BEHINd
Closed
Doors

A Playwright Development Program

Would we understand people differently if we could peek
Behind Closed Doors?

What happens in those private spaces? The spaces that aren’t for public consumption? What conversations do we have behind closed doors? What conversations are happening around us unseen?

25th Street Theatre has gathered a suite of six local playwrights selected by our panel, to write a series of short, site-specific plays around the theme of what happens behind closed doors.

With the help of our two program dramaturges, these playwrights have been hard at work since December 2024, to develop short scripts (10-20 minutes) that can be performed as site-specific theatre. This is a 6-month long program that will support local playwright development with the hope of producing the final scripts in the following year, creating a memorable theatre adventure for patrons as they explore theatre in unique settings.

MEET THE DRAMATURGES:

YVETTE NOLAN
(she/her)

FRASER STEVENS
(he/hIM)

MEET THE PLAYWRIGHTS:

Kaydence Banga
(she/her)

Script: Historical “Friends”

Historical “Friends” explores the turbulent marriage between Princess Louise and the Marquis of Lorne. At a time when portraiture symbolized unity in marriage, their unusual choice to have portraits facing away from one another reflected deeper tensions between the two…

Drew Mantyka
(he/him)

Script: Another Day on the Diamond

Two amateur announcers prepare for a season as the on-field voices of their sons’ baseball team until technical issues and life descrepancies create commentary of a different sort.

Marley Duckett (she/they)

Script: Fallen Women

Marley is an emerging Saskatchewan playwright who is interested in writing stories that elevate the voices of women. Her new play, Fallen Women seeks to explore the complicated experiences of unwed mothers who entered into mother-baby homes as a means to support their pregnancies.

Clare Middleton
(she/her)

Script: First on, Last off

She’s the kind of kid who likes to talk and he’s the kind of bus driver who listens. Seemingly mismatched, they share the quiet moments of the early morning and late afternoon commute. In the space between stops, the bus becomes a place where life comes into focus.

Mitchell Larsen
(they/them)

Script: Hiring

Mitchell’s play, Hiring, follows a group of theatre producers as they find themself caught in a difficult conversation about hiring someone who has been accused of sexual harassment.

Shy Sapp

Script: This is it

On a chaotic night in a bustling nightclub bathroom, tensions flare and unlikely alliances form as a group of women confront prejudice, privilege, and what it truly means to belong.

This program is made possible thanks to generous support of
the Brownlee Family Foundation and their commitment to the arts.

The final development phase of this program occurred from May 5th – 9th, 2025 with a workshop week located at the University of Saskatchewan. During this week our writers worked with actors, directors, and a stage management team to to hear their work out loud. This week concluded with an invited staged reading on May 9th at the Avenue Room.

Thank you to all of the artists and invited guests who joined us throughout this process and shared your thoughts and feedback to help these playwrights develop their skills and reach their goals.