True North Theatre: Celebrating the Uniquely Canadian Spirit of Port Stanley Festival Theatre by Liz Gilroy Artistic Director, Port Stanley Festival Theatre I am Canadian. First generation. My mother came from Edinburgh, Scotland and my father from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I was raised with a strong sense of my Scottish and Irish heritage but also raised as a proud Canadian. I continue to be a proud Canadian as the Artistic Director of the Port Stanley Festival Theatre where we produce Canadian works, written by Canadian playwrights, performed by Canadian actors directed by Canadians. Our sets, lights and costumes are designed by Canadian designers. Our sets are built by Canadians, and all our administrative staff are Canadian. Telling Canadian stories has been our mandate since 2012, and we need to continue to tell our stories now more than ever. Our 2025 Summer Season starts with a Canadian play, Dump Guys written by our former AD, Simon Joynes. A Canadian comedy about love, best friends, and takin’ out the trash. Next up, we are proud to present Canadian legend Norm Foster’s Doris and Ivy In the Home . It is hard to imagine our Canadian theatre scene without Norm Foster -- one must ask what we did before him? Not only that but Norm’s writing has inspired so many other Canadian playwrights such as Mark Crawford; Kristen Da Silva; Daniel McIvor and Sophia Fabiilli. Norm really paved the way for the future of Canadian comedies: he is our most celebrated and prolific playwright to date. Next up, a newly penned farce by Sophia Fabiilli that is sure to become a Canadian Classic: Liars At A Funeral . Slamming doors, mistaken identity, family feuds, a little sex on the side, and possibly dead bodies.... Canadian playwright and educator, Sophia Fabiilli has knocked it outta ‘the casket’ with this one. I first met our next playwright, Caroline Smith, while I was at Sheridan College, a Canadian institution that has produced some of the most talented musical theatre performers and animators in North America. She came to choreograph the musical Brigadoon. Caroline then went on to choreograph at The Shaw Festival; she was the Artistic Director at The Stirling Festival Theatre, and she wrote our next comedy, The Kitchen Witches , which has been flambéing stages from Newfoundland to Vancouver. Rounding out the season is the World Premiere of Steve Ross’s goldfish . This play came across my desk a couple of years ago and after one read, I knew PSFT had to produce it. We are honoured to be staging the WORLD PREMIERE this August/September.
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Continuing to tell Canadian stories has been and will always be a priority for PSFT. We will continue to champion our Canadian talent on and off the stage. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go to our website www.psft.ca. ELBOWS UP!
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Page 12 Port Stanley Villager • April 2025
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