2024 Cannonball Festival of Youth Theatre

This year, we here at CYPT are thrilled to have the following seven youth-led shows in the Cannonball! Festival, as well as two staged readings ...aaaand a special feature, our touring production of Sasquatch Sally!

The Loco-Motive
Written by Taylor Marsden and Anaya Chandani
Directed by Taylor Marsden

Alllllll Aboard!

The Loco-Motive is a murder mystery all about five individuals who find themselves on the wrong train at the wrong time. After an RCMP officer comes aboard tells them that one of them may be a murderer, they have no choice but to try their best to find out which of them is the killer – before they have the chance to strike.

Solitary
Written and Directed by Annika Keatley

It’s hard to be alone. You forget who you are. You forget how to be kind. You forget how it feels to be known. David and George know what it’s like to be alone.

Both in solitary confinement, these men are confronted with their own loneliness. They soon realize that they can talk to each other, and as they come to terms with their circumstances, they begin to understand that the most important thing we have in our lives is our connections to one another.

Jack in the Box
Written and Directed by Maya Wristen

Danny Stoklasa’s absent father has finally kicked the bucket! And owing to an unusual series of legal contrivances, Danny now finds himself the sole recipient of an incomprehensible inheritance; the sum of a lifetime of work in the oil business. The money is his, and his alone– if only the extended family attending his father’s funeral would leave him be. Armed to the teeth with sarcasm and backed by a best friend with a disturbing fondness for folding-chair takedowns, Danny must fend off the not-so inconspicuous schemes of the eclectic and wealthy uncles and second cousins who would see his fortune fall into their hands.

And who said funerals can’t be fun?

The Ghost of Who Knows What
Written and Directed By Parker Painchaud

For years, for decades, or who knows how long, The Ghost has wandered the hallways of the very same house that they died in, not being able to remember anything from their past. They sit in silence for days at a time, just pondering. No sense of purpose… No answer… No memories. On the other hand, the afterlife does come with some perks- including superpowers. Making nosy detectives scream and run is really quite amusing. But what happens when a family of three enters the home, and someone mistakes The Ghost for a dinosaur-panda-monkey-rock-centipede? The Ghost of Who Knows What is an entertaining, action packed, comedic story, including Ghost Hunters (NOT to be mistaken for Ghostbusters), unlikely bonds, a bit of drama, and of course, ghosts. Well…one ghost. Will they ever discover their past? Will they ever truly understand their purpose? After all, they are the ghost of… well, who knows what?

Mojo
Written by Maya Karagianis and Riley Zipursky
Directed by Riley Zipursky

Mojo used to be a big-time spy. That is, until he goofed the biggest job of his career. People died, and he hasn’t quite shaken it off. He’s losing his Mojo. The boss decides to offer him one last chance to prove himself, or else he’ll be put on desk duty. He’s on the job with Agent Slick, a rising star in the agency, who is quickly stepping into the shoes Mojo wore before his big flunk. But despite the dream team of Mojo and Agent Slick, the mission proves to be much more challenging than they had expected. Their infighting and the appearance of a powerful and dangerous figure from Mojo’s past greatly complicates the situation. Can Mojo and Slick learn to work together, or will this mission – and Paris – go the way of Mojo’s career? And, more pressingly, does Mojo still have a Mojo?

beached.
Written and Directed by Charlotte Fursier

Based on the true story of the captive orca Tokitae, beached. is a play that peeks into the lives of an aquarium guide, a terminally ill child, and her older sibling. As the trio interact over the course of two years, they find their lives overlapping and becoming increasingly intertwined with both each other and the orca residing at the aquarium that has held her prisoner for more than half a century. beached. forces them to ask themselves if they can be content knowing the truth about the lives they have been leading, and if the suffering of an animal can ever be excusable for the sake of a human’s livelihood. Is inaction ever justifiable?

Paroxysm
Written and Directed by Molly Corkey Flatters

Paroxysm: a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity.
MEDICINE- a sudden recurrence or attack of a disease.
What if an errant electrical signal took you to a world where nothing made sense? A world where there are short circuits where logic, reason and answers should be? A world where time is more confetti than line? A world that smells like crayons, tastes like childhood, feels like falling, sounds like the “Thomas The Train” theme song (but spookier), and looks like everything and nothing all at once. Paroxysm takes you on a topsy turvy journey through the human brain, and just when you think you can answer the most basic questions of “who, what, where, when, and why”, everything changes.

Special Feature: Sasquatch Sally

Written by Charlotte Nixon
Directed by Zoë Arthur
Touring and performed in collaboration with Calgary YMCA

Summer is the best time of year, and for sisters Sally and Ali, summer time means Summer Camp. An escape from school work, bullies, and a chance to make new friends. Some kids choose to stick close to family, others craft new memories with their cabin roommates, while some find themselves making friends with the impossible. Sasquatch Sally combines traditional folklore, familial drama and just a tiny sprinkle of summer camp shenanigans into a theatrical tale as unique as a sasquatch itself!

Enchanted Secrets: A FREE Staged Reading
Written By Viktor Clayton
Music & Lyrics By Amelia Hughes

Experience the enchantment of "Enchanted Secrets" in a special one-night-only staged reading. Join Felix, a charismatic potion maker, as he navigates love, loss, and magic in a wonder-filled village. With a talented cast and a mesmerizing musical number, immerse yourself in a world where lamplighters guide the way and secrets abound. Take advantage of this magical tale of love and resilience. Join us for "Enchanted Secrets" – one night, one story, one unforgettable journey.

The Stands: A FREE Staged Reading
by Sophia Chiquito Camacaro

Lemonade and war never seem to be to things to cross with each other, but when they do, chaos crosses with it, especially with teenagers. Join Misty, Jules and Maverick as they go to war with their lemonade stand rivals!