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. This year will feature a mixture of established plays and fresh new works from up-and-coming playwrights, with different performances each evening by theatre groups from across central and northern Vancouver Island.
This Festival is an adjudicated competition, with awards presented in multiple categories, including Best Play and Best Original Script. This year, we’re honored to have as adjudicators Eliza Gardiner and Ward Norcutt. 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 private critique will be given to the cast and crew of each play. The Festival will conclude on Sunday afternoon with an Award Ceremony, to which all are invited.
This is an exciting competition for playwrights, performers and audiences alike. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience a variety of plays, discover new voices, and enjoy insightful feedback from the Festival adjudicators. We look forward to seeing you there!
Festival Chair
Charlie Whelton
The Village Theatre is a scent free building
LINE UP FOR ONE ACT PLAY FESTIVAL
WEDNESDAY EVENING (NOV 5 - 7:30PM)
Yesterday (ECHO Players)
by Colin Campbell Clements, directed by Alistair McVey
A Lady and a British officer. late of the Indian Army, find themselves alone, after escaping from a party. They begin to talk about their past, only to discover that they had met, long ago...
Going Avocado (ECHO Players)
by Marian Buechert, directed by Gail Tisdale
Five women find themselves in a holding cell, after being arrested at a protest. They share the cell with a cynical stranger whose assertions force them to re-examine their moral assumptions.
THURSDAY EVENING (NOV 6 - 7:30PM)
After Effects (Yellow Point Drama Group)
by Brian March, directed by Barbara Metcalf
On Remembrance Day, two men meet in a city park. Both of their fathers fought in the war on different sides, and the repercussions are felt years later.
THE FIRST TO STAND
by Leila Sadeghi, directed by Leila Sadeghi
A gripping psychosexual drama about a young actress on the brink of her off-Broadway debut. As she navigates an increasingly volatile relationship with a powerful partner, the play she rehearses begins to mirror her life. What unfolds is a haunting exploration of passion, vulnerability and ambition.
FRIDAY EVENING (NOV 7 - 7:30PM)
They Glowed Green (NDSS Performing Arts)
by Kelly Barnum and Sarah Kielly. directed by Kelly Barnum and Sarah Kielly
Based on the lives of the "Radium Girls" - female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting radium watch dials using the "lip dip paint" technique.
Poptart! (ECHO Youth Theatre)
by Ashera Richard - directed by Ashera Richard
Tia's excited to introduce her boyfriend Nick to her quirky, unpredictable family - but Nick quickly realizes this is no ordinary meet-the-parents night. From awkward dinners and bizarre family games to mysterious 'energy jam' and confusing rules, Nick struggles to keep up without losing his mind. With a secret safe word and plenty of laughs, this one-act comedy explores the chaos and charm of family, love, and learning to fit in - one wild moment at a time.
SATURDAY EVENING (NOV 8 - 7:30PM)
Laundry and Bourbon (Rivercity Players Society)
by James McClure, directed by Dennis Hawkins-Bogle.
The setting is the front porch of Roy and Elizabeth's home in Maynard, Texas. Elizabeth and her friend Hattie are whiling away the time folding laundry, watching TV, sipping bourbon and Coke, and gossiping about the many open secrets which are so much a part of small-town life. They are joined by the self-righteous Amy Lee who, among other tidbits, can't resist blurting out that Roy has been seen around town with another woman...
Poetry in Motion (Nanaimo Theatre Group)
by Mary Littlejohn, directed by Mary Littlejohn
Four fictional characters from famous poems show up in a waiting room, unsure of their purpose for being there. When the truth comes to light, they suddenly must fight for their existence
One Act Play Festival Package - get four tickets for the price of three.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON (NOV 9 - 2:00PM)
Award Ceremony
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.
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.