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Poster for Women At Play)s) 7 featuring text & illustration. On the left: Original one act plays by Canadian playwrights, directors, and actors - all women. March 28-30 & April 2-6. 7PM evening + Sat/Sun matinees 2:30PM. Women At Play(s) is an approved festival under the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association’s Festival Policy. On the right: Illustration of a group of 9 diverse women of various ages.
Poster for Women At Play)s) 7 featuring text & illustration. On the left: Original one act plays by Canadian playwrights, directors, and actors - all women. March 28-30 & April 2-6. 7PM evening + Sat/Sun matinees 2:30PM. Women At Play(s) is an approved festival under the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association’s Festival Policy. On the right: Illustration of a group of 9 diverse women of various ages.
Photo: Graphic design by Joanne Howard at Small Dog Design.

Stories for everyone Stories for everyone

A short one-act play festival featuring stories by women-identifying voices.

Photo: Graphic design by Joanne Howard at Small Dog Design.

Home Events Performance Women At Play(s) 7

Women At Play(s) 7

Women At Plays(s) returns for its 7th 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 successful shows in Toronto, where it managed to survive the pandemic.

Get ready for one dramatic, comedic & unexpected rollercoaster of a show!

From Friday, March 28 to Sunday, March 30 and Wednesday, April 2 to Sunday, April 6, 2025 – Women At Play(s) presents a festival of original short one-act plays written, directed and performed by Canadian women-identifying theatre makers at Alumnae Theatre’s Studio Theatre.

This edition features seven original new works, presented during every performance. From Boomers to babies, from China to the Cheakumus, from literature to larceny, these plays take us on a journey through the lives of a truly diverse group of characters. This year’s featured playwrights include Marian Buechert, Trina Davies, Janet Lo, Margo MacDonald, Sherry MacDonald, Alicia Plummer and Brenda Somers.

“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

(Photo credits: Graphic design by Joanne Howard at Small Dog Design.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: Women At Play(s)

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

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

  • Celebration of Strife by Brenda Somers, directed by Susan A. Lock*; and featuring Julie Burris, Erin MacKinnon* and Trina Moyan. Women with altitude. Three women struggle uphill to fulfil their deceased friend’s final wishes.
  • Exit Here by Trina Davies, directed by Marni Walsh*; and featuring Kate Corbett, Autumn Davis and Marianne McIsaac. Nicole wants to take her mom, Debbie, someplace nice to get her mind off of things. Debbie isn’t interested in Nicole’s idea of ‘nice’. Angie might just help them both find the thing that they’re looking for. Exit Here is a field trip to a place they’ve never been together before.
  • Going Avocado by Marian Buechert, directed by Clara McBride; and featuring Robert Carey, Janice Lewis, Sophie Mercer, Dawn Obokata*, Leslie Rennie, Nancy Stewart and Tricia Williams*. Five women find themselves in a holding cell after being arrested at a protest. They share the cell with a cynical stranger whose assertions force them to re-examine their moral assumptions.
  • Half the Sky by Janet Lo*, directed by Brenda Kamino*; and featuring Jen Fong*, Janet Lo and Christina Song. When Saffy travelled halfway around the world, she did not expect to be locked down with a complete stranger in an apartment in China. With no end in sight, she begins to wonder if she’ll be left with more questions than answers.
  • Hot Milk by Sherry MacDonald, directed by Lee Bolton and featuring Julie Vincent. A woman contemplates her unsatisfying marriage while preparing her husband’s customary hot beverage. It could be his final drink.
  • Oh Me, Oh Maya by Alicia Plummer, directed by Tonjha Richardson (mentor director: Hannah Yohannes); and featuring Tkaia Green, Linda Joyce Nourse* and Kendelle Parks. Maya goes to a walk-in clinic, worried that she might be pregnant. As she waits to see a doctor, an unexpected guest joins her in the waiting room. Maya attempts to play it cool, but her temperament gets the best of her.
  • Toilet Paper for the Apocalypse by Margo MacDonald, directed by Marianne Sawchuk (mentor director: Lee Bolton); and featuring Izzy Eyravec, Jajube Mandiela*, Anna Moreale and Rebecca Singh*. Four strangers join forces to commit an act of “Art as Protest” at their local library. Okay, so, maybe they didn’t quite think it through enough before they started? Wit and wisdom take centre stage in this funny and poignant play that reflects on gender, identity – and just whose protest is this anyway?!

* Women At Play(s) is an approved festival under the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association’s Festival Policy.

Dates: Friday, March 28 – Sunday, March 30 & Wednesday, April 2 – Sunday, April 6, 2025 (no performances on Monday, March 31 or Tuesday, April 1)

Start times:

  • Evening performances (including Saturdays & Sundays) @ 7:00 PM ET (doors at 6:30 PM)
  • Saturday & Sunday matinées @ 2:30 PM ET (doors at 2:00 PM)

Duration: approx. 2 hours & 15 minutes (including intermission)

Cost: Regular C$28.00 (plus fees); Seniors, students & arts workers C$22.00 (plus fees). Tickets will also be available at the door (cash only).

Location: Alumnae Theatre Company, Studio, 70 Berkeley Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 2W6, Canada (corner of Berkeley Street and Adelaide Street East)

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

Donations: Send them a donation.

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: Please note that strobe lights will be used for a short time during one of the plays.

Accessibility: The third floor walk-up Studio theatre at Alumnae Theatre is not currently accessible.

COVID-19 policy: Please stay home if you are feeling ill. HEPA filters have been installed in the auditorium to improve air quality in the theatre. Masks are strongly encouraged due to the intimate nature of the theatre.

Refund policy: Please contact the organizer.