Lunchbox Theatre

Reading Dates

Friday, June 5: 2:30-6pm
Calgary Public Library, Central Branch

Friday, June 12: 2:30-6pm
Calgary Public Library, Central Branch

Friday, June 19: 2:30-6pm
Calgary Public Library, Central Branch

PLAYS IN DEVELOPMENT

The Fantastical Found Fairly Factual
by Deedra Salance Ladouceur

In a world where the supernatural are hailed as more than myth, follow the makings of one documentary to introduce Canada's very own Vampire! and Were wo...wait what? Is it not confirmed? What do you mean? How do I finish this then?  Fine...

In a world where the supernatural are hailed as more than myth, follow the makings of one documentary to introduce Canada's very own star-crossed enemies, a tale as old as...what? That’s a stereotype? Aren’t they enemies? not even instinctually? Fine...

In a world where the supernatural are hailed as more than myth, follow the makings of one documentary to introduce Canada's very own...What?! Can’t I even say supernatural? why? Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to be rude. 

In a world...There is a documentary, follow us in witnessing the behind the scenes journey of one graduate student in the making of their first grant-funded documentary in The Fantastical Found Fairly Factual.

The Perfect Movie
by Jared Tailfeathers with FrankenFilms

A scientist, his roommate, the Void, and their puppet minions are on a quest to make the perfect movie. 

Watch as they stitch together mismatched, local accounts to tell the true story of the settlement of southern Alberta.

The Aunties
by Wendy Walker

The Aunties is a bold, intimate stage play that follows Nita, a young woman caught between ambition and disconnection, as she is confronted by two sharp-tongued, ever-present Aunties who refuse to let her drift too far from herself. What begins as resistance quickly becomes reckoning, as humor, memory, and truth collide in rapid, unfiltered conversation.

The Aunties are relentless—funny, cutting, and deeply loving. They challenge Nita’s fast-paced, survival-driven life, calling out the cost of her success and the distance she has created from her spirit, her community, and the land. Through their exchanges, the play moves fluidly between worlds—corporate pressure and cultural grounding, isolation and connection, noise and stillness.

As Nita is guided back to the land, to listening, and to her own voice, The Aunties becomes a story of remembering—not as a perfect return, but as an ongoing practice of coming back to breath, to song, and to self.

Blending humor with emotional depth, The Aunties honors the voices that guide us, challenge us, and stay with us—whether we’re ready to listen or not.

Within Silence
by Janine Owl Child

Within Silence is an atmospheric one-act play in which two young men take shelter in an abandoned residential school and encounter the lingering presence of those who never left, uncovering a story shaped by what was taken and what remains.

The Indian Problem
by Garret Smith

Is there a Blackfoot word for revenge? Does humor actually help us heal?

Can anger really be healthy?

Is reconciliation possible?

What’s the INDIAN PROBLEM?

The Life of an Indigenous Showgirl
by Sarah Buffalo

The story of The Life of an Indigenous Showgirl is a story about Sovereignty, Matriarchy, Burlesque, and above all-a life changing Indian Taco.

It follows Cassidy, a young queer Indigenous Woman who is navigating the trials and tribulations of being a Cree person untangling the effects of Residential school trauma in her own life, in her community and being a burlesque dancer. It features the prestigious Diamonds and Divas competition with a title and crown and her fight to win it. And a fight it is -with fierce competitors who stop at nothing to bring Cassidy down, she enlists the help of the matriarchs in her life: her auntie, her bestie, and a Burlesque Goddess, to help her find the inner spark to pursue the Nouveau Jewel Crown. 

Playwrights:
Sarah Buffalo
Deedra Salange Ladouceur
Janine Owlchild
Garret Smith
Jared Tailfeathers with FrankenFilms
Wendy Walker

Elder:
Adrian Wolfleg

Dramaturg & Co-facilitator:
Marshall Vielle

Participating artists:
Jonelle Belcourt, Geordie Cowan, Nikko Hunt, Maria One Spot, Nakota Starr Tobias, and Naima Youngpine.