Have a Senior Moment Festival 2026

Age: 55+

The multi-disciplinary series of events and gatherings showcase the performing arts for old folx and/or by old folx. It provides a gathering place for young, old, and those in between.

“I wanted to turn the notion of “having a senior moment” (normally understood as a moment of forgetfulness, a foolish mistake, or a lack of understanding based on age) on its head,” says Western Gold Theatre’s Artistic Director, Tanja Dixon-Warren. “I wanted to reclaim the term to mean a moment showing older adults living their lives in richness, fullness, and in relationship with their communities and environments. I wanted to give senior artists “a moment” by encouraging the voices of senior artists who, with so much life experience, are daring to be bold and are creating from their hearts!”

Featured Performances & Events:
The festival headliner is ANNIVERSARY by Carol Shields & Dave Williamson, on stage September 25-27 at PAL. A comedy about love, marriage and everything that falls apart! ANNIVERSARY puts accepted notions about relationships and marriage to the test. A bit raunchy, a bit serious, and wonderfully hilarious!

Co-written by multi-award winning author and playwright Carol Shields and Winnipeg writer Dave Williamson around 1995, the play follows recently separated couple, Dianne and Tom as they get together to divide their assets on – of all days – their anniversary. Old friends, who don’t know they’ve parted, pay them a surprise visit. The result is a sharp look at middle-class suburban life, marriage, separation, and love.

This is an On Our Feet (OOF!) Staged Reading – staged reading plays are a beloved Western Gold tradition. In 4 short days, the show is up; books in hand, flying by the seats of their pants, Canada’s most experienced artists unleash every iota of technique, intuition, ingenuity and unbridled creativity, talent and skill they have to offer.

Popcorn & A Movie:
- Silver Screamers & The Rug
- Tuesday, September 29, 2:00pm at PAL
- Pay What You Can

Reading of New Plays in Development:
- Wednesday September 30, 7:30pm: Blue Heaven by Michael Armstrong
- Thursday October 1, 7:30pm: Adrift by Dolores Drake
- Saturday October 3, 7:30pm: Breaking Parity, a political satire, with a nod to Dickens by Valerie Sing Turner in partnership with Visceral Visions
- All readings $20

Scripts & Sips Salon:
- Tuesday, September 19, 2026, Pay What You Can
- Back by popular demand! Playwrights, screenwriters, actors and audience come together to read and discuss the process of developing scripts. The uniqueness of the experience comes not only from its casual salon atmosphere and feedback by industry pros, but the excitement of a script brought to life with a cold reading – cast on the spot at the start of the event.

Special Partnership Performance:
- Running Wilde, by John Lazarus, directed by Roy Surette
- A United Players, in association with Western Gold Theatre, presentation
- Friday, September 4 to Sunday, September 27 at Jericho Arts Centre
- Adults $40, seniors $35, students with ID $15
At 27, young Oscar Wilde, famous for being famous, embarked on a hugely successful 11-month one-man lecture tour of North America. The tour went like clockwork … except when he missed a connection in straight, stuffy little old Kingston, Ontario. John Lazarus imagines what might have happened next – a tangled, farcical web of seductions, betrayals, blackmailings and happy endings – featuring a lovesick bellboy, an ambitious young woman reporter, a grande dame of Kingston society, a dangerously handsome local working man, a resourceful and quick-thinking valet, and the witty, charming, legendary Oscar himself.

Métis Kitchen Party & Feast:
- Sunday, October 4 from 1:00pm to 6:00pm, Pay What You Can
- In partnership with Full Circle: First Nations Performance, the Talking Stick Festival and V’ni Dansi
Come close the festival with an uplifting celebration of Métis Culture. Stop by for some bannock, learn how to dance a jig, or simply kick back and take it all in. The party features the internationally renowned Louis Riel Métis Dancers, beloved storyteller Tom McCallum, and award-winning singer-songwriter Sandy Scofield. This is guaranteed to be a hand-clapping, foot-stomping , full-on fiddling fun for the whole family! The afternoon culminates in a catered feast for all.

Plus Creative Workshops at Barclay Manor (improv, Métis sash finger weaving, playwriting, cedar bracelet making), Artists Salons, and more!
More info