St. John's Short Play Festival - 4

Note: Some plays may contain mature themes. The recommended age is 18+

Pieces of Resistance by Dream Haus Productions

In this short musical, Declan introduces his new boyfriend, Matt, to his mother with whom he has a close relationship; but things don’t go as Matt expects. This production features original songs that bring audience members on a journey through Matt and Declan’s contrasting perspectives on being a gay man in modern day. Declan, Matt, and their relationship embody queer joy, despite the play being in a dark setting, which symbolizes how queer people find joy in spite of living in a world that oppresses queerness.

Content Warnings: Discussions of nudity, sex, and death

Caregiver by Julia Moses and Francesca Handy

The Psychological Drama in ‘Caregiver’ unfolds when a housewife hires a caregiver to tend to her sick mother. The bond between the two women unravels the complex ties between domestic labor, family, identity, control, love, resentment, and grief.

Having inherited methods and principles of domestic labour, deeply personal to each family, ‘Caregiver’ explores how complexities of female relationships and the subconscious are linked to housework and care-work—the home becoming the physical embodiment of their minds.

Content Warnings: Potentially distressing themes include dementia, poison, elder abuse, and toxic work environments

Substitutes in Hiding by Robert Flynn

Two veteran substitute teachers – Ms. and Sir – hide out in the staffroom during their coveted prep period, desperate to avoid being reassigned to classroom support. Though they’ve crossed paths in schools for years, neither actually knows the other’s name. What begins as a casual conversation quickly escalates into a battle of wit, flirtation, and strategic name-guessing – intensified by a surprise school lockdown – with Ms.’s imagination punctuating the exchange with pink-lit rom-com fantasy beats. But just as sparks are about to turn into something more, a final twist knocks Ms. back to reality.  A sharp, playful comedy about connection, miscommunication, and the absurdities of substitute teaching.

Content Warnings: Some loud/abrupt noises

Thoughts of Sex and Sadness by Gazing Eye Productions

A man and a woman sit next to each other at a bar on Valentine's Day. They talk. Nothing happens.

Content Warnings: Sexual Themes