PWM+MAI Joint Support for Artists Featuring Ülfet Sevdi

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and the MAI (Montréal, Arts Interculturels) are thrilled to announce that the PWM + MAI Joint Support **for Artists will feature Ülfet Sevdi and her work Motherhood.**

The Artist

Ülfet Sevdi is a writer, theatre director, dramaturge, visual artist, and Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner based in Montreal.

She graduated in Fine Arts and Theatre in Türkiye in 2001. She holds a Research and Creation Master in the INDI program at Concordia University. She is now a PhD candidate in the INDI program at Concordia University. Her work deals with oral history and social narratives. Her approach is highly conceptual, experimental, and is theoretically grounded in the critical social sciences.

She was the co-founder and artistic director of nü.kolektif (2008-2014), an Istanbul-based collective of multidisciplinary artists involved in performances dealing with political topics. She continues this line of work with Thought Experiment Productions (2015-) since coming to Montreal, a production company she also co-founded and that she co-directs.

Her past work has been funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Montreal Council for the Arts, and the Cole Foundation. It has been presented in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ireland, Türkiye, and the USA.

THE PROJECT

In the moment of my artistic and academic mid-career, less than two years ago, I have become a mother. I had just finished a Master thesis. It was still during the Covid pandemic. They say having a child changes your life. But you do not understand it until it happens to you. It is a deep, highly rewarding but also very demanding existential state.

How do we continue, what can be done? When will we be able to regain our normal artistic life? Our performer’s body? Our capacity to focus on reading and writing? After almost a year of pregnancy follow the first months, the first year. The body has changed; constraints –physical, emotional, psychological- are everywhere. Time flows outside, life continues.

But the artist-mother cannot keep up with all the ideas she has, cannot return to her practice. Even if she does, part of her is with the baby. You are stuck, in the physical and psychological senses of the term. You lost the freedom needed to create, both outside and inside. You lost the physical, psychological and time-related flexibility needed to create and go on stage to perform. You have to make peace with this new body. You have to find ways to understand how you can continue. As an artist, your financial well-being depends on your performance practice. You could use daycares, babysitters, but they cost money… to make money you need more money. Having a baby costs money, new needs are involved. If the system offers something, is it really enough? Is the father able to make it alone? And when you don’t have the traditional family support… To create you need time and space, to perform as well. Without time you can’t develop your ideas. Without time to create, you have nothing to perform. The experience is opening layers over layers of difficulties: the systemic, the psychological and the physical. Many different paradoxical vicious circles open up in front of you. And you’re exhausted.

This performance will be based around the technique I have developed in my last performance, Numbers Increase As We Count…, a technique I have called “Performative Acting”. It is a technique that involves specific tasks as well as dramaturgically framed open structures. I have sketched the framework for this technique in my Research and Creation Master Thesis in the INDI program, and am currently developing it further in my current PDH studies in the same program. For this project, I intend to carry this work with different artist- mothers/mother-artists from different performative artistic disciplines.

THE PROGRAM

The PWM + MAI joint support accompanies creators on their journey to develop a project and explore their practice. It is aimed at artists encountering structural and systemic obstacles to their full participation in the arts because of their claimed identity and/or perceived identity in society.

More details about the program available here.

We are so excited to support the development of Ülfet’s project, and wish her a fulfilling creation process!

This program is a partnership between

Project supported by the Government of QuébEc as part of l’Entente sur le Développement Culturel and the City of Montreal, and by the Canada Council for the Arts

November 14, 2023January 29, 2024

Call for Dramaturgical Collaboration Applications for 2024-2025

Applications for Dramaturgical Collaborations are now open.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 30th, 2024 11:59PM EST

All applicants will receive a response by the end of April 2024 informing them of the outcome of their application for the 2024-2025 season.

The ASL video format of this section is viewable here.

The open call for Dramaturgical Collaborations is PWM’s invitation to playwrights and creators from across Canada to work with us. Together, we engage in deep explorations of story, form and process.

Our Dramaturgical Collaborations begin with one-on-one and ongoing Dramaturgical Conversations in which we discuss the needs of the project and playwright/creator(s). From there, we mutually determine with the artist(s) one or a combination of the following opportunities for the project:

Workshops: An opportunity to explore a work in progress with actors/collaborators in order to evolve the project. Each Workshop is led by a PWM dramaturg in collaboration with the playwright/creator(s). Text based projects will be read by a company of actors and the playwright and dramaturg will then have the opportunity to ask and explore questions with the company. For non-text based projects, the Workshop is designed around whatever elements create the narrative/event. Sometimes a private reading for invited guests is a part of a Workshop, and it is used as an opportunity to introduce the work to an audience for the first time. The length of a Workshop is determined by the needs of the project.

