PLAYSMELTER HITS THE STAGE

Its big anniversary for Playsmelter! Celebrating their fifth year the folks at Sudbury’s own new work theatre festival have worked hard to compile a roster of original plays to prove once again that theatre is not dead in the North. Two staged productions and first readings of three new scripts by Northern Ontario writers, this is sure to be a jam packed week! Making its world premiere will be Lara Bradley’s Blind Nickel Pig, and in its first Sudbury presentation Receiver of Wreck by Matthew Heiti. And don’t forget to sit in on an exciting first reading of one of these new works: Pakistani Sugar by Brigitte Gall (Minden, ON), Debwewin (Truth) by Sarah Gartshore (Sudbury, ON) and The Sandcastle by Eli Chilton (Moose Factory, ON). Catch all the action May 9^th– 13^th at the Ukrainian National Federation (130 Frood Rd). You can grab your tickets here, just $20 for any of the nightly staged productions and $10 for each afternoon reading or $50 so you don’t miss a second of all the drama!

“This is a huge moment for our festival – and for Sudbury,” says Artistic Director Lisa O’Connell. “Two full productions, three new works in process – and all of it created by Northern playwrights. We’re thrilled to share this with the audience.”

Pakistani Sugar by Bridgette Gall (Minden, ON) – May 9^th @ 5PM-7PM, Cost: $10

Pakistani Sugar is the darkly comedic re-telling of true events that took a white-trash-bingo-queen from Creeleman, Saskatchewan (population 101) to the small village of Chalk Pacheese, Pakistan. From Ignorance to awakening, it is a story that stumbles blindly toward a heart-wrenching decision in which a life hangs in the balance.

Blind Nickel Pig by Lara Bradley – May 9^th, 11^th, 13^th @ 8PM, Cost: $20

History and myth mingle in Lara Bradley’s Blind Nickel Pig, a rollicking tale of times past and the people who lived in Sudbury a hundred years ago. The Piano Man plays us the story of an afterhours bar full of moonshine and colourful characters, all under the snout of a “blind pig.”

Receiver of Wreck by Matthew Heiti – May 10^th & 12^th @ 8PM, Cost $20

Matthew Heiti’s Receiver of Wreck is a grotesque love story about two people who each lose something at the same moment and are sent crashing together toward the dark heart of Canada. Inspired by the Salish Sea human foot discoveries, Receiver of Wreck is story about human waste and the mystic potential of change.

Debwewin (Truth) by Sarah Gartshore (Sudbury, ON) – May 11^th @ 5PM-7PM, Cost: $10

Debwewin (Truth) is a new work by Sarah Gartshore. The truth is that this land and its Indigenous people have a relationship that stretches back much further than the 150 years that many Canadians are celebrating in 2017. The truth is that Canada, as we know it, is at the beginning. The next short 150 years will be shaped, in part, by this time of truth telling as we navigate our way towards reconciliation. Debwewin is Gartshore’s humble offering to the rising collective Indigenous voice.

The Sandcastle by Eli Chilton (Moose Factory, ON) – May 13^th @ 5PM-7PM, Cost: $10

Elsa and George Whitefeather are living out their golden years surrounded by family and friends in a tight knit community, in their small family home. The play takes place in a day where their lives unfold with routine and community happenstance, and it is a day where their lives will change forever. We find that Elsa has a unique gift in her world, however, her family are more and more convinced that with her elderly age she is possibly stricken with an undiagnosed illness. Can Elsa and George’s family save their parents in time before they are forgotten, or is Elsa a force of nature unknown by those closest to her?

Jessica Lovelace

Jessica Lovelace is a Public Relations and Communications grad, musical theatre enthusiast, lover of live music and part-time unicorn tamer. Some have said that the Big Dripper from Sub City is a regional delicacy and the perfect end to a Sudbury Saturday Night – Jessica is definitely one of those people. No, the hair is not a perm.

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