The company’s philosophy and practice have been influenced by contemporary dance, the Artist-run centre movement, the Punk subculture, and the do-it-yourself creed.

Artists presented in recent years range from hundreds of emerging artists to Philip Glass, Catalyst Theatre, Electric Company Theatre, Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Laurie Anderson, Andy Jones, members of The Kids In the Hall, Les Deux Mondes, Peggy Baker, Daniel MacIvor, and the OYR Ensemble itself.

He and Governor General Michaëlle Jean attended performances and hosted three “Art Matters” community forums as part of the festival.

The 1990s saw a large increase in the number and frequency of tours, starting with the productions The Erotic Irony of Old Glory and Ilsa, Queen of the Nazi Love Camp.

In 1998, OYR's Denise Clarke founded the Summer Lab Intensive School of performance creation, which was attended by 20 students from across Canada.