A brand new play is about to be performed for the first time anywhere, and it’s happening a short drive from St. Thomas. Ship To Shore, written by Canadian playwright Norm Foster, gets its world premiere Wednesday, August 19, at Port Stanley Festival Theatre and runs through September 5. The theatre has already added extra dates on sale for September 8 to 12, though it warns there are no refunds or exchanges into that extension week.
The play is a new comedy set aboard a cruise ship bound for Ireland, under the tagline “What happens at sea, stays at sea.” Erin, played by Cailin Stadnyk, is travelling to settle her father’s estate. James, played by Mark Crawford, is bringing his daughter from Ireland back to Canada for the summer. The two meet on the ship, and the story follows what happens next. In a Globe and Mail sponsored feature about the theatre’s 2026 season, Foster said: “There’s humour in the way they stumble through the early stages of their relationship as they get to know each other. But there’s real heart to the story as well.” Artistic Director Liz Gilroy, who is directing the production herself, told the same feature that the show marks a first for the theatre: “Construction is underway on our very first cruise ship set.”
The rest of the creative team includes Emma Burnett on set design, Karen Crichton on lighting, Alex Amini on costumes, and Jory McLean as stage manager.
This isn’t Foster’s only work on the Port Stanley stage this year. His play The Long Weekend already ran there earlier this season, June 10 to July 4. Foster has written more than 90 plays and is often called Canada’s most-produced playwright. The theatre itself has brought 14 premiere productions to its stage since 2010, and has had an all-Canadian mandate for its summer programming since 2012.
If you want to catch it, single tickets are $39.66 plus handling fees and HST. Two promotional nights offer $31.16 tickets plus fees and tax: Seat Saving Wednesdays, and 31 Under 51 Fridays for anyone 51 or younger. The theatre has also added ASL-interpreted performances on Saturday, August 29, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and a Talk Back Tuesday session after the matinee on August 25, where audience members can stick around and ask the cast and crew questions.
Sources: Port Stanley Festival Theatre, Ship To Shore event page · Port Stanley Festival Theatre, 2026 summer season schedule · Port Stanley Festival Theatre, our story
By Anthony Zruna · About the LocVox Newsroom
