Monday January 5 - Friday January 9, 2026
at the LSPU Hall
Tickets available for both STACON26 participants and members of the public
Sponsored in part by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation's Arts Infrastructure and Programming Program
NIGHT ONE - MONDAY JANUARY 5
Hannah Johnson's Shakespeare's Sirens (Flagstaff Shakespeare, Arizona, US)
Monday January 5 at 7:30pm (running time: 35 min)
LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria Street
Shakespeare's Sirens is a short and engaging cabaret-style one-woman show that explores the stories of some of Shakespeare's most famous women, and the original songs they sing. It examines a recurring question: Why do Shakespeare's women always sing, suffer, and then die? Using original speeches from Shakespeare, plus songs from his plays and folk songs from the Elizabethan era as an anchor, the show is performed and sung by Hannah Johnson, and accompanied on classical guitar in the authentic Renaissance style by her husband, Jacob Johnson. The show is a mix of poignant moments, comedy, and academic perspectives exploring the lives and stories of these women, from the viewpoint of a young woman who has played many of these rich female characters onstage. The performance invites audiences of all backgrounds to reflect on themes of grief, resilience, and self-expression—and to consider how the struggles of these characters still resonate in the lives of performers and audiences today.
William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (ShakespearED, Perth, Australia)
Monday January 5 at 8:30pm (running time: 80 min)
LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria Street
"5 actors, 16 roles, 1 week of rehearsals . . . what can possibly go wrong?" This production of Twelfth Night (performed for us ON Twelfth Night!) from Western Australia's ShakespearED company embraces a fast-paced, high-energy approach that brings together a cast of five highly experienced performers, gives them a cut script to learn, a few rehearsals, and then puts them in front of an audience. The concept behind ShakespearED is to strip Shakespeare down to its essentials—focusing on storytelling, character dynamics, and the raw energy of live performance. This approach demands versatility, quick thinking, and a deep understanding of Shakespeare’s language. The actors must navigate rapid character switches, minimal props, and basic lighting. The result is a performance that is both fun and serious, proving that Shakespeare’s works can be accessible and entertaining. Featuring Melissa Merchant, Murray Jackson, Andrew Kocsis, Wade Ellis and Tegan Harrod, with stage management by Tiffany Banner.
NIGHT TWO - TUESDAY JANUARY 6
Lisa Wolpe's Shakespeare and The Alchemy of Gender (Verona Shakespeare Festival, Italy)
Tuesday January 6 at 8:30pm (running time: 55 min + 15 min post-show talk back)
LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria Street
A fearless, uplifting, and deeply personal one-person show. Internationally renowned actor and Shakespeare scholar Lisa Wolpe has arguably played more of the Bard’s male roles than any woman in history. From gender explorations to intergenerational trauma to the unforgettable story of her life, Lisa triumphantly illustrates that Shakespeare’s insight into the human condition is as relevant as ever.“Weaving monologues from her favorite male Shakespeare roles with reflections on her family history, Wolpe explores her fascination with upending gender conventions as a way to reclaim power in the face of a traumatic past.” —The New Yorker. Note: The performance will conclude with a 15-minute Closing Ceremony: Conversation with Community, where audience members are invited to ask playwright/performer Lisa Wolpe about the play and engage in conversation about its themes.
NIGHT THREE - WEDNESDAY JANUARY 7
Gender Play or, what you Will (Island Shakespeare, Washington State, US)
Wednesday January 7 at 8:30pm (running time: 95 min)
LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria Street
Will is a trans actor seeking purpose and belonging, despite not seeing themself reflected in media or history. In a search for queer guidance, they summon the spirit of William Shakespeare. The two are becoming total besties as Will & Will reclaim the Bard’s plays in all of their original homoerotic, cross-dressing, genderfluid glory. Gender Play or, what you Will is the gathering of performer and audience for an impromptu party to celebrate this new friendship. But to meet the guest of honor, we must perform the seance again, together. Gender Play is a mystical journey of queer joy, laughter, tarot, and self-discovery through the classics.
NIGHT FOUR - THURSDAY JANUARY 8
Debra Ann Byrd's Becoming Othello: A Black Girl's Journey (Harlem Shakespeare Festival, New York, US)
Thursday January 8 at 8:30pm NST (running time: 100 min)
LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria Street
BECOMING OTHELLO: A Black Girl's Journey is a critically acclaimed, personal, poignant and powerful story of perseverance, tragedy, triumph—and ultimately unconditional love. Directed by Tina Packer, this one woman theatrical drama is a victory story about making it against all odds. Through rhyme, meter, soulful songs, and lyrical language, the show chronicles the life of classical actress, Debra Ann Byrd; her trials and triumphs; and her gender-flipped journey on the road to becoming Shakespeare’s noble flawed general Othello.
NIGHT FIVE - FRIDAY JANUARY 9
Madeline Sayet's Where We Belong (Madeline Sayet, Mohegan Tribe / Connecticut, US)
Friday January 9 at 8:30pm (running time: 85 min)
LSPU Hall, 3 Victoria Street
Madeline Sayet’s one-person play is a celebration of language and investigation into the impulses that divide and connect us as people. The play follows Achokayis as she travels to England to pursue a degree in Shakespeare, grappling with the question of what it means to remain or leave her own home at Mohegan, as the Brexit vote threatens to disengage the United Kingdom from the wider world. Moving between nations that have failed to reckon with their ongoing roles in colonialism, she finds comfort in the journeys of her Mohegan ancestors who traveled to England in the 1700s to help her people. Achokayis’s transformation journey leaves us with the question, what does it mean to belong in an increasingly globalized world?