His quartet of plays are about "family taking care of one another, challenging inequities. It wasn’t a conscious thing when I chose the plays, but this what we’re all going through and what we need to discuss end of day."

Moss also promises a big "wow" factor whether of acting, spectacle, or a punchy close to home experience. "Frankly it’s just about me getting the best work and the best shows. I look for stories that speak to us."

First out of the gate, Marianne Copithorne returns to direct Judith Thompson’s Habitat. "She directed [Thompson’s] Perfect Pie for us in 2002." The show is about an affluent Toronto neighbourhood turned upside down when a new resident decides to open a group home for troubled teens. Afraid of plummeting property values and burgeoning crime, the upwardly mobile residents want the kids out.

The story punches close to home for Moss who lives in the Queen Mary community. The neighbourhood wants to kick out the iHuman programme for troubled kids. "The iHuman kids are an important part of Nextfest... They’re great kids. It’s the apparent lack of desirability. It hit me how important it is for communities to have dialogue about what a community is–what is a home?"

Ronnie Burkett returns to his roots with 10 Days on Earth in October. "This play is personal, where Provenance was artistically over-reaching." The play tells of Darryl, a mentally challenged adult who doesn’t realize his mother has died in her sleep. As he goes about his normal life, Burkett questions the nature of loneliness in a manner that Moss avers will require Kleenex.

Also inspiring is the success of Summer of My Amazing Luck which plays in Kelowna and Winnipeg this fall. "Network hasn’t had work on the road since the Stephen Heatley days." As a Christmas present to Edmonton, it will run at the beginning of December, followed by the Christmas Carol Project 2006. "There’ll be a DVD this year," notes Moss, "it’s going to air on Bravo!"

Absent from the director’s seat in the first half of the season, the busy AD brings in the New Year with Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad, which he describes as the "sleeper of the season." A romantic comedy and satire, the show is literally ripped from the headlines as it deals with minor league hockey violence.

Closer and Closer Apart brings the season back into the home as Eugene Stickland looks at aging and the plight of grown up kids looking after their parent. Jim de Felice plays Joe, a once brilliant architect suffering from Alzheimer’s while his kids bicker about who will assume responsibility for his care. "It’s what our generation is going through right now. Nobody’s bad in the show everyone’s trying to do the do right thing." Moss directs the word premiere.

Nextfest closes the season in June, but Moss also oversees two independent productions in his theatre. Monster brings Kill Your Television to 124 street with Nathan Cuckow performing and Kevin Sutley in the director’s chair ("Damn you guys! I wanted to do this fabulous Daniel MacIvor and Daniel Brooks play!!!"). The Theatre Buffet Co-Op of Davina Stewart, Dana Anderson, Tom Edwards and Linda Grass also appear with Dinner with Friends.