The second annual Fresh From the Island: New Works Festival was a great success this year,
with a busy four-day event at Kings Playhouse in Georgetown from October 20-23 rd . Events
included special workshops, panel discussions and staged readings.
Participants also took in the HallowQueen Murder Mystery event on October 22 nd .
Two plays were selected from a blind jury of peers, and the plays were workshopped with
professional dramaturgs and actors.
The selected plays were: The Conversation, by Marlene Campbell, and Say You’re Sorry, by
Louise Burley.
The Dramaturgs were Pamela Halstead and Lindsay Kyte, with apprentice Dramaturgs Rory
Starkman and Benton Hartley assisting.
An additional collaborative project with Kings Playhouse was included in the festival, offering
support for the Legacy Project ‘Sma’knis’, a new work by Julie Pellissier-Lush.
Our workshop panelists included Pamela Halsted, AD of Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre,
Adam Brazier, Artistic Director of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, Robert Tsonos, Artistic
Director of Watermark Theatre and Pat Smith, former Executive Director of Victoria Playhouse.
Many thanks to actors Yvette Doucette, Marlene Handrahan, Cameron MacDuffee, Sharlene
MacLean, Melissa Mullen and Rob MacDonald.
Thanks also to our stage manager, Rory Starkman, and assistant stage manager Jessie Duarte.
Young at Heart Theatre, Kings Playhouse and Desert Island Theatre are grateful for the support
from New Horizons for Seniors, Government of Canada, Innovation PEI and Playwrights Atlantic
Resource Centre for making this event possible.
Thanks to all who attended the workshops and readings. We look forward to seeing more plays
developed in the coming year.
