Fredericton’s annual summer theatre festival celebrates emerging playwrights, actors, and designers with readings and performances of 14 plays, July 26-August 6.
Matt Carter
The arrival of NotaBle Acts’ summer theatre festival is a sure sign summer is in full swing. Each year the festival programs a wide range of events and performances that celebrate the work of new and emerging theatre artists from across the province. This year’s lineup features three mainstage productions, two one-act plays, five short works performed outdoors, and readings of four new plays in development. It’s going to be an exciting 12 days. Let’s take a look at what’s in store.
This year’s festival features three mainstage productions across as many venues. Alex Rioux’s play Fruit Machine (produced by Solo Chicken Productions) tells the story of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s aggressive campaign to eliminate homosexuals from the civil service during the 1950’s and 60’s. True and horrifying, the play imagines the experience of hundreds of queer individuals shared through the lens of four characters struggling to avoid the watchful eyes, and clicking shutters of the RCMP’s invasive lens. Fruit Machine debuted at NotaBle Acts in 2019 and has been in continued development over the past few years. This one is a must-see. Fruit Machine runs July 27-29 at STU’s Black Box Theatre.
Are You In Isolation Jones is the latest work by Fredericton playwright and Nasty Shadows Theatre Company co-founder Scott Shannon to celebrate the life and spirit of Andrew Jones, a former Fredericton thespian whose talents and joy touched many in the local scene, including his constant presence in the world of NotaBle Acts until his passing in 2014. One local theatre icon celebrating another. A beautiful moment of heart and art. Are You In Isolation Jones runs July 30 at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre.
Perky, by Megan Murphy and Leanna Williams is a one-act coming-of-age comedy about a 19-year-old girl on the hunt for her first orgasm. From Doctor Who to Draco, Perky is a night(mare) you’ll never forget. Perky runs August 5-6 at TNB’s Open Space Theatre.
Like a music festival with themed stages, NotaBle Acts has, over the past several years, developed a performance format to meet both its mission to celebrate emerging New Brunswick theatre talent and provide audiences with a variety of different ways to engage with theatre. Outside of its mainstage productions, NotaBle Acts deliver a one-act series, a ten-minute and site-specific series, and a reading series. This year’s one-acts, which features both Lakeview Hotel by Gill Salmon and Night Train by Merrit Johnson, will run at Memorial Hall August 5-6.
The Beaverbrook Art Gallery Courtyard will once again be home to this year’s Taking It To The Streets series with short plays by Jason McIntyre, Noah Deas, Drew Hudson, Julianne Richard, and Jake Martin.
This year’s Play Out Loud series of new play readings will offer audiences a first engagement with new work by Alex Dawson, Noah Deas, Joshua Burke, and this year’s festival playwright-in-residence Julia Lederer.
Times, tickets, schedules and further details on all performances included in this year’s lineup can be found at nbacts.com
Cover photo: Fruit Machine c/o NotaBle Acts Theatre Festival
