April 24 - May 5, 2024
New Ideas Festival
Proudly entering its 36th year, the New Ideas Festival is Alumnae’s annual showcase of new and experimental one-act plays. Witness theatrical history in the making with bold premieres from both emerging and established theatre artists.
2023/24 SEASON
Week 1 (April 24-28, 2024)
This Woman is an Island
Written by Hope McIntyre
Directed by Madelaine Rose
One cold night in 1960, Kate bursts into the Brandon Mental Institute seeking help. She is doubting her sanity and experiencing fever dreams. After fighting all her life, perhaps it is time to rest. A kind nurse is inspired by the wild adventure that Kate’s life truly was. Based on the true story of Kate Rice, Canada’s first female prospector.
Pretending
Written by Natalie Stephenson
Directed by Barbara Larose
Just for Tonight
Written by Sheila Toller
Directed by Erin Jones
Mirror Images
Written by Jean Sheppard
Directed by Mel Thompson
Week 2 (May 1-5, 2024 )
Double Down Helix
Written by Carolyn Bennett
Directed by Nicole Anne Smith
A Little Bite of Paradise
Written by Melanie Stevenson
Directed by Ilana Linden
Victorian Closet Drama
Written by Nina Kaye
Directed by Kyra Keith
Je Suis Morte
Written by R.J. Downes
Directed by Ivana Obradovic
Co-Artistic Producers
KIMBERLEY ANN ("KIMMIE") CROSCUP
Kimmie is an actor who writes, directs, and produces! She trained at both the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Alumnae highlights include performing in The Trip to Bountiful, In The Next Room, Female of the Species, and String of Pearls.
BRENDA DARLING
Brenda’s career journey in theatre included seven years at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto, the founding of MythMakers, which provided production and management support to 80 arts organizations and became Brenda’s vehicle for video creation, and 13 years as administrative producer for international festivals—World Stage, Harbourfront Children’s Festival, Festival de theatre des ameriques, and Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival. At the Alum, Brenda has directed The Trip to Bountiful (2020), Stepping Out (2016), and several shorts for the New Ideas Festival, which she also co-produced for three seasons.
PAT McCARTHY
Pat is a Producer/Director/Actor/Arts Consultant Producer for New Ideas Festival for 10+ seasons, Write Now for the New Play Development group, and two Mainstage shows. She has directed for New Ideas, the Toronto, Hamilton and London, Ontario, and Edinburgh, Scotland, Fringe Festivals, main stage shows for the Village Playhouse and the ROM, and for Children’s Peace Festivals in Greece and Turkey. As well, she has been dramaturg and director for numerous new works, staged readings, and workshop productions, including Zoom productions during the lockdown.
CAROLYN ZAPF
Carolyn Zapf is a writer, dramaturg, and publishing professional. She is currently editing several non-fiction books for the University of Toronto Press and a poetry collection for an independent press. As a playwright, she has written commissioned works for theatres across Canada and was the first playwright-in-residence for the National Theatre School of Canada (English section). For Alumnae Theatre, she has served as co-artistic director/producer and dramaturg of the New Ideas Festival, as well as dramaturg for FireWorks Festival and Big Ideas. She is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas.
The Production Team
TSIPPORAH SHENDROFF/PRODUCTION MANAGER-WEEK 1
Tsipporah Shendroff is an actor/writer/producer/hot mess with a B.A. in Dramatic Arts from Brock University. Favourite acting credits include Meet Chloe (Carousel Players), King Ubu, and Sunday on the Rocks (Brock University). Stage managing credits include Thy Name is Woman (Into the Abyss Productions) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Panoply Collective). She’s trying her best.
LAMESHA RUDDOCK/
PRODUCTION MANAGER-
WEEK 2
Lamesha Ruddock, a cultural producer, stage manager, performance artist, and dedicated historian specialises in 20th-century Black British feminist history. Her immersive theatrical experiences ignite engagement with Black diasporic history, empowering creative expression. Lamesha has had stage management roles on Hamilton West End and at the Royal Court Theatre and was Co-Executive Director of Boundless Theatre in 2023. Currently, she’s a producer at Luminato Festival Toronto 2024 and is delving into Toronto’s Jamaican Patois history through Canada’s oldest Black Theatre Company’s Artist Mentorship Program. (Photo Credit: Diarmuid McDonald @dmcdonald on instagram)
Accessibility
Alumnae Theatre’s Berkeley Street entrance and the Mainstage Theatre are wheelchair accessible. There is a wheelchair accessible restroom on the ground floor.
