Author: Playwrights' Workshop Montréal

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Queer Reading Series 2025

A colourful background of blue, purple, pink, orange, and yellow hues. To the right, in block letters, the words Queer Reading Series. To the left, the dates April 25 & 25, 2025. Beneath, the logos of PWM and Centaur Theatre.

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING QUEER THEATRE AT THE 2025 QUEER READING SERIES.

Produced by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal in partnership with Centaur theatre, the Queer Reading Series continues for its 6th year showcasing the works of emerging Queer playwrights. Taking place on April 25 and 26th at 7:30PM at Centaur Theatre, and curated by Jesse Stong, this two-day event will feature public readings of two works in-progress by Gabrielle Banville and Anton May. Following the Saturday performance, join us for a night of music and celebration, featuring cool beats from QRS-Alumni Blxck Cxsper.

Both readings will be presented with live captioning, and the talkbacks will be presented with auto-generated captioning, for accessibility purposes.

The Queer Reading Series is a FREE event. Donations help us keep our programming free to artists, and will be gratefully accepted at the door.

Join us to celebrate the power of queer storytelling in the theatre and support emerging Queer artists.

Visit Centaur Theatre’s website to book your free tickets.


Follow this link to respond to our Facebook event.

Schedule

Friday, April 25th at 7:30PM:

my sister’s dead haha
by Gabrielle Banville (she/her)
Directed by Beatrice Warner

Performed by Samantha Bitonti and Tiernan Cornford.

Briar and May attempt to tackle the peculiar requests made in a voice note left by their dead sister, June; they involve living together in her condo, fostering her diabetic cat Bacon, and putting her ashes in a teapot. This dramedy about sisterhood and death asks the question few of us want to ponder: what happens when our sibling dies and leaves us too soon?

Content advisory:
Depictions of death, needles, profanity, and an animal in distress.

Saturday, April 26th at 7:30PM:

A Boy’s Love: A Journey of Healing through Poetry and Dance
by Anton May (he/they)
Directed by Art Babayants

Performed by Tiernan Cornford, Chance Jones, Sebastien Quint, Eric Vega, and Jared Wonago.

Poetry. Drama. Dance. Comedy. A Boy’s Love is a choreo-poem about the struggles Black Queer people face when seeking love and acceptance. The life-long journey of learning to love yourself. In this queer showcase, you meet 4 young men, each coming to terms with their realities and unlocking truths along the way.

Content advisory:
Psychological abuse, manipulation, heartbreak, depression, sex work and sexual health, abandonment.

Saturday, April 26th at 9:30PM:

Community Celebration at the Centaur bar.

Join us after the final performance to celebrate the work of the 2025 Queer Reading Series and the vibrant queer community with good music and great company! Hosted by QRS-Alumni Blxck Cxsper, everyone is welcome—come connect, reflect, and enjoy the festivities!

Letter from QRS Curator Jesse Stong

Dear Friends,

I am so excited to welcome you to another year of our beloved Queer Reading Series! A huge thank you to everyone at Centaur Theatre and Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal for making this event possible once again.

This year, we’re diving deep into the messy, beautiful, and complicated relationships that shape our queer experiences. We’re moving beyond traditional “coming out” narratives and embracing more nuanced, complex stories—ones that reflect the richness of our lives and the ways we connect with those around us.

We are especially thrilled to showcase the poetic artistry of Anton May and the bold, comedic-dramatic voice of Gabrielle Banville. These two exceptional writers, both from our Young Creators Unit, continue to inspire with their fearless storytelling and deeply moving theatre creations.

At a time when hostility toward queer communities is on the rise, spaces like this—where we can gather, share, and reflect—are more vital than ever. Theatre has always been a space for resistance, joy, and radical imagination, and tonight is no different. Let’s come together, celebrate our voices, and explore new ways of seeing our lives through the power of theatre.

Thank you for being here. Your presence makes this space what it is. And don’t rush off after the readings—stick around to celebrate, connect, and revel in the magic of queer community!

With love and excitement,
Jesse Stong 

About the Playwrights

Gabrielle Banville (she/her) is a bilingual actor and collaborator originally from Ottawa and based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. A graduate from Concordia University’s acting program, she is actively pursuing her talents in theatre, film, voice and playwriting. Her artistic curiosity is rooted in non chronological and overlapping storylines, the memory of music and the dualities of womanhood. Gabrielle is the founder and artistic director of Half Twin Theatre, an award-nominated indie theatre company telling the stories of forgotten women: the women who raised us, the women we could’ve been, and the women we can become.

