Nextfest: THEATRE

SWYC (Spoken Word Youth Choir) is a spoken word troupe from Edmonton, Alberta. Unique to Canada, it is a blend of Greek chorus, choir, improvisers, and poets who write text, choreograph movement, and adapt others’ texts. Created in 2007, the group is an outgrowth of YouthWrite®, a camp for kids who love to write…just about anything!©

It’s the end of the summer in a small town. Two drifting friends reunite on a suburban bridge, their paths intersecting outside a house party they’re both supposed to be at. As the night unfolds, they rehash their past, unraveling and pulsing truths out from deep within themselves. Your Heart is Gushing Lavender is an exploration of intimacy, or the…

The Bailey family has won their golden ticket! Their very own restaurant that is. A brand new kitchen in Edmonton, featuring Jamaican patties, stew chicken, and of course Ms. Pat’s famous soup! As Pat transitions into this new stage of her life, her daughter Kenise prepares to take a leap into adulthood. Although, her journey to independence is not what…

“That One DnD Play” is a new show about Dungeons and Dragons! A group of adventurers go on a campaign to resurrect their beloved friend/companion. Join Vos (Necromancer Cleric), Ruben (Orc Ranger), and Nadia (Elf Barbarian) as they try to save their beloved friend and brother. A new play where no one knows what the outcome will be because the…

“Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths” – Joseph Campbell.  “The Ether Journey” is an exploration of the importance of dreams and myths in our collective conscious understanding of the world as human beings, as well as in our own personal unconscious understandings. Upon waking up from a nightmare, a young Storyteller seeks to understand where dreams come from,…

A daring experimental performance that weaves together storytelling, spoken word, and improvised music as an act of artistic resistance and reckoning. Maiden Voyage is a true story about teenage vulnerability, sexuality, power, and survivorship.

Meet Me At The Riverside is a play that takes inspiration from stories of Residential School survivors, especially a homage to my family, the Morin clan from Enoch Cree Nation. The Sekisowin is a monster who has been kidnapping children for generations in a tribal community. Charlotte tries to hide her daughter, Arabella, from being taken away. Will her efforts…

The Hand That Feeds is a contemporary horror folktale following siblings Anne and Jack who go looking for a cabin in the woods that featured in a story their Grandmother told them. As Anne and Jack head deeper into the woods, Anne is haunted by the characters from that tale, which Anne learns might be more true than she first…

Asad is a Pakistani immigrant to Canada. He is witty, goofy, gullible, and struggles to make friends at school. When Amina (Asad’s mom) says that he can’t come back home and must complete his studies first, Asad approaches his roommate, Marshall. Marshall’s cool but is going through tough times himself. As they get to know each other, food, laughter, and…

Centred around the lives of the Brontë siblings, The Bells is a folk musical that follows Branwell, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne as they overcome tragedy and familial tension, while securing their legacy as literary phenomenons.  

Victorian socialite Hysteria Winthrop lives in the attic, and she hasn’t had visitors for a long, long time. Will you accept her invitation? She’s so looking forward to seeing you. Playwright-performer Sophie May Healey presents a delightfully interactive one-woman dark comedy about femininity, gothic literature, music, romance, scandal, and the morbid curiosities that won’t leave us alone.

The year is 1903, and the Wild West is dead. When Leon Grant breaks up with her fiancé and makes an impulsive bet, she finds herself racing against the clock — and corporately-owned meatheads — to drive from one coast to the other in an open-top motorcar. Recruiting her long-time BFF Suzie as the trip’s mechanic, the girls find themselves…

In the crummiest little town, in the crummiest trailer park, a raccoon needs to learn how to be good enough to be reincarnated into a human being. 18+ event, audience is advised to check content warnings.

Carter is trapped in the tiny mountain town of Frightened Man’s Peak, forced to watch the train surrounding its jagged cliffs pass every day with no sign of stopping. But one day, he meets someone. Someone who might just teach him what it really means to be desperate, to escape, and to try to jump a damn train.

Koen never sleeps. Years after starting a rumor about another boy in his hometown that changed his life forever, Koen now finds himself cursed with insomnia, paranoia, and subjected to violent hallucinations. As Koen is forced to reckon with his past, he learns how the grip that a lie can have on a small town is not one that is…

In ‘What am I Looking At?!’, backstage antics unfold as three drag queens navigate the chaos of a cramped dressing room. Amidst mirror changes and gossip, they hilariously vie for their moment in the spotlight. This uproarious comedy explores the challenges and triumphs of performing in a crack-of-dawn production, offering a fresh and humorous take on the world of drag….