Downstage Supports New And Emerging Artists At STAGE IT FESTIVAL 

As part of a year-long initiative, Downstage supports new and emerging artists as part of their Stage It Program. These two new productions, Kindling and Secret Saloon, are part of the upcoming Stage It Festival from May 11 - May 14, 2023, alongside a special event featuring two other performances, and a local arts market that will include local music acts and vendors.

"Downstage is excited to host a variety of new works by emerging and established artists at this year's Stage It Festival. We have worked all season with creator-producer duos Stephanie Alexandre & Keith Boniol and Islay McKechnie & Ciarán Volke as part of our Stage It Program. Their fresh new plays come to fruition at the Stage It Festival!" said Clare Preuss, Downstage's Artistic Director.

"We are also hosting a special event that features award-winning playwright Tara Beagan's new audio play, Ride or Die, as well as a staged reading of Good Grief!, a play that puts the fun back in funeral. On top of all of this new theatrical work, Downstage is hosting various local music acts and a local arts market. The Stage It Festival is a fun and affordable way to enjoy some playful new creations by local artists," added Preuss.

Kindling, Created by Stephanie Alexandre and Keith Boniol - Stage It Production

When is a stranger no longer a stranger?

Lyla is left bewildered when her best friend and roommate, Jay, suddenly decides to pack up and leave the province without an explanation. The night before they're set to move out, two strangers with tornado-like personalities show up at their door, ready to move into their new home. Between phone calls to an irresponsible landlord, a kitchen fire, and an accidental unveiling of secrets, these pairs of strangers begin to unpack a kindredness towards each other, realizing they are not as alone in their struggles as they thought.

"After experiencing the ups and downs of isolation over the past few years, it has been both so exciting and healing to create a show hinged upon the concept of connection. Downstage has such a strong reputation of fostering community in the Arts scene of Calgary, and we can't wait to spark a conversation around the need for reaching out, as well as having someone to lean on," Stephanie Alexandre and Keith Boniol.

Performances:

Thursday, May 11, 2023 | 7:25 PM

Friday, May 12, 2023 | 9:25 PM

Saturday, May 13, 2023 | 5:45 PM

Sunday, May 14, 2023 | 6:45 PM

Secret Saloon, Created by Islay McKechnie and Ciarán Volke - Stage It Production

A storyteller's playground!

Feast your eyes, ears, and hearts on bar dogs Islay McKechnie and Ciarán Volke as they interview local queer artists and creators, and from their stories fashion a completely improvised musical before your very eyes. What will you discover in the Secret Saloon?

"Secret Saloon excites us for many reasons, but mostly because it feels like a homecoming. Both of us have roots in Calgary and the Albertan theatre scene, so bringing this show to Downstage is like offering a love letter to the open prairie, to the towering mountains, and the myriad of memories that remind us what home is. Secret Saloon is our chance to honour the incredible work that our mentors and peers have made, and honouring the communities that have brought us to where we are now," Islay McKechnie and Ciarán Volke.

Performances:

Thursday, May 11, 2023 | 8:30 PM

Friday, May 12, 2023 | 8:20 PM

Saturday, May 13, 2023 | 6:50 PM

Sunday, May 14, 2023 | 5:40 PM

Good Grief!, Created by Dana Prather and Rosemary Morrison - Staged Reading

Good Grief! Puts the fun back in funeral!

Good Grief! finds Dana and Rosemary in the midst of a funeral. Faced with the question of how to move on, if that's even possible, they go back to the drawing board and learn how to grieve from the ground up. In an exploration of the ways love, loss, and life shape who we are, Dana and Rosemary bring a uniquely morbid sense of humour to put the fun back in funeral!

Performances:

Friday, May 12, 2023 | 7:25 PM

Saturday, May 13, 2023 | 4:45 PM

Ride or Die, Created by Tara Beagan - Audio Play with Playwright Conversation

Though Win and his Grams are growing weary of life in a temporary camp, they never tire of each others' jokes. In a world of floods and fires, they are family, and Win will get his Grams to her lucky spot at bingo through hell and highwater.

Audio Play Listening Party and Playwright Conversation:

Sunday, May 14, 2023 | 4:45 PM

All of the music acts and the local arts market are FREE entrance

Kindling and Secret Saloon are $20 each or both shows for $30

Ride or Die and Good Grief! events are $10 each

Learn more at: downstage.ca | 403.294.7459

Downstage is an award-winning Calgary-based theatre company dedicated to producing plays that create meaningful conversation around social issues. Their plays provoke vibrant dialogue between Calgarians, both informally and through nightly post-performance discussions. For more information on Downstage, please visit www.downstage.ca.

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