Anton May (he/they) is a British born; multidisciplinary artist based in Tiohtiá:ke (colonially known as Montreal). As a writer, he tackles the social injustices black queer people face through poetry and spoken word. He is an alumna of PWM’s Young Creators Unit (23-24 Cohort) where he finished A Boy’s Love (A play he started in 2019). He is thrilled to have been selected to present this labour of love at the Queer Reading Series. He hopes that this play will resonate with the QBIPOC communities (especially the Black Queer Communities). #BlackQueerTransLivesMatter!

READ MORE ABOUT THE queer reading series.
THIS PROGRAM IS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED BY:
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The 2025 Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency is now accepting applications.

A view of Gros Morne National Park, mountains interrupted by a river. On the top left, in white, the words Call for Applications. On the bottom left, in white, the words Gros Morne Playwrights' Residency 2025.

The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency will bring together seven playwrights living in Canada over a twelve-day period, from October 16 to 27, 2025.

Created by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) and the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD), this Residency is held in partnership with Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, Creative Gros Morne, the Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station and with the vital support of the Cole Foundation.

Les candidats souhaitant postuler à la résidence d’auteurs dramatiques Gros Morne en français doivent se rendre sur le site web du CEAD et faire la demande auprès d’eux.

Application deadline: April 27, 2025
All applicants will receive a response by June 23, 2025.

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, require assistance with this application, or would like to discuss alternative methods of applying, please contact accessibility@playwrights.ca.

About the Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency

The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency is a dual-lingual residency that welcomes writers from across Canada to Gros Morne, Newfoundland and Labrador. This unique dual-lingual residency takes place at the Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station in Norris Point, located in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador.

English language playwrights should apply through PWM and French language playwrights through the CEAD. Applications will be considered from across the country; three English and three French applications will be selected. A seventh spot is reserved for a playwright from Newfoundland and Labrador working in English.

The residency will be led by Fatma Sarah Elkashef, Artistic Director of PWM, Aki Matsushita, dramaturg at PWM, Sasha Dion, dramaturg at CEAD, and Robert Chafe, Artistic Director of Artistic Fraud. The residency is an opportunity for solo writing, punctuated with moments of exchange and reading work in progress as a group. The host dramaturgs are available to read your work and engage in one-on-one conversations centred around your process and questions.

The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency provides playwrights with transportation, accommodation at Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station (private bedroom and bathroom), meals, an honorarium of $800.00, and dramaturgical support.

Read testimonials from the 2024 Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency participants.

PWM welcomes all applications. 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.

Eligibility

  • Be a Canadian citizen or hold permanent residency status in Canada;
  • Be a playwright, writing in English, and have had at least one dramatic work workshopped, published, or professionally produced;
  • The play should ideally be in the early stages of development (first draft or slightly beyond);
  • Be available for the whole residency;
  • Be willing to participate in group activities prepared during the residency;
  • For playwrights writing in French, please visit the CEAD website. Please note that the CEAD only accepts applications from their members.

How to Apply

You can apply for the 2025 Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency via our Google form, by April 27, 2025. Audio and video answers to some of the questions in the form are also welcomed.

In the form, you’ll be asked to provide the following information:

  • Your name, pronouns (optional), age (optional), and contact information; 
  • Geographical location you will be departing from to get to Gros Morne;
  • Geographical location you will be returning to;
  • A statement of your interest in the residency and how it will benefit your process (written, video or audio); 
  • A description of the play in progress (written, video or audio);
  • An excerpt of the play in progress (10 – 12 pages);
  • A CV (2 pages maximum) and a bio;
  • A copy of your last published, workshopped or produced play. (Please note, it must be a play other than the one you are applying to the residency with.)

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Selection will be made by a committee set up by PWM and CEAD. All applicants will receive a response by June 23, 2025.  

If you have any questions regarding the Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency, please contact heather@playwrights.ca.

Preview the application form as a PDF.

Schedule for the Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency

October 16, 2025

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

PWM organizes the travel for the artists, from their point of departure to the residency, and back again. 

October 17 – 26, 2025

  • Unstructured writing time at Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station;
  • Individual sessions with residency dramaturgs as determined in collaboration with the playwright;
  • Daily sixty-minute group meetings to read and discuss the process;
  • 2 presentations by local artists; 
  • Shared catered dinner every evening;
  • A public reading of excerpts from the plays in progress with the local community.

October 27, 2025

Departure for home.

