Since 2018, the Breaking Cover series has supported playwrights in bringing fresh stories to life. Over four seasons, we’ve presented more than 20 staged readings, giving writers a chance to test their work with live audiences and bridging the gap from manuscript to live production.  Several have gone on to win awards and receive premieres both here in Red Deer and across Canada.

After Mourning ​- Before van Gogh
​ by Mike Czuba

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Photo courtesy of Marc J. Chalifoux
After Breaking Cover in January of 2020, ​went on to have a final reading in Chicago in 2023 followed by a premiere production by Shadow Theatre in Edmonton in 2025.

Boom Baby
by Natalie Meisner

​After Breaking Cover in October of 2023,  Boom Baby won the Canadian National Playwriting Competition as well as the Alberta Playwrights Award.

​It was selected to be a part of the Banff Playwright's Lab and went on to debut in February of 2025 at SAGE Theatre in Calgary.
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​It will be published by Scirocco Publishing in Fall of 2025 and is currently preparing to take the show on the road for a Canada-Wide tour.
Picture
Photo courtesy of Morgan Laidley
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Photo courtesy of Piper Rempel

The Thin Grey Line
​by Blaine Newton

After Breaking Cover in 2018, the Thin Grey Line went on to rock the Edmonton Fringe in 2019. It recently made a splash as a double-feature produced by Prime Stock Theatre at the Scott Block Main Stage in April of 2025.
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Photo courtesy of Nigel Lane

Absinthe, Bourbon, Vodka and Sake
​by Caroline Russell-King

Debuting with a Breaking Cover Reading in 2019, this heavy-hitting two hander went on to receive a full production through Red Deer Players Society on the Scott Block Main Stage in June of 2023.

Eden by Fran Kimmel

Since Breaking Cover in 2024, Eden has gone on to be a finalist for 2025 Alberta Literary Awards, and is currently slated for a second reading at Edmonton's Script Salon in November of 2025.

​A complete listing of previous plays is available for download ⇨
Breaking Cover Archive.pdf
File Size: 143 kb
File Type: pdf
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