Michael Kash had lived and worked in New York City’s theatre scene for 10 years, and it was time to return to Toronto. He began his company, Alley Theatre Workshop, out of the desire to continue performing with the contacts he made there–to serve as an “alley,” if you will, between the two cities.

But that was in the mid-aughties, when Kash was feeling a little, no, a lot of angst about our city’s obsession with big budget musicals and play-it-safe audiences. Now times have changed. And so has Kash, and so has ATW.

“I’m proud of being in Toronto and being in the community. There’s so much theatre going on all the time, and artists are more open to push the boundaries of course,” he said. Whether or not Torontonians are willing to watch them do so is another thing. “The subscribers want what they want. But without giving them different things as we go along they won’t open themselves up.”

Alley Theatre Workshop‘s newest production Hughie, which opens tonight at The Theatre Centre, marks a step forward for the company. It’s a rarely produced script by quintessential New York playwright Eugene O’Neill; in fact, it has never before been staged as a single bill. That alone is a treat for Toronto audiences, but so is the Canadian cast–including director David Ferry and co-starring Laurence Dean Ifill (best known for playing “Bronco” on Degrassi, which is about as “Toronto” as you can get). But the form of the play is also a new challenge. Set in a dingy hotel, it eavesdrops on gambling addict and alcoholic Erie Smith (Kash) lamenting at length–nearly an hour’s length, to be exact–the passing of the former night clerk, the titular Hughie, to the patient ears of the new one, Charlie Hughes (Ifill).

According to Kash, it’s this style that could possibly explain why it’s not common fare among more theatre companies. He, for one, was first introduced to it in the late 90s when he saw Al Pacino perform it in Connecticut, and then on Broadway. He felt immediately connected to Smith’s language and character, but again, he had to wait for his own coming of age. “[Smith] is written as a 45-year-old,” he says. “I had to get older.”

And now that Toronto’s theatre community and Kash himself have grown, so has the mandate of Alley Theatre Workshop, which isn’t merely a vessel for Toronto-New York collaboration anymore. Now, every show has a much more altruistic motive. Each ATW production partners with a children’s charity, which receives part of the show’s proceeds. In the past, organizations like Making Faces and Pia Bouman‘s Bursary Fund have benefited from ATW shows. For Hughie, they’re partnering with Anaphylaxis Canada, which Kash relates to personally as an asthmatic.

For an independent theatre company producing one show a season, breaking even can be a formidable task, let alone parting with a portion of their earnings for a good cause.

“Raising money is incredibly difficult, I’m biting my nails each week to stay in line,” says Kash. “But it’s actually a no-brainer to me. [Audiences] get a double bang for their buck. That’s money well spent, they’re contributing to artistic fabric of the city, and also supporting charities for children that need help.”

“And I just enjoy giving back to the community. I have a daughter that I would do anything for, and kids just tickle my funnybone.”

Alley Theatre Workshop is growing in dimension and complexity as it ages, and with Kash’s hopes to boost its number of annual productions, shows ambition too. Just like you and me. Sometimes art doesn’t only imitate life, but also lives it.

VENUE: The Theatre Centre Toronto, 100-1087 Queen St. W. DATES: Preview: February 7. Run: February 8 through March 3. TIMES: Tuesday through Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. TICKETS: Adults $25; students and seniors $20. Available at 416.538.0988.

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Carly Maga is an arts writer in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter at @RadioMaga.