Places to create during the Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency

Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station

Since 2002, the Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research 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 an attached building with individual bedrooms.

The residence is wheelchair accessible. However, the library and theatre space at the Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station, which is often used 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.

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The 2024-2025 Young Creators Unit

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PWM is thrilled to introduce this year’s Young Creators Unit!

These emerging theatre artists are currently  receiving dramaturgical mentorships, group workshops, grant writing support, and much more!

Keep on reading to learn more about each artist and their practice, as well as YCU’s Lead Dramaturg, Leila Ghaemi. We look forward to celebrating our 10th year of YCU with our upcoming end-of-season showcase.

Meet the Cohort

MEENU ATWAL

Meenu Atwal is a Montreal based artist. She trained in the Professional Theatre: Acting program at John Abbott College. Upon graduating, Meenu got the chance to perform in the Geordie 2Play Tour. Most recently, she got to show off her soccer skills in The Wolves, a co-production between Geordie Theatre and Imago Theatre. Although Meenu is primarily an actor, her love for writing is not a new one. One of her earliest work was a short story she wrote in elementary school about a cat sitting by a window on Christmas. Since then, she has evolved a lot in her writing. Meenu is a storyteller through and through. She believes that as creatives, we have the power to validate, influence and make a difference. Whether it is through acting or writing, she intends to tell stories that do just that.

RACHEL CHIN

Rachel Chin is a writer and filmmaker from Kingston, Jamaica. She graduated with a B.A in History from Columbia University in 2018 and completed her M.A in History at McGill University in 2022. Her writing explores movement as a process at every scale, from migration to emotion. By examining the foundations of our relationship to reality— whether fictive, cultural, corporeal or tenuous— her work delves into the art and act of adaptation and the transformative potential of narrative. Narrative is her entire deal. With an artistic background spanning a number of disciplines, from prose to illustration to poetry, her participation in this year’s cohort marks her very first foray into creating for theatre.

LILA CIESIELSKI

Lila (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and performer based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Thriving in curiosity and collaborative spaces, she approaches art with an open heart, and a desire to evoke self-reflection and positive change through themes of identity, home, connection and rebellion. Alongside developing their artistic practice, Lila is dedicated to sharing the power of theatre and storytelling by working with youth and fostering a love for the arts. Outside of theatre, she also loves learning, trying out new hobbies and baking for others. Lila holds a BFA in Acting for the Theatre from Concordia University and developed her play Summerhouse through Teesri Duniya’s Fireworks Playwriting Program in 2024.

OLAOLUWA FAYOKUN

Olaoluwa Fayokun, also known as Lu, is a Nigerian-Canadian artist, born in Nigeria and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Having immigrant parents, his conventional journey towards a law degree took an unexpected turn when he discovered the stage in 2016. Since then, Lu’s passion for Theatre has resulted in an acting certificate from the National Theatre School of Canada, and starring in the premier production of Sinkhole(or six ways to disappear) (dir. Keith Fernandez) and Sankofa: The Soldier’s Tale Retold (dir. by Tawiah M’Carthy). Through his journey, Lu finds himself continually driven by play and the need for connection through storytelling. It is a great honour for Lu to be a member of this year’s YCU cohort, as he desires to tell stories that are situated at the intersection of family, spirituality, and identity.

LILY LACHAPELLE

Lily Lachapelle is a playwright, puppeteer, and actor from Ottawa, Ontario. Her work explores the spectrum of relationships between women, with a focus on queerness. Her play Lettuce Meat was a runner up for Infinithéâtre’s 2023 Write-On-Q award and was workshopped as part of their 2023 Pipeline series. Lily’s current piece Pain in Crustaceans explores the relationship employees have to a workplace that doesn’t love them back, and underwent a first development reading through PWM at the beginning of March. Other produced works include: ONE NIGHT ONLY (Youth Infringement Festival 2022) and Subject To Change (Dan Exposition Series, 2022). 

ELLIOT MILLION-LOVETT

Born and raised in Montreal, Elliot is an actor, writer, puppet enthusiast and graduate of the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program. Within his theatre training, his love of writing was fostered toward playwriting, and in 2023 he was a finalist in Inifinithéâtre’s The-Write-Stuff contest for youth with his first play The Wichita Falls Route. He is particularly interested by human stories understood through the force of the environment and setting characters operate in, as well as love, horses and neutron stars. He is grateful to be among such an inspired and inspiring group of creators within the YCU.

