2025 Vancouver Island One Act Play Festival
ECHO Players are thrilled to be hosting, once again, the Vancouver Island One Act Play Festival, from November 5th – 9th , 2025. Originating in 2005, this Festival has become an annual tradition at the Village Theatre, featuring performances by theatre groups from across central and northern Vancouver Island and beyond.
This year, we’re returning to our roots and embracing tradition! For most of the last twenty years (prior to COVID), this Festival occurred every year in early November, and we’re going back to that time slot. We’re also returning to the practice of having two adjudicators, which rewards both the performers and the audience with a richer and more varied critique of each play. This year, we’re honored to have as adjudicators Eliza Gardiner and Ward Norcutt.
We are now accepting submissions of one act plays for this year’s Festival. Festival Application Form and Festival Rules and Protocols are available for downloading and printing from this site. The deadline for submission is September 15, 2025. Both conventional and original one act plays are welcome – in fact, this Festival offers new playwrights a wonderful opportunity to see their work performed, and to have it thoughtfully critiqued.
Each evening of the Festival will feature two different one act plays. Following each play, the adjudicators will briefly share some public remarks about the performance with the cast and audience. At the end of the evening, a more detailed thirty minute private critique will be given to the cast and crew of each play. The Festival will conclude on Sunday afternoon, often with one last performance, followed by an Award Ceremony.
This is an exciting competition for playwrights, performers and audiences alike. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in theatre, to support new playwrights and artists, and to share the fun of an adjudicated theatre festival, right here in Qualicum Beach. We look forward to seeing you there!
If you have any questions about the Festival or the submission process, please contact me at charles.whelton@echoplayers.ca .
Charles Whelton, Festival Chair
We are now accepting submissions
of one act plays for this year’s Festival.
Deadline for submission is September 15, 2025
The Festival Application Form and
Festival Rules and Protocols
can be downloaded below:
ELIZA GARDINER
Adjudicator
Eliza Gardiner teaches in the Theatre Department at Vancouver Island University. In 2024, she received the VIU President’s Award for Excellence in Education: Access and Inclusion. She is past Chair of the Theatre Department, and Manager of VIU’s Malaspina Theatre.
She is a proponent for the transformative power of arts-based education, and has facilitated theatre projects in prisons, seniors’ residences and schools. She is a past children’s theatre director with her company Red Room Studio, Artistic Producer of Western Edge Theatre, and General Manager of Nanaimo’s professional theatre company, TheatreOne.
Eliza’s original creative works include the folk rock musical Concessions of a Wannabe Rock Star and the Vancouver Island Symphony commissioned play for young audiences, Making it Reel.
WARD NORCUTT
Adjudicator
Ward Norcutt is a writer of prose, poetry, and stage plays. He also works professionally in set design, lighting design, acting and directing.
Before becoming a teacher of Dramatic Arts and English, he worked in various theatre and television productions like Danger Bay Productions, Citadel Theatre, Arts Club, and SCTV.
He taught high school from 1992 to 2018, directing, producing, designing and building over one hundred shows. He has been directly involved with over twenty musicals and one act/full length plays.