The summer of laughter continues at The Foster Festival with the world premiere of Euchre Night by Norm Foster. Now extended to August 23 at the Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College with previews beginning August 6, this hilarious new comedy is directed by The Foster Festival's Artistic Director and Founder, Emily Oriold, and stars a perfect hand of actors: Kirsten Alter, Nora McLellan, Jenny L. Wright and Patricia Yeatman.

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 will the changes that family, work, and getting older come between the most enduring of bonds? Euchre Night stacks a deck of laughter and poignancy in a brand new comedy about a special circle of friends.

CAST:

 • Kirsten Alter recently starred in the world premiere of The Bean for The Foster Festival. Other Foster Festival credits include Screwball Comedy (Assistant Director), Euchre Night (reading), Halfway There, Come Down From Up River, The Ladies Foursome and Wildly Romantic. Other theatre credits include Dance Nation (Keep Good Theatre Co/HEIST), Bluebirds (Theatre New Brunswick), Intimate Apparel (Thousand Islands Playhouse), John Ware Reimagined (Workshop West/Lunchbox Theatre), and Wit (Vancouver Playhouse/ CanStage). Kirsten’s voice over work includes X-Men: Evolution, Phoebe and Jay, Zerby Derby, Stratford Festival, Evergreen Brickworks, and NOOM.

 • Nora McLellan is a familiar face to Foster Festival audiences having appeared in Euchre Night (reading), Packing Up (reading), Renovations for Six, and Aunt Agnes for Christmas. Nora has worked across the country at Shaw, Stratford, Blyth, and Charlottetown Festivals, The Arts Club Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, as well as Seattle Rep. Her film and TV credits include Orphan Black, Revival, and Sister Rose on Son of a Critch.

 • Jenny L. Wright was last seen with The Foster Festival in the reading of Widow Wonderland. Other theatre includes many productions at the Shaw Festival since 1996 including You Can’t Take it With You, Pal Joey, Guys and Dolls, Oh What a Lovely War, Time and the Conways, Peter Pan, Peter and the Starcatcher, Our Town, The Game of Love and Chance, and Holiday Inn. She has also worked locally with Yellow Door Theatre, Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects, and Essential Theatre Collective. In 2023 Jenny was part of the world premiere of Fall on Your Knees at Canadian Stage, Neptune Theatre, The National Arts Centre and The Grand Theatre.

 • Patricia Yeatman is another familiar face to Foster Festival audiences having appeared in 1812 (World Premiere), and the readings of Bridge Narrows and Euchre Night. On other stages she has appeared in The Glass Menagerie, Kingdom of Earth, Blessings in Disguise (Touchmark); Driving Miss Daisy, Death and the Maiden, Seven Stories (Sudbury Theatre Centre); The Carpenter, Glorious, Condoville, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Life After George (Centaur Theatre); The Search for Signs of Intelligence in the Universe (Theatre Newfoundland & Labrador); Sexy Laundry (New Stages); For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again (STC, Bluewater Playhouse, Theatre New Brunswick); Shirley Valentine (Imperial Oil Centre); Self Help (World Premiere-Theatre Aquarius, Stage West); Separate Beds (World Premiere-Showboat Festival); and House of Blue Leaves (Theatre Aquarius, TNL). Patricia’s film and TV work includes Camille (with Sienna Miller and James Franco), B.J. Fletcher: Private Eye.

DIRECTOR:

 • Emily Oriold’s previous directing credits for The Foster Festival include On A First Name Basis, Screwball Comedy, A Niagara Christmas Carol, The Melville Boys, and The Ladies Foursome; and as an actor: On A First Name Basis, The Stakeout, Ship to Shore, The Christmas Tree, and Wildly Romantic. Emily’s other theatre credits include directing The Beaver Club (Lighthouse Festival), Chaplin: About Face (Talk is Free Theatre/Theatre Aquarius), The Outdoor Donnellys vignettes (Blyth Festival), and as an actor: Too Close to Home, Everything I Love About Christmas (Theatre Orangeville); The Glass Menagerie, Collette: The Colours of Love (Talk is Free Theatre); The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom (Harbourfront Theatre); The Outdoor Donnellys (Blyth Festival); Weekend Comedy (Drayton Entertainment); The Maids (Theatre Passe Muraille); Thy Neighbour's Wife (UnSpun Theatre); Little Women: The Musical (Victoria Playhouse Petrolia). Her play, Every Little Thing, was read as part of The Foster Festival’s Playwright’s Festival earlier this year.

For tickets visit fosterfestival.com.