Residencies: As part of the Dramaturgical Collaboration, PWM may offer dedicated Studio time for exploration (not rehearsal) to a playwright/creator(s) developing a project with PWM. These residencies take place in our studio in Montreal, and are separate from our national residencies at Gros Morne and Tadoussac.

Mentorships: Mentorships are set up to answer a very specific need in the early stages of a creation process. In collaboration with a PWM Dramaturg, the playwright/creator determines who is best suited to accompany them through this essential phase. This may be an expert in a given discipline, a creator from a similar or different discipline, or a dramaturg with a particular field of experience. The mentor is paid by PWM to work with the artist as a mentee.

To learn more about these and other terms used at PWM, please refer to our glossary.

Considerations for Dramaturgical Collaboration at PWM

The ASL video format of this section is viewable he r e.

Stage of Development: We accept applications for projects at all stages of development depending on the nature of the work. It could be an idea, a first draft (in whatever form that may be), a new iteration of a project that has already been shared, or a draft that is in an advanced stage of development.

Discipline: This project could be a play, a performance, a digital work (for example: AR/VR, interactive game-based presentation, live or prerecorded virtual performance), or something hybrid in terms of language, discipline, or technology.

Applicants: We welcome individual playwright/creator(s) and collectives to apply directly through our Google form. If you are a theatre company, please contact dramaturg@playwrights.ca to discuss Dramaturgical Collaborations before submitting an application online.

Location: We welcome local and national applications. We work in-person, virtually (for example: by video chat or by use of online collaborative tools), or a combination of both. *Please note that working virtually is an option available to out-of-town artists, as well as local artists based in Montreal.

Because developing plays and performances takes time, PWM has numerous ongoing projects. Therefore, we can only welcome a limited number of new projects per season despite receiving many inspiring applications. We are grateful to everyone who applies.

PWM is committed to creating an environment where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. We are continuously working to make all of our programs accessible and inclusive. While recognizing that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, and multidimensional, we strongly encourage applications from artists who are: Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized (including recent immigrants), 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, d/Deaf, neurodivergent, disabled, living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain. PWM is strongly committed to supporting a wide range of cultural identities and lived experiences, therefore we encourage applicants to self-identify in their application if they are comfortable doing so.

How to apply for Dramaturgical Collaboration at PWM

The ASL video format of this section is viewable here.

You can apply for Dramaturgical Collaboration via our Google form, linked here. Audio and video answers to some of the questions in the form are also welcomed. Click here to preview the form as a PDF.

You will be asked to provide:

General information about you
Information about your project
How you would like to work with PWM
Your CV and bio and that of any collaborators
A sample of the proposed project (if available) or past work

Your proposal will not be sent until you click the SUBMIT button at the end of the application via the Google form. You will be able to edit your responses until the application’s deadline by reusing the same email address and login.

If you have any questions regarding Dramaturgical Collaborations, please contact us at dramaturg@playwrights.ca

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, require assistance with your application, or would like to discuss alternative methods of applying and deadline flexibility, please contact accessibility@playwrights.ca. For accessibility information and video tours of our location, please click here.

APPLY NOW

October 17, 2023October 25, 2023

INTRODUCTION TO THEATRE TRANSLATION

APPLICATION DEADLINE: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29TH 2023 11:59PM EST.

A one-on-one mentorship opportunity

For years Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) and le Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD) have worked to forge links between the French and English language theatre communities and foster the art of theatre translation. To this end, the two organizations have partnered once again to offer two individualized mentorships meant to familiarize playwrights with the craft of theatre translation: Introduction to Theatre Translation (Traductions Croisées). One Mentorship, described below, is focused on French to English theatre translation. Vous trouverez sur le site du CEAD les détails du mentorat anglais – français.

How the mentorship works:

PWM will select 1 participant with an interest in French to English theatre translation;
Over a period of several months, the participant will translate excerpts (roughly 10-12 pages) of two contemporary Québécois plays selected by the CEAD;
The participant will receive a total of 12 hours of dramaturgical support from acclaimed playwright and theatre translator Alexis Diamond;
The participant will have the opportunity to discuss their translations with the original playwrights;
The mentorship will culminate in two workshops during which professional actors will read and discuss the newly-translated excerpts;
The participant will then have the chance to meet with the second participant and both mentors to present their work and discuss their experiences;
After the workshops, the participant will submit their final drafts of the translated excerpts to the CEAD.

Who can apply?

