A number of original works are hitting the stage in St. John’s this week.

The 8th Annual St. John’s Short Play Festival kicks off in the capital on Wednesday, September 6, with shows running throughout until September 17.

Fifteen mainstage short plays, most of them originals, will hit the LSPU Hall stage over the next two weeks. To kick off the festival, five additional plays will be presented as public play readings on September 6 in the Cox and Palmer Second Space at the hall.

St. John’s Shorts Professional Development Director, as well as a participant in the festival, Jeremy Nolan, says the festival has grown into a place to experiment in the theatre space for both new and established artists alike.

He says the Shorts provides the opportunity established artists to try new things on stage, as well as letting those who may not be in the theatre community have the stage for 30 minutes, which is not something that happened before the festival.

The play reading event kicks off at 6:00 p.m. September 6, with the mainstage shows beginning on September 7 at 8:00 p.m.