Simon Joynes Playwrights’ Festival

Join us for three nights of FREE Public Readings as we develop new Canadian stories.

Once again, we will present three new Canadian plays, and our patrons will have the chance to be part of the creative process and hear brand new scripts from some wonderful playwrights. We’ve got a thriller from Steven Gallagher, DEADLY MEMORIES, a charming folksy comedy HART’S CROSSING by Tracey Hoyt, and a brand-new Norm Foster the hilarious SHIP TO SHORE.

Following a single day of rehearsal, the plays will be presented as public readings followed by question/answer sessions with the playwrights and invited audience feedback, hosted by Artistic Director Liz Gilroy.

Thursday September 18 at 7:30pm Deadly Memories by Steven Gallagher

Friday September 19 at 7:30pm Hart's Crossing by Tracey Hoyt

Saturday September 20 at 7:30pm Ship To Shore by Norm Foster
*Celebrated playwright Norm Foster will be attending the reading of his featured work.

The Port Stanley Playwright’s Festival is part of the Port Stanley Festival Theatre’s established play development program, which has in the past produced premiere productions of: “Not in My Backyard” in 2013, “Bingo Ladies” in 2014, “Birds of a Feather” and “The Birds and the Bees” in 2016, “Five Alarm” in 2017, “Buying the Farm” in 2018, “Giving up the Ghost” in 2019, and productions of “Our House”, “The View From Here” in 2022, "The Beaver Club" in 2023, "Bigfoot!" in 2024 and "goldfish" in 2025.

The Festival is free but we do accept donations which help the theatre to continue to support Canadian Playwrights and Canadian stories. We are a nation overflowing with talent and providing an opportunity to showcase such talent is a strong part of PSFT’s mandate.

Please reserve your seats by clicking on the show below or call the box office 519-782-4353