Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal’s professional development program centers around the annual Master Class.

Each year, Master teachers and playwrights are brought to our studios in Montréal to conduct an intensive program (one to two weeks long) in new play creation. The purpose of the program is to provide a strong mentorship for playwrights, with practical ways of broadening the process and honing the working practice.

Recent Masterclass instructors include Ben Chiasson and Beth Kates (Projection Design and Playwrighting), Carole Fréchette (dialogue: retour à la base - "Dialogue: back to the basics"), Paula Vogel (Playwrighting), Guillermo Verdeccia (Verbatim Theatre), Daniel MacIvor, Leah Cherniak from Theatre Columbus, John Murell, Denise Clarke, Judith Thompson, Maria Irene Fornes, and Tomson Highway, whose plays were some of the first to bring an aboriginal perspective to Canadian stages.

As a means of building on our successful professional development work, we have inaugurated the “mini-Masterclass” which focuses on particular aspects of text analysis. This shorter professional development program features a Montréal-based Master teacher, and is aimed at a group of 10-15 local writers. Past leaders include Tedi Tafel and Keith Turnbull.

Masterclass participation is by application. All chosen applicants must be members in good standing of Playwrights' Workshop Montréal.

2011-2012 MASTERCLASS with Ben Chaisson & Beth Kates

2010-2011 MASTERCLASS with Carole Fréchette

2009-2010 MASTERCLASS with Paula Vogel