The press release below was sent out yesterday. The ball is rolling faster and faster folks!
We’re almost there! Get your tickets now!
For Immediate Release: Aug 06 2026 – 2 pages
Attention News Desk – Newmarket International Festival of One Act Plays Announcement Contact: 289-221-0928 – admin@oneactplayfestival.com Website: www.oneactplayfestival.com
Newmarket International Festival of One Act Plays
Festival Play Dates: Sept 10-13 2026 – 7pm Opening Night
Location, Newmarket Old Town Hall, 460 Botsford Street
Prefestival Activities & Dates:
Staged Play reading, Thursday Aug 27, Lounge by the George, 238 Main St. S – 7:30 Pm Doors open 6pm, no cover charge
Improv Workshops for festival actors – Aug 12, 26 Old Town Hall, 460 Botsford St – Free Public Improv Workshop – Sat August 22, location Optimists Hall, 55 Forhan ave Newmarket $25
The Festival:
Organizers of the 20026 Newmarket International Festival of One Act Plays, are very excited about this year’s season! The 9th annual edition runs September 10 – 13 at Newmarket Old Town Hall and features 8 great one act plays from Canada, Japan, The U.S,. The U.K. and even Ukraine.
The Plays
The doors open at 7pm for Red Carpet Party on opening night Thursday which will feature live ambient entertainment before the plays, as well as complimentary charcuterie board and finger foods, a cash bar, and three plays – Such Dreams as Stuff is Made On by Dan Mcgeehan, The Hunchback of Marshall Avenue by Randy Gross and A Happy Child by Natalya Torzhevska. Friday eve features Pigeons…Whole by Ken Green, Cosmo Girls by Lawrie Carruthers and Red Comet by Len Cuthbert, while Saturday evening will present Just Asking by Cary Pepper and The Big Sneeze by Morey Norkin. Each play will be adjudicated by Trevor Smith Diggins an award winning director and actor as well as an experienced adjudicator. Each play also receives a second showing at the matinees and Sunday eve shows. Evening show times are 8pm, other than Sunday which starts at 6pm, while matinees are at 2 pm. Non / Alcoholic beverages and snacks are available at all shows.
“The festival features a really good balance of plays – from dramatic to comedic to romantic and everything in between – says company president Tom Pearson, “I truly believe everyone attending will enjoy themselves immensely no matter which shows they attend.”
Advance festival show tickets are at NewRoads Theatre box office or www.tixhub.com/Newmarket and range from $20 advanced for seniors/students, to $30 at the door for adults ($40 opening night). Full Festival passes are available for $75 as well as Dinner & Show tickets.
Introducing Dinner & Show – $65 ($80 Opening Night)
You may now choose Dinner (lunch or brunch) & Show as a ticket option which allows the bearer to dine at one of four great downtown restaurants – Made in Mexico, The Postmark Hotel, Lounge by the George, or the George Brewhouse on the day of their show – after which patrons simply travel minutes to the festival venue at Old Town Hall. D&S ticket purchasers reserve at their restaurant of choice, show their QR coded ticket and order up to $50 from the restaurant menu. Taxes and tip are not included.
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Workshops and Prefestival Activities
The festival will also host workshops for both youth (see website to sign up) and adults as well there are several prefestival events including, “Staged Readings” at various downtown locations including Unmasked At Dawn by Emma Inglis, and Bug Rescuing by Judy Klass slated for Thursday Aug 27 at Lounge by the George while improv workshops hosted by Peter Cianfarani will be held for festival actors Aug 12 and 26 at Old Town Hall, and as well a separate improv workshop for the public will be held Saturday Aug 22 at Newmarket Optimist Hall. Workshops are free for festival actors while a nominal fee of $25 being charged for the full day public access workshop. Tickets for the staged readings and workshop are set up on Eventbrite while festival play tickets are listed on the town’s event ticket site at tixhub/newmarket or can be purchased at the NewRoads box office.
Festival Causes
The festival is produced by The Very Useful Company, a registered charity dedicated to creating stage opportunities for Newmarket area performers as well as raising awareness and funds for good causes. This year a portion of the proceeds will go to EILmanuel Foundation which is hosting a Walk-a-thon
for Affordable Housing at Fairy Lake, The City of Goodness an international charity for comprehensive care for children, mothers, older women and animals with a hospice for children (in Ukraine) and for the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre.
“We’re super excited. Of late, we try to pick causes that may cross our paths naturally such as cancer is an underlying theme in one of the plays, Cosmo Girls (which is also sure to be a smash hit!), while another, “A Happy Child”, is delivered through the eyes of a 5 year old child in war torn Ukraine. Lastly we came across the walk-a-thon for affordable housing through a co-event we participated in at the Postmark Hotel, and with their walk date being during our festival and held nearby, our board saw a natural fit for another good cause.”TP
The N.I.F.O.A.P. is sponsored by Newmarket Rotary Club as well receives support from TPE Productions, Newmarket Downtown BIA, Hauley Accounting, Road House & Rose Funeral Home and Juliane Goyette / Riverwalk Wealth Investment while the young company workshops and activities are sponsored by the Newmarket Optimist Club. Entry is fully wheelchair accessible as well as aphasia (often a result from a stroke) accessible – an exclusive feature of the festival and Canadian first – which it’s stage-side monitors also assist attendees who may be hard of hearing.
For more information and tickets links please visit the festival website @ www.oneactplayfestival.com
