Welcome to Theatre at Nextfest 2026!
Curated by Ellen Chorley
Theatre projects in all stages of production are presented at Nextfest. Grab your ticket and settle in for new works from emerging artists!
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deaf heart theatre collective presents
deaf heart
created by IBPOC Deaf Ensemble of DHTC
directed by Thurga Kanagasekarampillai and Crystal Wolfe
featuring Connor Yuzwenko-Martin, Chad ‘RunningBear’ Wolfe, Crystal Wolfe, Ladan Sahraei, Chrissy Steele, Francesca Paghubasan, Joshua Majaducon, Harvey Lumabi, Abdullah Barhom, Shyanne Duquette, Caitlan Argueta, Christine Lesiak, Kat Evans, Ainsley Hillyard, Diane De Andrade, Robyn Lavender, Alicia Ponciano, Christine Kozub, Gail Benin, Gabby Frykberg, Kevin Colp, Calvin Novak, Jenni Stevens, Lacey Hews, Shelly Nafshi
The Nancy Power Theatre @ the Roxy
Saturday, June 6 at 3:00 pm
Tuesday, June 9 at 8:30 pm
Thursday, June 11 at 6:30 pm
Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 pm – Talkback after performance
CLICK HERE FOR THE DEAF HEART ARTISTIC STATEMENT ASL AND OPEN CAPTION!
CLICK HERE FOR THE DEAF HEART ARTISTIC STATEMENT VIDEO DESCRIPTION!
Deaf Heart is a new devised performance by an ensemble of emerging Deaf artists. Diverse approaches to storytelling are imbued with various physical methods – clown, movement, improvisation – all with the intention of showcasing visual expression and dexterity beyond sign languages. Deaf Heart began as a residency led by Connor Yuzwenko-Martin at Alberta School for the Deaf in 2022. In 2024, this work transitioned to DHTC’s stewardship, and they hosted a series of focused technique workshops to let participants discover their intrinsic creative capacities. Now the collective is proud to present its cumulative work to Nextfest audiences: Deaf Heart.
Content warnings: Animal Cruelty / Animal Death, Bullying / Derogatory Language, Sudden Loud Noises, Loud Sounds or Loud Music, Bright Lights, Trauma / PTSD, Smoke, Fog
DEAF HEART is production created and performed in ASL. This is a movement-based piece and will not require English translation. The company of DEAF HEART encourages audience members to experience the show as is! ASL interpreters will be available in the lobby and at the box office for every show.
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coarse arts collective presents
fantasies in trash: in eleven movements
collectively written by the ensemble,
assembled by Emilia Fox Hillyer
directed by Emilia Fox Hillyer
The Lorne Cardinal Theatre @ the Roxy
Saturday, June 6 at 4:00 pm
Sunday, June 7 at 5:30 pm
Wednesday, June 10 at 9:00 pm
Sunday, June 14 at 5:30 pm
FANTASIES IN TRASH: in eleven movements is an industrial puppet symphony collectively created by Edmonton’s transgender/ gender-diverse community featuring live scoring by a four-piece band. FANTASIES engages scopophilia, rituals of becoming, questions about transitions, the erotic, surveillance culture, and the wisdom of objects. Since September 2025, we have met in creative collaborative community using our transgender bodies and experiences as a lens to study and respond to the world around us. FANTASIES IN TRASH is the result of our collective devising process.
Content warning: Adult Language / Adult Content, Eating Disorders / Body Hatred / Fatphobia, Political Content, Religious Content, Sexual Content, Sudden Loud Noises, Loud Sounds or Loud Music, Transphobia / Trans Misogyny, Bright Lights, Verbal Abuse, Emancipatory Self-Mutilation, Brief Mentions of War, Colonization, Genocide, Sexual Assault, Patriarchy, Male / White Supremacy, Genital Mutilation, Incest, Pedocriminality, Femicide, Transcide, Deportation, Racism, Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Genetic Engineering, and Facism.
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screecher’s theatre presents
The bin
by lexi house
directed by Calypso Haine and Lexi House
featuring Lexi House, Darienna Johnston, Calypso Haine, Leith Hutton, Ace Cortez, Edmund Milley, Mika Boutin, Jack Morrison, Brianna House, Abigail Lee, Kamryn Reynolds, Astrid Deibert, Sam Daly, Em Smith, Auveen Amiri, Madelin Voitel
The Lorne Cardinal Theatre @ the Roxy
Friday, June 5 at 5:00 pm
Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, June 13 at 5:30 pm
Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 pm
The Bin follows Goose, a nursing student who joins her friends at their Athabasca cabin for the weekend. When things take a turn for the worse, Goose relies on the aid of animal spirits to make it home safely. A gory, surreal love-letter to Treaty 8 and the people who call it home.
Content warning: Adult Language / Adult Content, Animal Cruelty / Animal Death, Blood, Bullying / Derogatory Language, Death / Dying, Emotional Abuse, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Sexual Violence, Verbal Abuse, Violence, Smoke / Fog / Emetophobia, Car crash
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fourth house presents
splattered!
by lily davies
directed by Spenser Kells
featuring Gabi Stachniak, Brijesh Nagarathinam, Brayden O’Boyle, and Oakley Aram
The Bradley Moss Rehearsal Hall Theatre @ the Roxy
Saturday, June 6 at 2:00 pm
Sunday, June 7 at 2:30 pm
Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00 pm
Thursday, June 11 at 6:00 pm
Saturday, June 13 at 11:30 am
When Brook gets into the writing program of her dreams, she thinks everything is going according to plan, until her ex-boyfriend, Charlie, shows up with the exact same dream. It’s up to the two of them to figure out how to move on, whether that means ignoring each other, hating each other, or perhaps worst of all, becoming friends.
Content warning: Adult Language / Adult Content
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man in the moon productions presents
hunny moon in “instructions unclear”
created and performed by hunny moon
featuring Cynthia Lalonde and Emily Martin
The Bradley Moss Rehearsal Hall Theatre @ the Roxy
Friday, June 5 at 6:30 pm
Saturday, June 6 at 4:30 pm
Sunday, June 7 at 5:00 pm
Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30 pm
Thursday, June 11 at 8:30 pm
Saturday, June 13 at 5:30 pm
18+ event
what happens when the lights go down? the last of the glitter falls to the pavement. where does the stage end? is it all just a performance? under the layers and through sore, exhausted muscles hunny moon is waiting. for what? that’s unclear. waiting to understand, to be understood, to not be in pain, for godot. an existential spiral, a monologue, an intimate invitation to say the things you’ve never said aloud. come sit close and share in the joy and fear of being alive. 18+ event
Content warning: Adult Language / Adult Content, Death / Dying, Eating Disorders / Body Hatred / Fatphobia, Mental Illness, Nudity, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Suicide / Suicide Ideation, Trauma / PTSD.This event is strictly 18+