From the Artistic Director’s Chair Series – #4
“Celebrating Our Own”
by Emily Oriold

As we close out our 10th Anniversary Season, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting—on where we are now, and on where this whole adventure began. Anniversaries have a way of inviting us to pause, take a breath, and look back with both gratitude and a little wonder at how far we’ve come.

My Foster Festival story starts well before there was ever a festival to speak of. I had just graduated high school and was getting ready to head off to theatre school when my parents took me to the Blyth Festival to see a production of The Melville Boys by Norm Foster. I didn’t know it at the time, but that afternoon changed the course of my life. I laughed, I leaned forward in my seat, and by the curtain call I was a full-fledged Foster fan.

Years later, freshly graduated from university and newly landed in Toronto to pursue an acting career, a small but persistent thought kept nudging me: shouldn’t there be a festival dedicated to celebrating the work of Canada’s most prolific playwright? Of course, this was quickly followed by a louder, more practical thought—who did I think I was? What did I know about starting a theatre company?

Still, I designed a little logo that read “The Norm Foster Theatre Festival” and tucked it away. I held on to it for nearly a decade. And then, one day, I decided it was time to stop holding on and start going for it. We Canadians aren’t always the best at celebrating our own, and I felt strongly that it was time to change that—to create the first theatre in the country devoted to the work of one of Canada’s most accomplished writers.

What followed included a bold email that began, “Dear Mr. Foster, you have no idea who I am…,” a meeting in Morrisburg, Ontario, and a generous “yes” that changed everything. The rest, as they say, is history—and what a joyful, winding, occasionally steep, but deeply rewarding history it has been.

At the time The Foster Festival was founded, Norm had written an astounding 55 plays. Today, he’s at 80 and counting—which means he’s written 25 new plays in the past ten years alone. Frankly, I don’t know whether to be impressed, inspired, or mildly concerned that he might be secretly writing plays in his sleep. (If so, I hope someone is taking notes.)

My journey as Founder—and now Artistic Director—of The Foster Festival has been everything you might expect from starting a theatre company… and a few things you definitely wouldn’t. There have been moments of pure joy, where everything clicks, the audience roars with laughter, and you think, “Yes. This is exactly why we do this.” And there have been moments that felt more like climbing Mount Everest—uphill, slightly slippery, and wondering if anyone packed snacks…thank you to my team for packing snacks! But every stumble, sprint, and standing ovation has led us here, closing our 10th Anniversary Season very much in greener pastures (and with fewer blisters).

This year alone, we welcomed our Foster Friends to nine events and 77 performances. We engaged 70 artists and arts workers, over 100 volunteers, and welcomed 7,200 Foster Friends through our doors. In theatre terms, that’s a lot of cue sheets, a lot of coffee, and at least one moment where someone said, “Was that always there?” while pointing at a set piece that absolutely was always there.

As I mentioned in my first Artistic Director’s message back in September, theatre is the thread that holds my life together—sometimes neatly stitched, sometimes held with a bit of gaffer tape, but always strong. I am endlessly grateful to everyone who has contributed to The Foster Festival’s success: the artists who bring words to life, the crew who work magic in the dark, the volunteers who somehow manage to be everywhere at once, and the audiences who remind us why laughter is best when it’s shared in a room full of strangers.

All of us here are grateful for your dedication and support of Canadian theatre and of what we do. Personally, it means the world to know that we’ve created a community of Foster Friends and Family who return year after year, ready to laugh, lean forward, and suspend disbelief with us—no matter how many doors slam or how perfectly timed the punchline.

Thank you for being part of our story. Now, places everyone… the next act is just beginning.

I’ll see you at the theatre in 2026!

Emily Oriold,
Artistic Director & Founder