About the Play:

Opening Night is a full-length comedy by Norm Foster. What could possibly go wrong on Opening Night of a new play? The antics begin as Jack and Ruth celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with his first time at a theatre. Meanwhile, backstage the director is nervous, the actors impossible, and Jack's antics light the fuse that explodes like a time bomb of hilarity. This hysterically funny "backstage" play is zany, witty, and bright.

Opening Night is the story of an unusual evening at the theatre. Ruth Tisdale, a theatre lover, wins a pair of tickets to the opening night performance of a new play. She drags her husband Jack to the theatre as a way to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Jack, however, would rather be at home watching the seventh game of the World Series on TV. Jack and Ruth are in the VIP lounge mingling with invited guests before the show when Jack spots someone he recognizes from TV. Throw in a cynical director who has to deal with the actors, the wannabes, the has-beens, and his needy girlfriend, who in the midst of it all wants to talk about their relationship, all put together with Norm Foster's witty, fast paced dialogue, and you have a hilarious comedy, reaching its peak when we finally witness the 'performance' of what must be one of the worst plays ever written.

Opening Night premiered in 1989 by the Piggery Theatre in North Hatley, Quebec. Since then it has been consistently delighting audiences, and has become a staple of community theatres.

Cast: 3 female, 5 male

What people say:

"Foster has created two wonderfully familiar Canadian characters, put them into an absurd situation, and made the whole thing explode like a time bomb of hilarity." — The Montréal Gazette

"...a yummy spoonful for theatregoers to swallow." — Montreal Daily News

About the Playwright:

Norm Foster enjoyed a 25-year career as the morning man at independent radio stations in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, and Kingston, before finally ending up in Fredericton, where he began writing plays. He is considered to be Canada's most produced playwright, with more than fifty-five critically acclaimed plays that are known for their humour, accessibility, and insight into the everyday tribulations of life. He is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award for his play, The Melville Boys which would go on to be produced across Canada and in the United States, including a well-received run Off Broadway in New York. It would become his signature play, and the one which would bring his name to the forefront of Canadian theatre.