2022 Newmarket Festival a Resounding Success
With the help of our sponsors, the 2022 Newmarket International Festival of One Act Plays was a resounding success! Having received absolutely no grant money this year, it was only because of the event sponsors, in addition to the fantastic plays, Actors, Directors and Stage-hands as well as the creative promotions team, that the 2022 festival was able to attract more theatre goers and online viewers than ever before! And It helped that the festival opened each day with no less than 3 world premieres!
Juliane Goyette of Riverwalk Wealth Investia
Each night featured a different sponsor which helped cover the costs to put on the festival and with their help we could not have put it on!
Ug and his mates tell stories
Ug & The Boar, A.K.A. Ug and the First Play Ever, a comedy, was the opening play of the festival and delighted the audience with its fast paced comedic action and dialogue. Written by Playwright Jim Geoghan and Directed by Dale Sheldrake, who also played Arg, it featured Actors Jack Hunter as Ug, Morvarid Alinejad as Bandala, Pricilla Dhaussy as Tatata and Nima Sadrzadeh as Flarg.
Funeral Home specializes in pre-arrangement options.
Day two of the festival was sponsored by Roadhouse & Rose Funeral Home which we thought fitting based on the storylines in a couple of the plays that night including Ahavah, written by Dana Hall and David Lipschutz, directed by Mary Rose Talani, which took place during “Shiva” after a death of a beloved Aunt and as well the play, From the Membrane of the Nucleus, by Peter A. Balaskas, directed by Mary Rose Talani, which had the two main characters in a coma and not expected to live, while the last play, Waiting, by Donna Sorbello, directed by Amanda Dempsey-Laughlin, was about a couple – however one half of the couple was actually deceased but kept alive in the mind of his elderly wife. #nifoap2022
“Waiting” captivated the audience – Photo image feaures Michelle Prestie as Mary and Desmond Baxter as Hiram, image by TPE
From the Membrane of the Nucleus – image front features Harris Bailey as Scribe and Christine Sawka as Songbird, image by TPE
Ahavah means Love – Arlene Murchison as Alice Hobbs and Saul Golberg as Edward Jeanveau – image by TPE
Both Cachet Supper Club and the Newmarket Main St Business Improvements Association were sponsors for day 3 of the festival, which featured The Back Porch Gang by Ben Scranton, directed by Ivana Obradovic, Death Does Larry written by Cary Pepper, directed by Bruce Williamson and 107 the lone Canadian Playwright in the festival, Len Cuthbert, directed by Claire Mooney. Cachet was also on site at the venue serving up spirits and snacks to attending patrons while the local Main St businesses were very supportive in allowing posters to be placed in their windows to help promote the event, with one business even lending us their sandwich board ice cream sign for a play!
Love Local Live Theatre and Restaurants and Businesses
Back Porch Gang cast members Lee Elson and Laurie Laing look on as Robert Mcneely and Judith Jakab wave at cars
107 Cast – Dennis langley as Morgan, Brett Rideout as Lennox and Bek Tucker as Agent Miles Smith
Day 4 of the 2022 festival was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Newmarket and featured works created by our newly formed Young Players Company, which under the direction of VUTC’s Kira Rosenbloom, created 3 one act plays, Deadly Scoop, What if Covid Happened in the 80’s? and Emotional which Kira herself wrote and directed the latter while D. S. was directed by Chiara Bouhs while W.I.C.H.I.T. 80’s was written and co- directed by Charlotte Clementine and Rayna Rodriguez. We are super proud of what our new young company put togther for this years festival and look forward to continuing to feature them in the future. To learn more about the Newmarket Rotary Club, watch our interview of President Richard Mewhinney.
VUTC Young Company
Deputy mayor Tom Vegh joins in with the cast of Emotional
Rounding out our sponsors are Newfie Sisters who supplied us with props and set dec items 
And Erentzen.com & TP Entertainment & Productions which supplied all our online and livestreaming needs.
Once again, a big thank you to all our sponsors and we look forward to next year as we continue to grow this phenominal annual event!