The Common Ground Festival returns this fall to bring you six brand new shows from six amazing Calgary artists. Join us from November 12th to 15th, 2025 at the Pumphouse Theatre
Each night will feature 2 or 3 performances, all which will run sixty minutes or less in length. Evenings begin at 7:30pm with a Saturday Matinee on the 15th starting at 2:30pm.
Join us for opening night for two incredible shows!
To buy tickets for this day click here
Every Waking Second by Sarah Innes & Soph Sloan
November 12th & 15th (Evening)
Every Waking Second… is a short, comedic play focused on sleep. Stevie–a chronic overachiever—has not slept a night in five years; she fuels herself on stress and caffeine. One morning, while running late for work and picking up her usual coffee order at her usual cafe, Stevie trips on her shoelace. Stevie divulges her situation to the calm and mysterious barista, Maeve–who has served Stevie more coffees than she can count. Maeve offers to help Stevie fall asleep. Maeve and Stevie try various tactics, including hypnosis, to no avail. The two discuss their hopes, dreams, and fears. As the situation seems fraught and the tension grows between the characters, a romance may transpire.
Dreamlike sequences break up the scenes between Stevie and Maeve as Stevie’s notions of reality come into question. Sleep is vital to health, happiness, and day-to-day functioning; however, many champion work over rest. This piece delves into the detrimental effects of a society that emphasizes work, achievements, and perfection over an individual’s own health and well-being. Through humour, it aims to interrogate what it means to dream, relax, and let go and the internal and external factors we must surmount to do this!
A comedy circus show celebrating authenticity and community, inspired by over a decade of performing at small town fairs, festivals, and other community events. Dance, juggling, hula hoops, acrobatics, and a lot of silliness come together to create a show filled with joy and a reminder that whatever problems we face, it’s better to face them together.