From the Artistic Director’s Chair Series – #5
“Ten Seasons of Joy…One Play at a Time”
by Emily Oriold
Ten seasons have passed. I keep saying it out loud because it still surprises me—in the very best way. Ten seasons of stories, laughter, late rehearsals, full houses, and that particular kind of magic that only happens when the lights go down and a roomful of people lean in together. Reaching this milestone at The Foster Festival feels both surreal and deeply grounding. It’s a moment to pause, to look back with gratitude, and to look ahead with a whole lot of excitement (and yes, a healthy dose of responsibility).
From the very beginning, The Foster Festival has been unique—the only theatre festival in the country dedicated to celebrating a living Canadian playwright. Honouring Norm Foster’s extraordinary body of work while continuing to foster new Canadian voices has always felt like both a privilege and a promise. Especially right now, championing Canadian theatre matters more than ever, and I feel that responsibility keenly. It is truly an honour to have founded an institution devoted to Canadian storytelling, humour, and heart, honouring the legacy of our nation’s most prolific playwright.
On a more personal note, working so closely with Norm over the years has had an unexpected (and delightful) side effect: it inspired me to start writing plays myself. This year, my first play Every Little Thing will receive a staged reading at our Fostered Playwrights Festival—and somehow I now have ideas for at least a dozen more plays rattling around in my head. Now if only someone could find me the time to write them all… ha, ha.
As we look ahead to this year’s season, I am excited to share a year filled with fresh premieres, classic laughs, and stories that remind us why human connection—messy, hilarious, heartfelt connection—is at the centre of everything we do.
The world has been a tough place lately, in ways big and small for all of us. And, for me, raising a teenager amidst it all has been a challenge all unto its own. Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself doing a great deal of reflecting—watching the news, feeling the weight of it all, and quietly questioning the validity of what we do and why we do it. Is what I’ve chosen to do as a profession making a difference? Is theatre really important in the grand scheme of things? I keep coming back to the same answer: I truly believe it is.
At The Foster Festival, our mission is simple—to spread joy. Theatre and storytelling are the tools we use to achieve this mission, and our greatest hope is that when you join us, you leave feeling better than when you arrived. By sharing space together, by laughing together, by feeling together, we are reminded of our common humanity. That’s the goal—and it feels more vital now than ever.
Thank you for sharing the joy with us season over season.
I’ll see you at the theatre!
Emily Oriold,
Artistic Director & Founder