Same Boat Theatre launches our newest project with the Dispatches Play Reading Series. Once a month, Same Boat Theatre will read a play – either by an established play or a new script – for a public presentation. The readings will be a Pay-What-You-Can where all are welcome to drop in and listen as a company of local actors read a part in the chosen play. Hosted at Hamilton’s newest used bookstore, Last Supper Books on James Street, Dispatches offers a laid-back opportunity for our company to publicly present work and engage in talkback discussion with audiences in the community.
Where: Last Supper Books, 148 James Street North, Hamilton, ON
Cost: PWYC ($10 suggested)
Dispatches schedule
May 12 – The Optimists by Morwyn Brenner
Featuring: Rebekka Gondosch, Stephanie Hope Lawlor, Stephen Near, Michael Rode
Let’s believe that the half of our life not yet lived is the good half.” A weekend in Vegas. The chance for hopes and dreams to come true provides the backdrop for Morwyn Brebner’s humourous look at love. It’s the night before the chapel wedding and the promise of “happily ever after.” Old friends confront their regrets, lies, betrayals, and disappointments. Will hope be the elusive wild card?
June 9 – Rattle by Stephen Near (part of Hamilton Arts Week)
Featuring: Jody Boston, Aaron Joel Craig, Stephanie Hope Lawlor, Michael Rode
Grappling with the loss of his mother, and the fraying of his familial ties, journalist Andrew is driven to uncover the truth of a hidden secret in the his family’s past. In his desperation, he digs up a trauma where he least expected, and forces his sisters, Stacey and Ange, to confront an issue that threatens to rip apart what remains of his family forever.
July 21 – A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (adapted by Aaron Joel Craig & Stephanie Hope Lawlor)
Featuring: Marjorie Campbell, Aaron Joel Craig, Stephanie Hope Lawlor, Stephen Near, Michael Rode, Skye Rogers
With joyful children, a spotless home, and a husband in a high-powered career, Nora Helmer seems to live an ideal life. But beneath the surface, a long-held secret threatens to unravel everything. In this bold new adaptation by director Aaron Joel Craig and performer Stephanie Hope Lawlor, Henrik Ibsen’s classic A Doll’s House is reimagined with fresh urgency and emotional depth. Soon to be presented as a fall co-production by the producer’s of last year’s smash hit Hamlet, Same Boat Theatre and Rook’s Theatre present a compelling retelling of one woman’s awakening and pursuit of selfhood in a society steeped in tradition.
Aug 18 – Get Away by Jennifer Walton
Featuring: Dia Frid, Jessica Konkle, Adam Lemieux, Rod McTaggart
When Jed and Eden mistakenly arrive at a cottage already occupied by Mimi—a once-famous author now invisible to them—their relationship becomes fodder for her twisted storytelling. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, the line between fiction and reality blurs in this fast-paced exploration of deception, invisibility, and the things we try to escape. Written by award-winning playwright Jennifer Walton, Get Away is a darkly comic farce about what we try to get away from and what we try to get away with.
Dispatches is made possible through funding provided by the City of Hamilton’s City Enrichment Fund
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