In announcing The Foster Festival's 2025 - 10th Anniversary Season, Artistic Director Emily Oriold says, "I can't believe we are already celebrating ten years of laughter at The Foster Festival! It feels like just yesterday I was reaching out to Norm with the idea to found a theatre festival to celebrate him as Canada's most prolific playwright. Since then, we have produced 26 of Norm's comedies, 15 of them being world premieres, and ten development workshops.
"This past decade has been filled with unforgettable memories together. From the incredible performances to the amazing community we've built, it has been an honour and a joy to share my passion for Canadian theatre with all of you. And now we are deepening our commitment to Canadian work through our Fostered Playwrights Festival. In another ten years, I know we will all look back and be even more amazed by our accomplishments.
"Here's to many more years of creativity, connection, and, of course, laughter! On behalf of our staff, artists, and board of directors, thank you for being a part of this incredible journey with us."
2025 MAINSTAGE SUBSCRIPTION SERIES
Subscriptions to the mainstage season go on sale tomorrow (Nov. 7). Single tickets to the subscription series productions go on sale December 1.
Personalize your own subscription and Pick 3 from On a First Name Basis, Screwball Comedy, Mechanically Inclined, or A Niagara Christmas Carol.If you can't decide, choose a Pick 4 subscription and enjoy all four productions in the package.
JULY 3 - 17 | Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College, St. Catharines ON A FIRST NAME BASIS by Norm Foster
Back by popular demand, Artistic Director Emily Oriold and Artistic Associate Jamie Williams star in this laugh-out-loud comedy. A very successful but cantankerous novelist discovers that he knows nothing about his maid of 25 years. She, on the other hand, knows absolutely everything about him! He makes it his mission to learn all he can about her in a most engaging conversation. On a First Name Basis is a love story, a social commentary, and a mystery wrapped in witty dialogue and vivid imagery.
JULY 23 - AUG. 3 | Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College, St. Catharines SCREWBALL COMEDY by Norm Foster
Lucky, our Foster pup, makes a welcome return to the stage in Screwball Comedy! It’s 1938 and Mary Hayes is trying to break into the male dominated world of newspaper journalism. Editor-in-Chief Bosco Godfrey sets a competition between his egotistical star reporter and plucky Mary. If Mary wins, she will replace the ace newshound. Screwball Comedy is an homage to those zany screwball comedies of the 1930's, full of snappy dialogue, outrageous characters, and humour that packs a punch.
AUG. 14 - 24 | Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College, St. Catharines World Premiere - MECHANICALLY INCLINED by Steve Ross
One of the plays developed through our 2024 Fostered Playwrights Festival, it was a favourite amongst attendees. Born and raised in the Niagara Region, Steve Ross has performed at theatres across the country including 22 seasons with the Stratford Festival. Shakespeare isn’t your typical fare for the amateur, but when Abby gets her chance to direct A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a cast of community misfits, she discovers more drama outside the rehearsal hall than in it. Mechanically Inclined is a hilarious look at how theatre can bring purpose, meaning, and connection to even the most motley of crews.
NOV./DEC. | Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College, St. Catharines World Premiere - A NIAGARA CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens, adapted by Jamie Williams
In partnership with the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre and in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Welland Canal Company and the construction of the Canal itself, Dickens’ beloved holiday ghost story is set in 19th century St. Catharines at the time of the Canal’s build. A Niagara Christmas Carol is a uniquely Canadian take on the traditional story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s redemption.
Dates to be confirmed in the Spring of 2025.
This 10th Anniversary Season promises to be a celebration of The Foster Festival's decade of laughter! Subscriptions are now on sale.
Pick 4 ONLY $180/person | Pick 3 ONLY $135/person.
The price you see, is the price you pay. Fees and taxes are included. Single tickets to mainstage subscription series shows go on sale December 1.
CALL 1.844.735.4832 x3 VISIT fosterfestival.com CLICK the button >>
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