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About Us.
At its core, the St. John’s Shorts is about creating a festival that allows as many St. John’s artists as possible the opportunity to present their work on stage.
The St. John’s Short Play Festival presents a wide array of plays, including pieces from renowned playwrights, such as Harold Pinter, Anton Chekhov, Samuel Beckett, and Judith Thompson.
In addition, the festival has introduced St. John’s audiences to up-and-coming playwrights. Out of the 90 plays presented in our first 5 seasons, 76 of them have been original plays by St. John’s playwrights. The festival has become the place for artists to take risks, challenge themselves, and show off new work to the community;
an event where audiences have come to expect funny, thought-provoking, compelling theatre in a bite-sized format.
This project provides an opportunity to create excellent, yet economical theatre.
The St. John’s Short Play Festival is designed to benefit as many theatre artists as possible each year.
The St. John’s Short Play Festival presents a wide array of plays, including pieces from renowned playwrights, such as Harold Pinter, Anton Chekhov, Samuel Beckett, and Judith Thompson.
In addition, the festival has introduced St. John’s audiences to up-and-coming playwrights. Out of the 90 plays presented in our first 5 seasons, 76 of them have been original plays by St. John’s playwrights. The festival has become the place for artists to take risks, challenge themselves, and show off new work to the community;
an event where audiences have come to expect funny, thought-provoking, compelling theatre in a bite-sized format.
This project provides an opportunity to create excellent, yet economical theatre.
The St. John’s Short Play Festival is designed to benefit as many theatre artists as possible each year.
Meet Our Team
Artistic Director
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Ana Pitol is a Brazilian producer, arts administrator, and mother of little Isabel (2-year-old) based in St. John's, NL, Canada. She has a Bachelor's degree (2011) and a Master's degree in History (2015) and has been a History teacher since 2010. She began to study acting in 2018 and since arriving in Canada (2022), she decided to change her career and dedicated herself to working in theatre. Since then she has been involved and working with relevant organizations in St. John's such as TODOS Productions (Project Coordinator Intern and production manager for Happy Anniversary by Vanessa Cardoso-Whelan), White Rooster Theatre (production manager for The Heart Play by Marie Pike - July 2023 - and Song Seekers by Caroline Rex Bay, Ruth Lawrence & Petrina Bromley), St. John's Shorts (assistant producer for the 8th Annual St. John's Short Play Festival) and Women's Work Festival (Assistant Producer for the 18th edition). In parallel to these projects, she is the Membership and Communications Coordinator at PARC (Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre).
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In December 2023, she completed the BMP Producer Academy 2023 Cohort, an 8-week course offered by Beth Morrison Projects in New York, for which she was selected from 300 applicants. Currently, she is working as a production manager in two future projects at White Rooster Theatre and Wonderbolt Circus (Off Balance directed by Anahareo Doelle and Krin Haglund- premiere in June 2024) and TODOS Productions (Newfoundlanded by Nabila Qreshi and Santiago Guzmán - premiere in November 2024) . In April 2024, she was appointed as the new Artistic Director of St. John's Shorts.
Shorts 2024 Board of Directors
Chair - Terry Doyle
Vice Chair - Reg Hoskins
Secretary - Bailey Jackson
Treasurer - Christopher Stone
Co-Outreach Director - Lonni Patey
Co-Outreach Director - Noah Sheppard
Co-Professional Development Director - Jarod Farrell
Co-Professional Development Director - Raven Ritman
Fundraising Director - Audrey Gerow
Merchandising Director - Joseph Dennis
Volunteer Coordination Director - Zihan Jin
Vice Chair - Reg Hoskins
Secretary - Bailey Jackson
Treasurer - Christopher Stone
Co-Outreach Director - Lonni Patey
Co-Outreach Director - Noah Sheppard
Co-Professional Development Director - Jarod Farrell
Co-Professional Development Director - Raven Ritman
Fundraising Director - Audrey Gerow
Merchandising Director - Joseph Dennis
Volunteer Coordination Director - Zihan Jin
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SJS History.
