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Poster for Women At Play(s) 6, with event details and an illustration of a group of 9 diverse women at the bottom.
Poster for Women At Play(s) 6, with event details and an illustration of a group of 9 diverse women at the bottom.

Women-identifying voices

telling stories for everyone in this one-act play festival.

Home Events Performance Women At Play(s) 6

Women At Play(s) 6

Women At Plays(s) returns for its 6th edition

Created in 2005 by Artistic Director Marianne Sawchuk to provide a creative outlet for women playwrights, directors and actors, Women At Play(s) (WAP) was conceived to inspire artistic achievements in theatrical performance for women. It is a grassroots organization that showcases women of all diversities, from Gen Z to Silver Foxes, for an audience of everyone. Women At Play(s) had three successful shows in Vancouver, where WAP 3 broke the Jericho Arts Centre’s House Record on closing night – and went on to have two successful shows in Toronto, where it’s managed to survive the pandemic.

Original short one-act plays by Canadian women-identifying playwrights

From Friday, March 1 – Sunday, March 3 and Thursday, March 7 – Sunday, March 10, 2024, Women At Play(s) presents a program of short one-act plays by Canadian women-identifying playwrights at Red Sandcastle Theatre. This sixth edition of the festival features original works of 10 to 25 minutes in length, from comedy to drama, by Catherine Bruce, Paddy Gillard-Bentley, Alexis Hope, Annie Massey, Marni Walsh and Lanette Ware-Bushfield.

“It is meant to inspire artistic achievements in theatrical production for people who identify as women of all diversities, of all sizes, LGBTQIA2S+ inclusive, from Gen Z to Silver Foxes, for an audience of all genders.”

– Marianne Sawchuk, Artistic Director

 

Poster for Women At Play(s) 6, with event details and an illustration of a group of 9 diverse women at the bottom.

(Photo credits: Graphic design by Joanne Howard.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: Women At Play(s)

Type of event: theatre performance (short one-act plays)

Program of plays: All six plays will be presented during each performance.

  • The Trial of Rosie McDougall by Marni Walsh, directed by Lee Bolton, and featuring Trina Moyan, Erin MacKinnon and Marianne Sawchuk. A fictional imagining of Rosie’s final thoughts on the day her husband picked up an axe. A moment in the untold tragedy of an innocent and harmless soul – an isolated farm woman with no one to help her. (Every six days in Canada, a woman is killed by her intimate partner. Rural women are especially vulnerable.)
  • Christmas Day at the Roadside Diner by Annie Massey, directed by Susan A. Lock, and featuring Andrea Lyons and Shuyi Jia. Barb prepares to cook and serve a delicious Christmas dinner at her Roadside Diner. An unexpected delivery of fresh meat adds a new dish to the menu and an unexpected guest joins the party.
  • U Can’t Touch This by Paddy Gillard-Bentley, directed by Altaire Gural, and featuring Jocelyne Zucco and Trudy Weiss. Carol and Cheryl are of an age. What the hell does that mean anyway, “of an age”? That’s what people say when they don’t want to say “old”. Carol and Cheryl are not going gracefully because, truthfully, aging sucks.
  • Filters by Lanette Ware-Bushfield, directed by Kristina Agosti, and featuring Sandy Ramdin and Tonjha Richardson. Two high-powered women, who happen to be stepsisters and best friends, gather over routine cocktails and find themselves thrust into a provoking set of circumstances, forcing them to support one another in ways their unfettered friendship is unaccustomed or that AI can manipulate.
  • Mary and her Jar of Jam by Catherine Bruce, directed by Clara McBride, and featuring Dawn Obokata, Angela Marriot, Janice Lewis, Alicia Plummer and Autumn Davis. Mary rises to the challenges life throws at her, even when they invade her very own kitchen! Can she get by with a little help from her friends? Isn’t being part of life worth fighting for?
  • Her Crown by Alexis Hope, directed by Heather Cherron, and featuring Rebecca Singh and Reanna Joseph. When Sam’s heart is broken, and her sense of self is ripped away, her best friend is right there to remind her how big, Black and beautiful everything about her is, especially her hair.

Dates: Friday, March 1 – Sunday, March 3 & Thursday, March 7 – Sunday, March 10, 2024 (no performances from Monday, March 4 – Wednesday, March 6)

Start time: Evening performances (including Saturdays & Sundays) @ 7:30 PM ET, plus Saturday & Sunday matinées @ 1:30 PM ET

Duration: approx. 2 hours (including 20-minute intermission)

Cost: Regular C$25.00 (plus fees); Seniors, students & arts workers C$20.00 (plus fees)

Location: Red Sandcastle Theatre, 922 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON, M4M 2J5. To get there by TTC, take the 504 Queen streetcar east and get off at Queen St. E @ Logan Avenue (TTC stop ID 3059).

Parking: There is Green P parking on Queen Street East.

Booking link: Book your tickets here. Tickets will also be available at the door (cash only). You can make reservations at: womenatplays2023@gmail.com

Contact Details: Women At Play(s); Media contact: Marianne Sawchuk at 647-463-3397; www.instagram.com/women_at_plays, womenatplays2023@gmail.com

 

Content warning: May be distressing to some, as subject matter includes intimate partner violence, offensive language and death.

Accessibility: The theatre’s Queen St. East entrance has a ramp and a non-automated door. Washrooms are located on the first floor.

COVID-19 policy: The theatre has a HEPA filter. Masks are strongly encouraged due to the intimate nature of the theatre.

Refund policy: Please contact the organizer.