COLLIDER FESTIVAL Will Return to Citadel Theatre With Free Play Readings and Workshops
The Edmonton festival will feature five new play readings, including DARCY & WICKHAM and CHULA, plus workshops led by Nick Green and Mariló Núñez.
Citadel's Play Development showcase, Collider Festival, will return June 5 - 7, 2026, featuring opportunities for local artists and theatre enthusiasts.
The 2026 festival will include free readings of five new plays (four originating from the Citadel's Playwrights Lab and one new Citadel commission): The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist: The Great Canadian Musical by Mhairi Berg, featuring music and lyrics from Mhairi Berg and Steven Greenfield, Come Hell or High Water by Nicole Moeller, An Agatha Christie Mystery A Comedy by Col Cseke, solo-performance Chula by Alexandra Lainfiesta, and adaptation Darcy & Wickham by Belinda Cornish, based on the novel Follies Past by Melanie Kerr and co-presented with Script Salon.
Collider also features two artist-led writing workshops: Nick Green (playwright of Casey & Diana) will lead a deep dive into the art of musical theatre book-writing and Mariló Núñez will explore Maria Irene Fornes' ground-breaking playwriting methodology. The workshops are sponsored by Theatre Alberta as part of Workshops by Request: Hometown Series.
Associate Artistic Director, Mieko Ouchi says “Play Development is at the very heart of what we do at the Citadel, and our own homegrown productions are fast becoming some of the company's most well-known works. Collider is an incredible opportunity for us to test drive some of this brand-new work in front of enthusiastic audiences, which allows the playwrights to learn what is working, and to refine and hone the work as it moves towards potential productions with us or at theatres across the country and beyond.”
Play readings are free to attend and donations will be accepted at the door. Spaces in the workshops are limited with tickets on sale now for $50 + GST. Audience members are welcome to join the free mixers on June 6 and 7 before the readings to meet and mingle with fellow artists and theatre lovers who are passionate about new play development.
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