Curveball brings the true story of the Kroehler Girls to Blyth Festival’s Harvest Stage

The Blyth Festival presents the world premiere of Curveball: The Fast-Pitch Ladies From the Factory Floor, a play with original music by Dayna Manning, July 8 to Aug. 22, 2026 on the beautiful open air Harvest Stage.

Set in 1950s Stratford, Ontario, Curveball is based on the true story of the women of the Kroehler Manufacturing Company, once one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the world, employing roughly one quarter of Stratford's workforce. Beyond the factory floor, Kroehler was a cornerstone of community life. The women of Kroehler built furniture by day and played championship-level softball by night, winning two provincial titles in 1953.

Kelly McIntosh first brought the Kroehler story to the stage in 2021 in a sold out production withHere For Now Theatre, drawing on archival research from the Stratford Perth Museum, where she now serves as managing director.

Dayna Manning was so moved by what she saw in the 2021 production that she began writing songs.

"She played us a couple of song ideas, and we thought, 'Oh my gosh, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth,'" McIntosh said of Manning's arrival in the project. "She's an incredible songwriter."

Manning brings more than 25 years of songwriting to Curveball’s original score. A JUNO Award–nominated Canadian folk artist celebrated for her vivid, place-rooted storytelling, her latest album, Field Notes, features "A Dream Lives in Your Heart" - a song written for Curveball that offers a first glimpse into the musical's spirit.

The show arrives at a striking cultural moment: Fourteen Canadian athletes were recently drafted into the Women's Professional Baseball League, the first professional league of its kind in three quarters of a century.

Curveball: The Fast-Pitch Ladies From the Factory Floor, directed by Blyth Festival Associate Artistic Director Severn Thompson, runs July 8 to Aug. 22, 2026 at the Blyth Festival. Opening Night: Friday, July 10. Tickets and further information are available at blythfestival.com.

The story has deep personal roots for Andy Pogson, one of the show’s writers who created Curveball along with Kelly McIntosh, Stacy Smith and Severn Thompson. Pogson is the nephew of Marg Syms (née Pogson), who played third base on the Kroehler Girls team in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

From: www.stratfordtoday.ca.

Photo: Ruby Huras, one of the Kroehler Girls.