This year’s Fostered Playwrights Festival invites you to immerse yourself in four compelling new works, presented at our stunning new partner venue, Sons & Daughters Winery in Ridgeville. Nestled along the Niagara Escarpment, this family-owned winery offers a warm, welcoming backdrop where exceptional Canadian storytelling meets breathtaking scenery.

Building on the energy, enthusiasm, and success of last year’s playwrights festival, weekend pass holders are invited to mingle between Saturday’s readings—connecting with artists and fellow theatre-lovers in a relaxed, intimate setting. Spark lively conversations inspired by the plays while enjoying Sons & Daughters’ irresistible stone-fired pizza or a beautifully curated charcuterie board, paired with local wine, Fieldstone Coffee, tea, and a tempting selection of fresh baked goods.

This season also marks an exciting milestone for the Playwrights Festival: our first staged reading. Every Little Thing by Emily Oriold—first shared with audiences at last year’s festival—returns with added staging, offering a rare glimpse into a play’s next phase of development. It’s a chance to witness the process behind Canadian theatre.

A weekend pass isn’t just access—it’s an invitation to be part of the creative journey.

“The Fostered Playwrights Festival is a vital part of our commitment to supporting new Canadian work. This festival creates meaningful opportunities for playwrights to develop and share their stories while strengthening the broader Canadian theatre landscape. Presenting the 2026 festival at Sons & Daughters Winery allows us to bring artists and audiences together in a setting that encourages connection, conversation, and celebration of Canadian voices.”

— Emily Oriold, Founder and Artistic Director, The Foster Festival

Fostered Playwrights Festival Schedule:

April 17 - 7pm Tips for Living Without Your Dog by Brad Austin

April 18 - 1pm Euchre Night by Norm Foster

April 18 - 5pm Every Little Thing by Emily Oriold

April 19 - 1pm Long Term Karen by Lisa Horner

NOW ON SALE! Weekend passes and single tickets.

Single Tickets: $40 | Any single reading.

Weekend Pass: $100 | All four readings.

Purchase your weekend pass today and join us at the heart of Canadian play development at fosterfestival.com.

If you prefer to talk to a person, call The Foster Festival Box Office at 1.844.735.4832 x3 (MON-FRI, 10am-4pm).

April 17 - 7pm

TIPS FOR LIVING WITHOUT YOUR DOG by Brad Austin

Brad Austin made his Foster Festival debut in Mechanically Inclined last year. He has performed in Norm's plays all over our beautiful country including The Melville Boys (Drayton Entertainment/ Bluewater), A Pack of Thieves, The Foursome, Halfway There (Lighthouse Festival), Hilda's Yard (Drayton/Chemainus) and Bedtime Stories (Drayton).

Synopsis: When Ben has an embarrassing altercation following the loss of his dog Finn, he somewhat reluctantly joins Tracey’s weekly pet bereavement group. There in the basement of the local Legion he meets the group's quirky regulars, Francis and Jackie, and learns that healing can sometimes be hilarious. And that the end can often lead to new beginnings.

April 18 - 1pm

EUCHRE NIGHT by Norm Foster

Norm Foster has been called Canada’s preeminent comic playwright. He is the most produced playwright in the history of the country and he receives, on average, an astounding one hundred and fifty productions of his plays each year. In 2017, Norm was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada for his body of work and in 2018 he received the Key to the City of St. Catharines.

Ahead of its world premiere in August, Norm joins us online to hear Euchre Night read out loud and to hear audience feedback - an important part of the playwriting process.

Synopsis: For 32 years Ruby, Deb, Kelly, and Grace have been playing Euchre every week. Over the years they’ve gotten married, had children, had grandchildren, and lost spouses. Now a new romance threatens to come between them as one reaches for happiness and the others can’t let go. Can friendship survive the hand life deals out or do the changes that family, work, and getting older bring, come between the most enduring of bonds? Euchre Night stacks a deck of laughter and poignancy in this brand new comedy about a special circle of friends.

April 18 - 5pm

EVERY LITTLE THING by Emily Oriold

Emily Oriold is Founder and Artistic Director of The Foster Festival. She has held the most senior position at The Foster Festival for the past 11 years and has been a professional actor and director for over 20 years. Most recently she starred in On A First Name Basis and The Stakeout and directed A Niagara Christmas Carol, Screwball Comedy and Bedtime Stories for the Festival.

Every Little Thing will be a "staged reading" with staging, minimal props and set, similar to the staged reading of A Niagara Christmas Carol in 2024.

Synopsis: Every morning Jack arrives at the hospital to visit his wife who has been comatose for months. Every morning he has his breakfast in the hospital cafeteria. Every morning he stays hopeful. And nothing changes until one morning when he meets Lily. A funny and touching look at surviving the curveballs life sometimes throws at us and the unlikely people that come together to help pull us through.

April 19 - 1pm

LONG TERM KAREN by Lisa Horner

Lisa Horner was part of The Foster Festival's inaugural season (Halfway There), starred in 1812 at Fort George, and directed Jenny’s House of Joy in 2023 and Those Movies in 2024.

Lisa has performed across the country including five seasons with the Shaw Festival, two seasons with the Stratford Festival, Mirvish Productions, Drayton Entertainment, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Theatre Aquarius, Neptune Theatre, The Grand Theatre and Stage West Mississauga. Lisa is perhaps best known for her work in the Ikea Winter Sale – Start the Car!

Synopsis: After pivoting from bartender to Personal Support Worker during Covid-19, Karen Harper has been invited by the local Probus group to speak about that career-changing experience. But Karen has a secret. She has never been empathetic or kind. She's never read a self-help book. And she’s far more likely to yell than to listen. She took the job anyway. Watch as Karen unexpectedly discovers empathy, kindness, and a fresh perspective—right in the middle of her own self-styled “Karen TED Talk.”

The Venue:

Sons & Daughters is a winery built on family, hard work, and a deep connection to Niagara. In 2018, brothers Geoff and Anthony planted their first vines in Fonthill, with a focus on making wines true to the land. As Pelham’s first winery, they farm 10 acres across two vineyards—Tice Road, with its rocky terrain, and Effingham Street, with its rolling slopes.

In 2024, they expanded with Fieldnote Coffee bringing small-batch coffee to the winery, complementing the wines they make and the space they’ve built.

We hope you'll enjoy visiting Sons & Daughters during the Fostered Playwrights Festival and when you return for The Bean in June.