Canada's Largest Ten-Minute Play Festival Kicks Off Its 13th Season

"It was almost a premonition, when we chose this year's theme last June. Little did we know, it would be so relevant," says Dominik Loncar, Artistic Director of Theatre inspiraTO, producers of Canada's largest ten-minute play festival, the inspiraTO Festival.

The inspiraTO Festival kicks of its 13th season on June 7 and runs until June 16. Each season, inspiraTO puts out a call for play submissions based on a collective theme. For this year's record-breaking season, the jury reviewed over 1,000 play submissions! The festival showcases the work of 24 playwrights from around the globe, with this year's plays addressing the perspective of women with its theme 'All About Her'.

The plays are grouped into five shows- six plays per show, 60 minutes per show. Each show follows a sub-theme. For example, the red Show offers stories that provoke and confront the world (for a breakdown of all shows see page 2. A special fifth show, added this year, allows participants in the festival's playwriting workshop to use examples from the grey Show to help them write their own ten-minute play (and submit to next year's contest). This special performance + education series inspires more theatre artists to engage in this art form.

Designed to push boundaries, the festival combines cohesive delivery, innovative programming, and hands-on training with over 100 local talents participating each year to give the diverse voices that make up today's theatre landscape a platform unlike any other. This year, over 2/3 of the acting roles and over 50 percent of the direction are done by women.

Audiences love the format because they get a chance to experience a broad range of theatre; from the deeply disturbing to the absurd and hilarious and everything in between.After each show, audiences are engaged in heated discussions and vote for their top three plays. The People's Choice winners are announced at the finale awards ceremony on the last day.

"With 30 plays, this will break open more than just a reaction to the issues that women today face", contends Dominik. "These plays reflect a broader selection of stories. With stories from assault to grief to empowerment, this takes it into a wider realm. It's not about being the victim. It's about being empowered."

"I highly encourage you to get out to see a few of these shows and be treated to a barrage of ideas, emotions, talent, and imagination."- Stephen Lubin, (Mooney on Theatre)

13TH INSPIRATO THEATRE FESTIVAL LINE UP

Alumnae Theatre, Mainstage, Studio and Trinity spaces

June 7-16, 2018

Tickets: $15 - $20; Festival Pass: $70

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Further detailscan be found atwww.theatreinspirato.ca.