Geordie Theatre Fest
is back, live and in person!

Five-day event supports the development of great new theatre works for young audiences

January 11, 2023

After two years of virtual programming, Geordie Theatre is excited to finally bring Geordie Theatre Fest back to our audiences, live and in person! This special five-day event supports Geordie’s initiative as a leader in the development of great new works for Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), through public performances of our current 2Play programming and staged readings of in-development plays.

This special five-day event supports Geordie’s initiative as a leader in the development of great new works for Theatre for Young Audiences.

In partnership with the National Theatre School of Canada, local schools will be catching two exclusive staged readings of works in development by students from NTS’s playwriting program. An exciting and one-of-a-kind experience, students will have the opportunity to be a part of the playwriting process, giving NTS’s playwriting students their thoughts, questions, and feedback after each reading, aiding the young playwrights as they take the next steps in the writing and development process.

Geordie Theatre Fest - What If

For the public, Geordie Theatre is excited to present performances of their currently touring 2Play shows, What If and Poof. This is the public’s only chance to catch these two incredible plays that have delighted and impacted educators and students across Eastern Canada since September!

Geordie Theatre is eager to share these stories with the community and continue to provide audiences of all ages with the unique opportunity to get an inside look at what’s next for TYA.

Public Performances

Featuring the 22/23 2Play touring shows
January 27-29, 2023

Every year, Geordie produces two plays by exceptional playwrights and directors, one for elementary schools and one for high schools and CEGEPS. These plays tour across Eastern Canada from September until April, visiting schools and community centres across Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

‘Every year, Geordie produces two plays by exceptional playwrights and directors, one for elementary schools and one for high schools and CEGEPS.’

This year, Geordie’s touring cast features Ravyn Bekh, Symantha Stewart, and Jackson Thouret. These three brilliant artists have been working passionately with Geordie over the past four months, alongside tour manager James Douglas, to deliver a unique experience to students and their communities across the Eastern provinces. Both touring shows feature the talents and contributions of Diana Uribe (Set & Costume Design), Courtney Orbin Moses (Design Assistant), Rob Denton (Sound Design), Shopdogs Inc. (Technical Direction/Set Build), and Drew Lyall (Production Manager).

To date, this year’s 2Play shows have been performed 68 times and seen by over 7200 students. Bringing theatre to communities near and far, the 2Play team is thrilled to bring these incredible shows home to Geordie’s Montreal audiences for four public performances.

Geordie Theatre Fest - What If

What If

Written by Katey Hoffman
Directed by Amanda Kellock
Recommended for ages 5+
January 28 and 29, at 1 pm
Maison Théâtre, 245 rue Ontario E.

Every day, Nicky wakes up with knots in her stomach and worries in her brain. While most kids can’t wait for recess so they can hit the playground, anxious Nicky would rather spend her time safely hidden away in the school’s sick room with her Big Book of Birds. In the sick room, Nicky can enjoy her routine in peace and quiet – but when Milo, a rambunctious boy with diabetes, comes barreling into her life, Nicky’s peace and quiet turns to chaos! At first, these polar opposites’ worlds collide, but as time goes on, cautious Nicky and adventurous Milo both come to discover they may have more to learn from each other than they think.

POOF

Written by Gillian Clark
Directed by Jimmy Blais
Recommended for ages 12+
January 27 at 7 pm, and January 28 at 4 pm
Maison Théâtre, 245 rue Ontario E.

POOF is the story of Gill, a self-described, “extremely average 16-year-old girl”. She isn’t cool like 16-year-old girls in movies, and she isn’t a loser like 16-year-old girls in movies, either. She is just a 16-year-old girl

So why does a self-described “extremely average 16-year-old girl” interrupt her school’s production of Romeo and Juliet to declare that something about its definition of love feels inadequate? Gill is processing the death of her Grandma, her parent’s impending divorce, and she has been cast as the minor role of Balthazar in R and J, while her crush, Qasim, is cast as Romeo.

Geordie Theatre Fest

Workshops

Puppet Workshop
Free with the purchase of a ticket to What If at Geordie Theatre Fest

11:45 am, on January 28 and 29
Duration: 60 minutes
Maison Théâtre, 245 rue Ontario E.

Two legs. Two wings. A beak. IT’S ALL ALIVE! Kids can join Geordie Theatre School at 11:45 am on January 28 and 29^th for a puppet building workshop, free with the purchase of a ticket to What If at Geordie Theatre Fest! Kids will use a variety of readily available and recycled materials to build a small bird puppet. And then, they’ll get to bring it to life!

Tickets

$15 + tax Youth (18 and younger)
$20 + tax Adults

Workshops free with purchase of a ticket to What If at Geordie Theatre Fest
Box Office and Information

Images: Courtesy of Geordie Theatre

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Geordie Theatre entertains, provokes thought, fires up the imagination, and challenges our audiences of all ages with the unique power of professional live theater. We celebrate theatre’s powerful impact by working with established professional artists from various disciplines and cultural backgrounds to create works that are provocative, relevant and enchanting; inspiring dialogue between communities, children and parents as well as teachers and students of all ages. We are proud to inspire 40,000 young people annually with our unique and important mission.