What is UpStart?
The UpStart festival is a juried one-act play festival hosted by the University of Waterloo Theatre and Performance program. All these plays are written, directed, designed, and performed by students. They will be presented March 19th-22nd in the Theatre of the Arts. The UpStart festival is part of the 2025 Capstone project, with five senior Theatre and Performance majors making up the core of the creative team. The three shows that make up the festival are:
Utopia
Written by Joshua Barroso and Directed by Hanna Freitas
Set in the idyllic neighborhood of Utopia, the couple comprising of Charlotte and Beatty host a welcome dinner for Mary, a recent divorcee who has just moved next door. However, something is not right. Around the dinner table, Mary begins to wonder if something is afoot in her Utopia.
The Waiting Room
Written by Roza Tasneem and Directed by Jasmine Rajaballey
University roommates Dylan - a rich hopeless romantic, and Aamir - a chronic people pleaser, form an unlikely trio with Tee - their standoffish classmate, while trapped in a mysterious hospital waiting room. In this test of wit and impulse, they must confront old wounds while waiting to treat new ones.
Hell Weeks
Written by Kye Stevenson Hatayama and Talia Dmitrienko and Directed by Kye Stevenson Hatayama
A university student, Olivia, receives an email from the Devil, which gives her an ultimatum that he made with the university: if she passes her exam, she will live, however if she fails, hell will claim her soul.
Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the performance so the audience can engage in an art installation that reflects the UPSTART25 festival’s theatrical points of emphasis. In the theatre gallery, spectators are invited to immerse themselves in a thematic display meant to extend the world of the plays to the world right in front of us. Following each performance, the audience is invited to participate in a talkback with the cast about the themes and content of the play.
Tickets
Location Information
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, ON, CA N2L 3G1
