Emerging Playwrights Reading Series
Presented by EPRS Collective: Liza Hersh & Aurora McClennan
The Emerging Playwrights Reading Series provides an opportunity for early career playwrights to develop their artistic voices and connect with professionals in the industry. Selected new works receive a one-week workshop under the guidance of established directors culminating in a public festival of staged readings that showcase burgeoning Canadian talent. All plays were selected through an open call by a jury of theatre professionals.
This year’s Series features plays by Anahita Dehbonehie, Kian Diab and Alten Wilmot.
Add a ticket to all three shows on the same day to your shopping cart to attend all three readings for just $40!
Please join us on Saturday, January 24 from 6:00-7:00pm and Sunday, January 25 from 7:45-9:00pm for some free snacks and a chance to meet the teams.
About the plays
Swallow the Fire by Anahita Dehbonehie
Directed by Philip Riccio
A bomb is about to go off but it’s unclear whether it will change the world or merely feed the algorithm. As the clock ticks toward detonation, the play unspools in real time: a confrontation between generations, between reform and revolution, and between public performance and private conviction. Swallow the Fire asks what happens when activism becomes theatre, when maternal love becomes collateral, and when the end of the world is less terrifying than the end of our illusions.
Cast:
TBA
Girls Trip, Bwitches! by Kian Diab
Directed by Diana Bentley
When a long awaited Muskoka trip finally makes it out of the group chat, best friends Sabrina Deliah, Felicia and Messica (plus one unwanted boyfriend) are ready for an unforgettable weekend getaway until they are shaken by cheating accusations within the group. A confrontational text with an unfortunate typo sends the night spiraling into a full-blown witch hunt, filled with confessions, confrontations, and a brewing cauldron of delusion. Will the girls and their friendships survive the night? Girls Trip, Bwitches! is a wacky, campy comedy about a being brought together through chaos.
Cast:
Felicia – Jaydn Nasato
Sabrina – Trinity Lloyd
Messica – Lucy Hill
Deliah – Izzi Nagel
Dylan – Anthony Goncharov
Facing a Widowed Father by Alten Wilmot
Directed by Andrew Moodie
When Alliston, a high-achieving graduate student, discovers that the $35,000 from his mother’s life insurance – meant to cover his tuition – has gone missing, he spirals into crisis. As he enters desperation, he is forced to confront his estranged father, Daniel, and the unresolved grief that has fractured their relationship.
Set against the backdrop of university life, the play explores the tension between personal ambition and familial obligation within a Caribbean immigrant household. Through humour, heartbreak, and moments of deep vulnerability, Facing a Widowed Father examines how grief shapes the way we love, forgive, and move forward.
Cast:
TBA
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor:
B Street Collaborative
Thank you to our venue supporters:
The Theatre Centre
TAPA
January 24
to January 25, 2026
Tickets are Single tickets - $17.50 or see all 3 shows for $40
BMO Incubator
Saturday, January 24 – 3:00pm: Facing a Widowed Father
Saturday, January 24 – 5:00pm: Girls Trip, Bwitches!
Saturday, January 24 – 7:30pm: Swallow the Fire
Sunday, January 25 – 1:30pm: Girls Trip, Bwitches!*
Sunday, January 25 – 3:30pm: Swallow the Fire*
Sunday, January 25 – 6:00pm: Facing a Widowed Father*
*This performance will be followed by a talkback.
This performance is
November 25, 2025
From Artistic Director Aislinn Rose “We, and the artists and community who have found a home at 1115 Queen Street West, shall be forever grateful. Thank you Lindy.” Lindy Cowan and Chris Hatley being celebrated at the naming event for The Theatre Centre’s Franco Boni Theatre in 2016, and the closing of our capital campaign. I...
Facing a Widowed Father by Alten Wilmot
Directed by Andrew Moodie
When Alliston, a high-achieving graduate student, discovers that the $35,000 from his mother’s life insurance – meant to cover his tuition – has gone missing, he spirals into crisis. As he enters desperation, he is forced to confront his estranged father, Daniel, and the unresolved grief that has fractured their relationship.
Set against the backdrop of university life, the play explores the tension between personal ambition and familial obligation within a Caribbean immigrant household. Through humour, heartbreak, and moments of deep vulnerability, Facing a Widowed Father examines how grief shapes the way we love, forgive, and move forward.
Cast:
TBA