GROUNDSWELL FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS to Return to Nightwood Theatre

This November, the annual Groundswell Festival of New Works will return to the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre to spotlight brand new works from Nightwood Theatre’s Write from the Hip

(WFTH) playwright’s unit, led by Program Director Intisar Awisse and Program Associate Mya Wong. Check out new plays from Alison Adams, Rais Clarke-Mendes, Sal Currie, Nicci Pryce, and Vanessa Spence. As part of this festival Nightwood will also deliver two professional development workshops led by Nightwood Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson, Artistic Associate Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster and WFTH Program Director, Intisar Awisse. Join us as we celebrate creation, conversation and community at our 41st annual Groundswell Festival!

Monday, November 9, 2026​

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm OR 3:30 - 5:30 pm. Professional Development. Building Creative Connections Fee for participants: $20.00*​

*Admission fee includes 1 ticket to attend one of the performance dates of Groundswell Festival (Nov. 10 - 12, 2026)

Join Nightwood Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson and Artistic Associate Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster for an intimate opportunity to introduce yourself to the organization and to other professional artists. This session is intended for theatre professionals who are women and gender-expansive producers, directors, stage managers, production managers and designers. All levels of professional experience are welcome and encouraged. Each session will be limited to 14 participants, and will include facilitated group introductions and time for more intimate, one-on-one chats.

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

7:00 pm Eaglet by Sal Currie

Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt navigates a tryst with an untrustworthy prince, while over a century later, playwright Eaglet unpacks her own failed start in romance.

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

7:00 pm Medusa and the Maneaters by Nicci Pryce

After a disastrous Olympian party, Medusa is forced to embrace a new identity and aid their sisters in refilling Gorgon’s Grove with “worthy” victims.

Thursday, November 12, 2026

7:00 pm Catchin' Tail by Vanessa Spence

With their childhood home at the centre, Catchin’ Tail follows migrant Trinidadian sisters as they reckon with aging, unrealised dreams, and sisterhood with humor and vulnerability.

Friday, November 13, 2026

10:00 am - 3:00 pm – Professional Development Workshop. The Art of Generative Self-Critique Location: Zoom (link will be shared with confirmed participants)

Fee for participants: $30

Join WFTH Program Director, Intisar Awisse, for an online dramaturgy workshop designed to help emerging playwrights refine their work and cultivate a productive practice of self-critique. Through guided exercises, feedback, and strategies for reflection, participants will develop dramaturgical tools for self-critique and revision, allowing them to assess their work with both critical distance and clarity. Participants should have a complete first draft and be ready to dive into revisions to benefit from this workshop.This event is suited for emerging playwrights with a full draft of a play.

Monday, November 16, 2026

Carnival Queen* by Rais Clarke Mendes

During Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, Anya journeys through a world where folklore, love, violence and masquerade blur, compelling her to confront her agency and selfhood.

*This is a closed workshop with no public sharing.

Tuesday, December 15, 2026

3:00 pm Hooks by Alison Adams