Montreal-based playwrights with a strong interest in French-to-English theatre translation;
The candidate must have excellent writing skills in English and have fluent comprehension of Québecois French;
Playwrights with little to no experience in theatre translation are encouraged to apply;

How to apply:

If you are interested in applying, please fill out this Google Form by Sunday, October 29th, 2023, 11:59 PM EST. You will be asked to provide the following information:

Your name, pronouns (optional), and contact information ;
Your bio;
A description of your interest in this mentorship and in French-to-English theatre translation more generally;
Confirmation that you are based in Montreal;
A CV

Video or audio responses are also accepted through the Google form.

Questions about this program can be sent to helena@playwrights.ca with the subject line: Introduction to Theatre Translation. Audio and video applications are also welcomed.

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, or require assistance with this application, please contact accessibility@playwrights.ca.

Click here for accessibility information and video tours of our location.

PWM is committed to creating an environment where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. We are continuously working to make all of our programs accessible and inclusive. While recognizing that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, and multidimensional, we strongly encourage applications from artists who are: Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized (including recent immigrants), 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, neurodivergent, disabled, living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain. PWM is strongly committed to supporting a wide range of cultural identities and lived experiences, therefore we encourage applicants to self-identify in their application if they are comfortable doing so.

Biography of Alexis Diamond

Based in Tiohtiá:ke / Mooniyang / Montreal, Alexis Diamond (she/her) is a theatre artist, opera and musical librettist, translator, dramaturg and theatre curator working in both English and French. She creates works for a wide range of audiences, from toddlers, to school-aged children, to all ages, to adults only, which have garnered awards, residencies, and attention at home and abroad. Playful, poetic and profound, her texts and performances break open the stories we inherit and the myths we perpetuate to spark some kind of collective epiphany.

Current and upcoming works include: NZINGA, co-written with Marie Louise Bibish Mumbu in collaboration with Tatiana Zinga Botao, premiering this November at Montreal’s acclaimed Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui; Mars: Signs of Life, an installation-opera about the “colonization” of Mars with composer Tim Brady; the translation of Tout inclus (All-inclusive) François Grisé’s probing and poetic documentary-theatre investigation into ageing; a large-scale installation-performance with Finnish contemporary-circus artist Marjukka Erälinna; and a couple of musicals.

Alexis has translated award-winning plays by Audrey-Anne Bouchard and Marc-André Lapointe, Pascal Brullemans, Alexia Bürger, Marie-Hélène Larose-Truchon, Érika Tremblay-Roy and Marie-Claude Verdier for companies such as Geordie Theatre, Le Petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke, DynamO Theatre, Talisman Theatre, Theatre Direct, Théâtre Incliné, Bouche Theatre Collective and Playwrights Canada Press. Alexis was a finalist for the 2020 Governor General’s Award for her translation of Pascal Brullemans’ plays for young audiences, Amaryllis and Little Witch (Playwrights Canada Press). Many of her works can be found at the Canadian Play Outlet.

Tentative Schedule

October 29th
Application deadline

November 9th
Communication of results

November – March
12 hours of translation mentorship and meetings with playwrights.

Before March 29th
2 workshops of translated excerpts and final meeting with other participant.

This mentorship is made possible by:

May 26, 2022May 23, 2023

The Resident Creators of the 2022 Glassco Translation Residency

The Glassco Translation Residency invites playwrights and translators from across Canada and beyond to come together for ten days in Tadoussac, Quebec, to work in-depth on their translation projects. The chosen participants are provided with a unique opportunity to focus on their projects and to share expertise in a retreat environment.

After a two-year hiatus, we are delighted to welcome seven resident artists to translate five different plays during the Glassco Translation Residency in 2022!

MEET THE RESIDENT CREATORS

Click on their portrait to learn more about each resident artist

QUEUE CERISE

Translation from French to English

Amélie Dallaire – Playwright

Gabe Maharjan – Translator

THE CANDOR OF DINOSAURS

Translation from English to Portuguese

Michael Mackenzie – Playwright

Isabel dos Santos – Translator

COPEAUX and MURS

Translation from French to English

Mishka Lavigne – Playwright

David Gagnon Walker – Translator

HAVRE

Translation from French to Spanish

Mishka Lavigne – Playwright

Emilio Iturbe-Kennedy – Translator

Translation Dramaturg

We’re also pleased to welcome award-winning translator Maryse Warda, who will serve as translation dramaturg and residency host.

Born in Egypt, where she spent her childhood, Maryse Warda has been active on Quebec stages since 1992, and has translated more than seventy plays. Her work has helped introduce French-speaking audiences to many Canadian authors such as John Mighton, Morris Panych and George F. Walker. She has also translated for many American, British, Scottish and Irish authors including Howard Barker, Margaret Edson, David Greig, David Hare, David Ives, Cindy Lou Johnson, David Mamet, Arthur Miller and Harold Pinter.

