A warm welcome to our 11th annual PlaySmelter Festival!

It is with both awe and delight that we enter into our second decade – dedicated to platforming new works of theatre created by Northern ON artists for Northern ON audiences.

Earlier this season, in respect and acknowledged responsibility of this coming milestone, we launched our first Northerners’ Creation Unit. Fondly referred to as the NCU, this digital creation unit is a first in Northern ON. Over several months, 11 playwrights from Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Thunder Bay, North Bay and Sudbury met virtually to work on their plays, discuss craft, the business of theatre creation and most importantly of all, develop relationships between each other. We are excited and honoured to platform these playwrights and their work at PlaySmelter 2023. As our artists gather for our Fest, we will convene an Artist Conversation on the Main Stage of our Festival venue, Sudbury Theatre Festival – to celebrate the past, note our challenges where they exist and plot our promise forwards. We have some incredible announcements and surprises to come!

In our first decade PlaySmelter has presented 48 New plays-in-process, provided contracts to more than 1000 arts/creative workers at professional industry wages and have held dozens of Professional Development Classes in Playwriting, Directing, Producing and Devised Theatre Creation. We stepped up during the pandemic, partnering with the City of Greater Sudbury to stimulate 20 microgrants to local artists during the trauma and shut-down of Covid. PlaySmelter has been a whirlwind of proven success for our artists and audience alike. Filled with both promise and possibility we happily dive into a fresh new decade. Join us!

Sign up HERE for the Daily PULSE, PlaySmelters’ heartbeat which lists each day’s activities so you don’t miss a single event!