Preview a new script in development by the celebrated creators of Slings & Arrows! Susan Coyne, Bob Martin, and Mark McKinney will lead a cast of Festival company members in a one-night-only reading of a new work.

Set in rural Ontario, The Amateurs tells a heartfelt, and funny origin story of a Shakespeare festival that will one day capture international attention … if it can get started. A small‑town journalist with big dreams gathers a determined group of locals to save their struggling community, sparking an artistic awakening no one sees coming.

This intimate reading offers a rare chance to experience the early stages of a new show that may or may not be inspired by the founding of your favourite theatre, which is almost certain to win many, many awards in the future. The evening will be directed by Festival favourite Chris Abraham and presented in collaboration with Crow’s Theatre.