Edmonton’s foremost community theatre is now accepting submissions for this season’s new works festival! Walterdale Theatre welcomes original play submissions from emerging local playwrights and offers the opportunity to share their work and gain audience feedback through staged readings at From Cradle to Stage.

Continuing on this year will be the addition of three professional dramaturgs to help guide playwrights throughout the writing process. Collin Doyle, Beth Graham, and Darrin Hagen will bring their incomparable talents through workshops and note sessions at various points leading to live performances.

We are looking for original and unproduced plays of 20 – 60 minutes in length, of any genre. They need to be close to being complete, but don’t have to be completely ready, and they must be unproduced. We want a completed story, not a piece of a larger story. The goal is to have something complete when the festival is over. We hope to select scripts from diverse voices to provide exciting opportunities for playwrights, readers, and audiences. This year, we are asking playwrights to submit only one script each.

Plays must be suitable for music-stand reading. Stage directions may be read, but the scripts should work without props or actions. Eligible playwrights must currently reside in Edmonton, or within 60km of Walterdale Theatre. Playwrights need not be current members of Walterdale Theatre to submit. There are no age restrictions on playwrights.

TIMELINE:

  • The deadline for all submissions is 11:59 pm Friday, November 21st, 2025.
  • Selections for the festival will be announced by mid-December, 2025.
  • Directors will be selected by the festival coordinator. Playwrights will not direct their own scripts.
  • Readers will be cast based on video submissions. Playwrights may have some input into casting.
  • The rehearsal process will start with Zoom rehearsals in early-April, then in-person and tech rehearsals at Walterdale Theatre.
  • Festival Dates: May 19-24, 2026.
  • Scripts will get two public readings within this time.

Additional guidelines and submission form can be found here Cradle to Stage 2025 – Google Forms. Do not include your name or any author identification on the script, including title page and filename. If you have difficulty with the Google Form or have any other questions, contact Festival Coordinator, Shawn Marshall at shawnmarshallaaa@gmail.com. Late submissions will not be considered.