The idea for St. John's Shorts originated over coffee The Rocket Bakery on July 5th, 2016. Jana Gillis, one of the festival's founding members, proposed the concept of a short play festival on the "I Heart the Arts" Facebook page, generating interest among several St. John's theatre artists. Following this, Jamie Skidmore took the initiative to convene the inaugural meeting of St. John's Shorts, which brought together the core group of founders: Jana Gillis, Jamie Skidmore, Patrick Foran, Natalia Hennelly, and Jackie Hynes, with Natalia Hennelly assuming the role of Artistic Director. St. John's Shorts quickly gained momentum and sent out a call for participants, leading to the presentation of 11 plays, with each play performed four times over a two-week period. The productions involved a total ensemble of 75 performers, directors, producers, designers, and technical crew.
During the 2016 festival, an important connection was forged when Jamie Skidmore suggested partnering with the Resource Centre for the Arts (RCA/RCAT) to Nicole Rousseau, the Artistic Animateur. Recognizing the potential synergy, RCA/T generously offered a two-week run for the festival in 2017. This collaboration set the stage for the subsequent growth and development of the St. John's Short Play Festival. Building upon this vital partnership, the 2018 St. John's Short Play Festival witnessed an increased number of productions, featuring 19 original works by local playwrights out of the total 22. The festival experienced remarkable success, with the box office drawing in a substantial audience of 1,500 guests over 10 nights of programming.
In 2019, the festival's popularity soared, evident in the overwhelming demand for participation, which exceeded its capacity, attracting 42 submissions. To ensure fairness, the committee implemented a lottery system to program the festival, granting equal opportunity to all submitting companies. Additionally, the festival introduced a special cabaret on opening night, where three artists not selected in the lottery were given the chance to present a short reading or performance. The festival holds a uniquely equitable lottery, along with a minimal amount of curation (no more than one third of the programming) to ensure a wide-range of theatre.
Since its inception, St. John's Shorts has continually grown and enriched the theatrical landscape of St. John's, thanks to the passion and collaboration of its dedicated founders, partners, and the vibrant artistic community that embraces it.
During the 2016 festival, an important connection was forged when Jamie Skidmore suggested partnering with the Resource Centre for the Arts (RCA/RCAT) to Nicole Rousseau, the Artistic Animateur. Recognizing the potential synergy, RCA/T generously offered a two-week run for the festival in 2017. This collaboration set the stage for the subsequent growth and development of the St. John's Short Play Festival. Building upon this vital partnership, the 2018 St. John's Short Play Festival witnessed an increased number of productions, featuring 19 original works by local playwrights out of the total 22. The festival experienced remarkable success, with the box office drawing in a substantial audience of 1,500 guests over 10 nights of programming.
In 2019, the festival's popularity soared, evident in the overwhelming demand for participation, which exceeded its capacity, attracting 42 submissions. To ensure fairness, the committee implemented a lottery system to program the festival, granting equal opportunity to all submitting companies. Additionally, the festival introduced a special cabaret on opening night, where three artists not selected in the lottery were given the chance to present a short reading or performance. The festival holds a uniquely equitable lottery, along with a minimal amount of curation (no more than one third of the programming) to ensure a wide-range of theatre.
Since its inception, St. John's Shorts has continually grown and enriched the theatrical landscape of St. John's, thanks to the passion and collaboration of its dedicated founders, partners, and the vibrant artistic community that embraces it.
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Our Mandate.
To create a space for original works of theatre by local artists, as well as other works, classical or contemporary.
To make theatre accessible, safe, and affordable.
To facilitate collaboration and sharing of resources between independent theatre companies in St. John’s.
To create a space for St John’s theatre artists to practice, develop, explore and refine their craft. This space includes, but is not limited to, the annual St. John's Short Play Festival.
To strengthen our community of St. John’s theatre artists and support all theatre practitioners, especially those from marginalized groups, including but not limited to BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, individuals who are Deaf or disabled-identified, and individuals who are neurodivergent.
To make theatre accessible, safe, and affordable.
To facilitate collaboration and sharing of resources between independent theatre companies in St. John’s.
To create a space for St John’s theatre artists to practice, develop, explore and refine their craft. This space includes, but is not limited to, the annual St. John's Short Play Festival.
To strengthen our community of St. John’s theatre artists and support all theatre practitioners, especially those from marginalized groups, including but not limited to BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, individuals who are Deaf or disabled-identified, and individuals who are neurodivergent.