In 2011, she received the Governor General’s Award for her translation of the play The Toxic Bus Incident by Greg MacArthur. Her translation of Anthony Black’s One Discordant Violin – inspired by a short story by Yann Martel – was the subject of her work at the Glassco Translation Residency in 2019 and will be presented at La Licorne in the fall of 2022.

Since 2006, Maryse has benefited from the wonderful Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac on nine occasions. This is the first time that she will serve as translation dramaturg and host.

ABOUT THE GLASSCO TRANSLATION RESIDENCY IN TADOUSSAC

Over the past 16 years we have offered space, time, and dramaturgical expertise to over 63 translation projects into languages such as Cantonese, Catalan, Cree, English, French, Innu-aimun, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, Tagalog and Urdu.

The Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac is made possible through our partnership with the Cole Foundation’s Intercultural Conversations Program, the dedication of Residency Producer Briony Glassco, and the support of the friends and family in memory of the great Canadian theatre artist, Bill Glassco. We are also grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Conseil des arts de Montréal for their ongoing support.

Supporters: The Cole Foundation, Friends and Family of Bill Glassco, The Canada Council for the Arts, Le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal Welcomes New Managing Director Anne-Sophie Grenier

PWM is delighted to announce that our Board of Directors and hiring committee have appointed Anne-Sophie Grenier as our new Managing Director.

Anne-Sophie Grenier is a performer, writer, curator, and arts administrator. She is excited to be returning to her home town of Montreal after having served as the Executive Director of Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre in Kingston, Ontario for the past 3.5 years. Her career has also included documentary film production, festival management, and international development. Anne-Sophie holds a Masters of International Arts Management from HEC Montreal and Southern Methodist University, as well as a B.A., Communications Studies from Concordia University. She is passionate about creating innovative opportunities for artists at the local, national and international level and is very much looking forward to collaborating with fellow creators in Montreal’s vibrant theatre community.

Anne-Sophie is appointed to the position following the departure of former Managing Director Lesley Bramhill, who was an integral part of the PWM team for five and a half years. Given Anne-Sophie’s education in arts management, leadership experience, and her artistic practice we are excited for the impact she will make at the organization and in the Montréal theatre community at large.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the choice of Anne-Sophie Grenier as our new Managing Director at Playwrights Workshop Montréal. Building on her experience as Executive Director at Modern Fuel, she has a solid, strategic understanding of the interrelations between operations, finances and core activities. Anne-Sophie brings a wealth of management experience as well as a passion for creating supportive spaces for artists. She demonstrates a strong commitment to applying approaches to equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and decolonization. We look forward to witnessing what promises to be a strong and stimulating co-leadership between Anne-Sophie and Sarah.”

– Naïma Kristel Phillips, President of the Board of Directors at PWM

Last year, in collaboration with Arts Consulting Group, we shifted our organizational structure to better support our internal leadership and honour our spirit of collaboration. The new structure of our organization supports a co-leadership between the Artistic and Managing Directors.

“I am thrilled to welcome Anne-Sophie to the team and look forward to co-leading PWM with her. Anne-Sophie is experienced in collaborative leadership and arts management and is dedicated to supporting artists- I’m excited for us to meet the future together!”

– Fatma Sarah Elkashef, Artistic Director of PWM

After a year of transitions and adaptations to the pandemic context, we look hopefully to the future of our organization under the new co-leadership team of Sarah and Anne-Sophie. This new chapter will yield fruitful collaborations and creative processes that we are excited to realize!

“I am honored by the trust that the Board and hiring committee have placed in me to be the new Managing Director in co-leadership with Sarah. Most recently, I was working in the visual arts while maintaining my own writing and acting practice; theatre has been my greatest love and truest friend, and I am happy to be able to bring my experience and passion to the role of Managing Director. I am excited about collaborating with the wonderful team here and the larger Montreal theatre community, putting my managerial and leadership experience towards supporting the important work done by everyone involved with PWM.”
– Anne-Sophie Grenier, Managing Director of PWM

A PDF of this announcement can be found here:

PWM-Announces-New-Managing-Director Download

April 19, 2022May 24, 2022

2022 Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency

Image of a shoreline in Gros Morne featuring colourful salt box houses. The image has a blue banner with white text which reads: “2022 Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency”

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency is a Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) and the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD) program, created with the participation of Artistic Fraud, and in partnership with the Cole Foundation, Creative Gros Morne, and the Bonne Bay Marine Station. It is a dual-lingual residency that will welcome writers from across the country to Gros Morne, Newfoundland.

