Saint John Theatre Company’s ‘Script Happens’ celebrates emerging Maritime playwrights.
Saint John Theatre Company will host present three one-act plays from emerging Maritime playwrights as part of this year’s Script Happens series June 14-17 at the BMO Theatre. Presented as part of the company’s Studio Series, Script Happens offers both artists and audience a chance to see new works performed on an intimate theatre stage.
Each year SJTC puts of a call for submissions seeking short plays from playwrights based in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
This year’s Script Happens series will include:
The Appearance of Truth, written and directed by Bet O’Toole.
Inspired by a true story, this topical drama explores how social media powerfully impacts two lives.
Faking It, written and directed by James McClure.
A witty comedy, this play takes an edgy look at social conventions and personal relationships.
Wndrlnd, written by Alison House and directed by Matt Hamilton-Snow.
A light-hearted comedy, this whimsical play is filled with quirky characters who are both endearing and thought provoking.
“To have gone through this with a dramaturge and other playwrights has been invaluable, but to then have your play chosen to be performed is a playwright’s dream,” adds Bet O’Toole, one of this year’s selected playwrights and Chair of the Script Happens series. “Script Happens has been essential in developing and supporting Maritime playwrights for many years, and I for one am very grateful for the opportunities it has provided.”
Script Happens | BMO Studio Theatre, 112 Princess Street, Saint John | June 14-17, 2017 | Each performance will include all three one act plays. Tickets are $17.50 adult / $12.50 student. To purchase please call 1-888-311-9090 or visit www.ticketpro.ca | View Event
About this year’s participating playwrights:
James McClure – (playwright, Faking It) James is a writer based in Saint John, NB, which inspired the fictional setting of Faking It. James began writing for the theatre while completing high school in Southwestern Ontario. His work has appeared onstage in community drama festivals in London, Ontario such as the London One Act Festival as well as the Purple Shorts festival at Western University, where James studied English and theatre before pursuing a doctoral degree in Shakespearean literature at the University of Ottawa. Faking It is his first production since moving to Saint John, where he works for Civilized.life as an associate editor.
Bet O’Toole – (playwright, The Appearance of Truth) Bet is an actor/playwright from Saint John, N.B. She is a member of the Playwright Guild of Canada and has been published in their National Magazine Canplay. Her full-length play “Lily’s Song” was performed at the Imperial Theatre in 2005 and 2008. In 2014 “Innocence Lost” received a public reading in NotaBle Acts. Her full length play “The Land of Beauty” received an Honourable Mention in a NS Writer’s competition and this year was a finalist in a BC National Playwriting Competition. “The Appearance of Truth” marks her seventh One Act Play selected for Script Happens, and she is very grateful for the opportunities this has created.
Alison House – (playwright, Wndrlnd) Originally from Newfoundland, Alison currently lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has a BFA in Theatre, and has worked with local Halifax theatre companies as an actor, director, and stage manager. Previous plays include ‘A Terrible Misstep’, ‘War Crimes and Punishment’ (Taboo Theatre); and a one-woman adaptation of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ (Lion’s Den Theatre). Alison is the author of fantasy/sci-fi novel ‘The Six-Elemental’, and her short stories can be found in ‘Sci-Fi From the Rock’ and ‘Fantasy From the Rock’. She is delighted to be a part of Script Happens.
Matt Hamilton-Snow (Director Wndrlnd) – Matt has been a volunteer with SJTC for 19 years both on stage and behind the scenes. Matt most recently appeared as Hermann in East of Berlin, Miracle on 34th Street, The Great Gatsby and stage management for Diary of Anne Frank and Noises Off! He has also performed with Loyalist City Shakespeare in As You Like It and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has had the pleasure of dancing in the chorus for Wizard of Oz and Rocky Horror Show. Matt is getting ready to direct The Boys In The Band later this summer.
