU ARE HERE. It has also facilitated a wide range of workshops, encounters, and audience development initiatives. Among its major achievements are Ailleurs en Folie Mtl/Qc — part of Mons 2015, European Capital of Culture — and the production of POSSIBLES for Montreal’s 375th anniversary and Canada’s 150th.