ABOUT THE GROS MORNE PLAYWRIGHTS’ RESIDENCY

The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency will bring together seven Canadian playwrights over a twelve-day period, from October 13 to 24, 2022. This unique dual-lingual residency is offered by two pan-Canadian organizations, PWM and CEAD, with the participation of Artistic Fraud of NL. It will take place at the Bonne Bay marine station in Norris Point, located in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador.

English language playwrights are asked to apply through PWM and French language playwrights through the CEAD. These two organizations will assess submissions from all across the country and select three English and three French applications. A seventh spot is reserved for a playwright from Newfoundland and Labrador.

The residency will be led by Fatma Sarah Elkashef, artistic director of PWM, Emma Tiabldo, dramaturg at PWM, and by Sara Dion, dramaturg at CEAD. The residency is an opportunity for solo writing, punctuated with moments of exchange and reading of texts as a group. The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency provides playwrights with transportation, accommodation, meals, an honorarium of $800.00, and dramaturgical support.

Applications for this residency are now closed.

HOW TO APPLY

Submission deadline: May 20th, 2022 at 11:59 PM

Please send English submissions by email to: residency@playwrights.ca

With the subject line: 2022 Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency

Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Selection will be made by an internal committee set up by PWM and CEAD. We will only notify the selected applicants. The selected playwrights will be informed no later than July 8, 2022.

For more information about the residency, please contact residency@playwrights.ca

Eligibility:

Be a playwright, writing in English, and having at least one dramatic work workshopped, published, or professionally produced;
The play would ideally be in the early stages of development (first draft or slightly beyond);
Be available for the whole residency;
Be willing to participate in all activities prepared during the residency;
For playwrights writing in French please see link to CEAD here.

PWM welcomes all applications to our programs. While recognizing that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, multidimensional, changing and evolving, we strongly encourage applications from artists who are: Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized (including recent immigrants), 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, neurodivergent, disabled, living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain. PWM is strongly committed to supporting a wide range of cultural identities and lived experiences, therefore we encourage applicants to self-identify in their application if they are comfortable doing so.

Your submission package must include:

A statement of your interest in the residency and how it will benefit your process;
A description (PDF, video or audio) of the play (maximum 1 page/2 minute video or audio) with an excerpt of the play in progress (minimum 10 pages, maximum 12 pages);
A CV (2 pages maximum) and a short bio (100 words maximum);
A copy of your last published, workshopped or produced play.

Please submit all of the above as a single PDF file including links to the audio or video description if relevant.

If you need assistance with this application, please contact Heather Eaton at heather@playwrights.ca.

IMPORTANT

The holding of the residency is dependent on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in Québec and in Newfoundland and Labrador. The residency and its parameters could be reassessed or postponed prior to the residency.

PLACES TO CREATE DURING THE GROS MORNE PLAYWRIGHTS’ RESIDENCY

Bonne Bay Marine Station

Since 2002, the Bonne Bay marine station, located on the magnificent west coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, has had the primary mission of expanding knowledge in marine ecology. In addition, the station also engages in community and artistic activities. Nestled in the small coastal community of Norris Point and with breathtaking views, it is equipped with laboratories, offices, a library, a multimedia theatre, an aquarium, and a building with individual rooms.

www.bonnebay.ca

The residence is wheelchair accessible. However, the library and theatre space at the Bonne Bay Marine Station which is used often by the playwrights requires the participant in a wheelchair to leave the residence, travel across the parking lot, into the main lobby entrance to access the library/theatre space.

Gros Morne National Park

Soaring fjords and moody mountains tower above a diverse panorama of beaches and bogs, forests and barren cliffs. Shaped by colliding continents and grinding glaciers, the ancient landscape of Gros Morne national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

www.pc.gc.ca/fra/pn-np/nl/grosmorne/index.aspx

SCHEDULE FOR THE GROS MORNE PLAYWRIGHTS’ RESIDENCY

October 13, 2022

Travel via plane and car to Norris Point, Newfoundland and Labrador (anyone departing West of Ontario will have to add a day of travel).

October 14-23, 2022

Unstructured writing time at Bonne Bay Marine Station;
Individual sessions with residency dramaturgs as requested by the playwright;
Daily ninety minute group meetings to read and discuss the process;
Possibility of a public activity with the community.

October 24, 2022

Departure for home.

A PDF of this call is available here:

Gros-Morne-Playwrights-Residency-2022 Download PDF of the Call

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and the MAI (Montréal, Arts Interculturels) are thrilled to announce that the PWM + MAI Joint Support for Artists will feature Ülfet Sevdi and her work Motherhood.