COLLIDER FESTIVAL Returns to The Citadel With New Plays, Workshops & Artist Mixers

Collider, The Citadel Theatre’s annual new play development festival, returns June 20–22, 2025, offering a long weekend of staged readings, artist-led workshops, and opportunities for connection between artists and audiences.

Festival Overview

Led by Citadel Associate Artistic Director Mieko Ouchi, Collider focuses on large-scale, bold new stories by both local playwrights and creators from across Canada and beyond. Over the course of three days, the festival will present five new play readings—all free to attend—as well as two paid artist-led workshops and daily artist mixers open to the public.

Featured Plays

This year’s lineup features a mix of adaptations and original work, including:

• Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand, adapted by Jessy Ardern

• Persuasion, adapted from Jane Austen’s novel by Katherine Koller

• The Riverside Seniors Village Theatrical Society Presents: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, by Collin Doyle

• Runaways, by Mac Brock, performed by the Citadel Young Company

• Nowhere With You: An East Coast Musical, by James Odin Wade, based on the music of Joel Plaskett

Directors

Directors for the readings include Amanda Goldberg (Cyrano), Heather Inglis (Persuasion), Mel Bahniuk (Runaways), and Mieko Ouchi, who directs both Riverside Shakespeare and Nowhere With You.

Workshops

In addition to play readings, Collider will host two ticketed workshops sponsored by Theatre Alberta’s Workshops by Request: Hometown Series.

• On Saturday, June 21, musical theatre creator Amiel Gladstone leads Adapt Anything, a workshop exploring musical adaptation from unlikely source material.

• On Sunday, June 22, playwright Beth Graham and choreographer Ainsley Hillyard will offer Equitable Devising with Choreography and Playwriting, focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to script creation. Registration for each workshop is $45 + GST.

Playwrights Mixers

Two Playwrights Mixers will be held in the Zeidler Hall Lobby on June 21 and June 22 from 6:00–7:00 PM, offering space for theatre artists, writers, and supporters to meet, mingle, and connect.

Venue & Admission

All readings will be held in Zeidler Hall at the Citadel Theatre. Admission is free, with donations accepted at the door to support new play development and artist mentorship programs.