Submissions are now open for Replay Story Fest 3, taking place from April 10 – 19th, 2026 at the Burdock Music Hall in Toronto, Canada.
We invite everyone to submit a story or performance for this latest edition of Replay Story Fest—experienced and first-time storytellers alike. The stories and performances need to be rooted in your stories, from your own life.
Before you fill out the application below, you need to read through the entire FAQ below. If you have any further questions before you decided to fill out the application, please contact us here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Replay Story Fest is an annual storytelling festival in Toronto, that began in 2024. It is a festival that celebrates the art of oral storytelling, rooted in personal true stories. The festival brings together storytellers from all experience levels.
All submissions must be rooted in true, personal storytelling. They need to be stories from your own lived experience. The type of performance you can submit is based on your storytelling experience. For example, first-time storytellers can submit a short true story, similar to what you can submit for a Replay Storytelling show. Where as, more experienced professional storytellers can submit longer stories or solo storytelling shows. (For those submitting a solo storytelling show, it must be something you’ve performed at least once before.)
The simple answer is, yes—especially first-time storytellers.
Yes, you can submit more than one story or performance.
No, you do not. However if you are selected to be part of the festival, we do not have the financial capacity to pay for any travel expenses. We will happily support you with any travel grants you may be eligible for.
Those who have been selected will be notified by Friday, February 27th, 2026.
Yes, but we will only notify you that you have not been selected, after everyone who has been selected to perform has accepted our invitation.
Unfortunately, The Burdock Music Hall is not an accessible venue. Those who have any physical or other accessibility needs, can list them in the application form. We will do our best to work with you to make your performance possible.
Replay Story Fest is not currently funded by any foundations, or government grants. (We are very much trying our best to change this.) We are funded 100% through ticket sales from the festival. 70% of all show earnings (not profit) are proportionally split between all performers based on the length of their performance. The other 30% is to cover the festival expenses. The same model is used for the workshops we facilitate during the festival. We strongly believe that a community working collaboratively together can make (and has made) this festival successful.
No, none of us are being paid as producers. We simply don’t have the money to make that happen. (Again, we are trying to shift this, but for now we’re making this a happen because we believe in the work we’re doing.) However, if any of our producers are performing or facilitating a workshop at the festival they will be paid for their work, just like everyone else.
Submit your story or performance to Replay Story Fest
Please fill out the application below to submit your story or performance for Replay Story Fest. The deadline to get your application in is Friday, February 20th, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
If you have any questions, please contact us here.
Replay Story Fest Partners
