FESTIVAL 2023
The 25th annual festival took place March 8-17, 2023 at Arts Court Theatre. The Jury awarded the Best of Fest award to À demain, and the Best Design award to CTRL. The Audience Choice awards for Week 1 and 2 went to Four Exes and a Funeral and Study 108
À demain by
Stella Chayer-Demers
À demain is a bilingual play about a dying woman and her personal care worker. More importantly, it’s a play about life, death, love, and how to deal with them.
Directed by Anne Hamels
Stage Managed by El Doucette
Assistant Stage Managed by Ness Maio-Dorion
Lighting Design by Dina Mohamed
Sound Design by Liam Bain
Video Design by Gracien Joslin
Featuring Gracien Joslin, Sarah Komendat, Tasha Burhunduli
Playing March 8th, 9th, 10th
Latecomers admitted at designated time
The show addresses themes of death and grief. There is also mention of alcohol abuse in one of the scenes.
Le spectacle traite des thèmes autour de la mort et du deuil. Il y a également mention d’abus d’alcool dans une scène.
Reality by Victoria Ricciardelli
Reality is a piece that explores the mysteries of the mind, unearthing a specific perspective of reality. The protagonist, Psyche, wanders through life in different states of being and attempts to make sense of the world around them. Traversing experiences of disassociation, isolation, and all facets of love, the narrative follows the growth of someone struggling with their mental health. Jumping between time and illusion, the story follows Psyche from the darkest parts of their past to their brightest outlooks of the future. Both relatable and distinctive, Reality is a psychological thriller that transforms into a love story between oneself and their recovery.
Directed by Harley Wegner
Stage Managed by Julie Mathison
Sound Design by Luke McCaskill
Featuring Arkyn Kornell, Jennifer Omoike, Kate Addison, Lexie Tait, Megan Maclean, Nick Gray, Owen McGowan
Playing March 8th, 9th, 10th
Latecomers/Re-entry allowed at any time
Content Warnings: mentions of suicide, Domestic violence, Implications of sexual violence, drug and alcohol use, Flashing/Strobe lights
CTRL by Sophie Goyette-Hamels
A devised dance-theatre piece interrogating fascism, dictatorship, and the cult of personality.
Directed and Choreographed by Sophie Goyette-Hamels
Stage Managed by Tamara Laplante
Creative Technology by Seth Thomson
Created and Performed by Kel MacDonald, Luke McCaskill, Sarah Ivanco
Lighting Design by Liam Bain
Playing March 15th, 16th, 17th
No late comers allowed. Audience Participation. Recommended for Audiences 16 and up.
Content Warning: Sudden loud noises including gunshot noises, depictions of gun violence, sustained drone audio, feedback and static in video projection, flashing lights, visual depictions of smoking, death.
Study 108 by Luke McCaskill
After agreeing to participate in an experiment offered at a local health institute, Mr. Ducat is forced to confront the sins of his past. As the experiment continues at the insistence of a researcher who cares only for results, what’s real and surreal becomes harder to discern, and an apparition of Mr. Ducat’s past comes to haunt him.
Directed by Jimena Yengle
Stage Managed by Corinne Viau
Lighting Design by Cara Smith
Featuring Christopher McNeice, Julia Graham, Mo Memon, Ryan Harkness, Shira Litvack
Playing March 15th, 16th, 17th
Latecomers admitted at any time
Content Warning: Study 108 is a play revolving around an experiment in which a character gives ''electric shocks'' to another under the orders of a third party. It's about obedience and how far someone would go, how far they could hurt someone if they felt compelled to. By entering the theatre, you will witness a character in intense pain or another convincing someone into torturing someone else. Please ask us questions before and/or after the show via info@youthinfringement.ca if you have any concerns about the violence displayed in this play. We are committed to making this production a safe and comfortable environment for our audience.
The Formaldehyde Files by Celeste Cormier
Hello, IT. Have you tried restarting the system? Have you tried closing some tabs? Have you tried unplugging the jumper cables from the neck of your gothic creation?
The stage is set for Dr. Vector Finkelstein and his assistant Egor's experiment to finally come into fruition, with a little help from tech support. The body? Prepped. The lightning rod? Primed. The cop sniffing around? A problem.
Directed by Douglas Newham
Stage Managed by Emily Mallett
Assistant Directed by William Malcom Mott
Featuring Leila Tamim, Nat Habib, Rahul Kapur, Victoria Ricciardelli
Playing March 15th, 16th, 17th
Latecomers not admitted
Content Notice: Abrupt loud noise
Four Exes and a Funeral
Maddie's sudden death brings four of her exes together in unexpected ways. Each from a different stage of her life, Cassie, John, Jamie, and Luca have vastly different Maddies that they're mourning. But which version is true? Who knew her better, if at all? In this one-act 'dramedy' we remember that ultimately, funerals are not for the dead, they're for who is left behind.
Directed by Janani Suthan
Stage Managed by Sam Mason
Featuring Amelia Alam, Luke McCaskill, Mika Argyle, Theresa Graham
Playing March 8th, 9th, 10th
Latecomers admitted at any time
Content Warning: Death, Coarse Language, Pregnancy