MISHA NYE

Misha Nye (he/him) is a theatre-maker originally from the UK. Misha is drawn to shows that are inventive and unsettling, those that shine a light into the dark auditorium and disrupt theatre’s cozy voyeurism.  Soon after arriving in Montreal, Misha did Imago’s Nested Circles residency, and he is grateful to YCU for marking the next step in his Montréal theatre journey. Misha is currently creating work about the messy link between art and activism, exploring how the climate crisis asks new questions and twists old ones into new shapes. In recent years, Misha has written and directed ‘Soil’ (2024) and ‘Floodgate’ (2022) for the Ottawa and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. With his company Pyrite Theatre, Misha is excited to bring his YCU show to the Montréal Fringe this summer!

SANDRA SOULARD

Sandra Soulard (they/ielle/elle) is a queer bilingual educator and artist based in Tiohtià: ke, Montreal. Their work thrives in environments where creativity fosters growth, mutual support, and kindness. A graduate of Concordia’s Performance Creation program, Sandra has immersed themself in the world of puppetry and devised theatre, contributing to a range of exciting projects. Notable works include Brillante with Productions Fil d’or (2022), the writing and directing of Vers de terre et dents-de-lion: A guide to plants for Montreal’s Fringe Festival (2023), and most recently, contributing as assistant director for Amélie: The Musical with Penumbra theatre (2025). Sandra is endlessly grateful for the patience, playfulness, and community that enriches the creative spaces they are privileged to collaborate in.

JACKSON THOMPSON

Jackson Lee Thompson is a divisor, playwright, actor and director from Edmonton Alberta. They have performed in Sorry not Sorry, U.I.G, Rapid Fire and Shame!’s improv ensembles.  They founded Out of Body Performing Arts with Baird Duncan. They have participated in many original and devised productions with the company including: The Waves (2022, 2024), BOO! Cabaret (2023-ongoing), My Dinner with Arby (2024), and The Public Domain Festival (2025) for which they were festival director and curator. . They are currently a member of the Young Creators Unit with Playwrights Workshop Montreal, working on an “adaptation” of Frankenstein by Mary Shelly (& Boris Karloff) and is currently researching an “adaptation” of King Lear under the mentorship of Rose Plotek and with support from the Jeunes Volontaires grant. As one might gather from the previous paragraph, Jake is fascinated by the adaptation of classical text into antifacist, anticolonial contexts. 

HUIRUI ZHANG

Huirui 晖睿 is a Chinese-born interdisciplinary theatre artist who directs, curates, writes, and dances. She champions an interplay of movement, devised creation, and cross-cultural narratives to create performance. Huirui has trained in Chinese classical dance and holds a B.A. in Drama and Theatre and Art History from McGill University. She was part of the 2019 ARTISTA cohort at Imago Theatre and the past leader and current advisor for Cheng Huai Art and Culture Association. Currently part of Black Theatre Workshop’s artist mentorship program and selected for residency at Infinithéâtre. Her past works include: They Must Have Smoked (Calgary Fringe, 2023), Rhinoceros In Love (Mainline Theatre, 2023), Good Morning, Townville! (McGill English Department, 2023).

Headshots by Emelia Hellman.

This program is facilitated by YCU Dramaturg, Leila Ghaemi.

Leila Ghaemi (she/elle) is a dramaturg, director and teaching artist. Her artistic pillars include responsible MENASA representation, radical theatre empowerment, and new play development. She received her BFA in Theatre Arts and MFA in Theatre Education & Direction from Boston University’s School of Theatre, where she grew her love for and skills in dramaturgical methods. She currently serves as the board president for Persephone Productions Montreal. 

Recent external credits include: Creative Consultant, POTUS (The Segal Centre); Cultural Consultant & Audience Engagement, English (The Segal Centre for the Performing Arts); Senior School Drama Teacher, The Study School; Co-Director, Pool (No Water) (Persephone Productions Montreal); Director, Romeo & Juliet (Classic Repertory Theatre); Director, The Scarlet Letter (Classic Repertory Theatre); Artistic Associate, New Repertory Theatre; Dramaturg & Director, The Tragic Ecstasy of Girlhood (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); and Script Reader & Conservatory Associate, American Conservatory Theater.

THE YOUNG CREATORS UNIT IS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED BY:
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Approaches to Consent-Forward Practices in Performance Making with Burcu Emeç

A lilac background with its left side covered in a random assortment of dark violet straight lines and circles. In one circle, a headshot of Burcu Emeç. To the right, the words Exploring Practice in dark violet.
Application Deadline: sunday, february 16TH, 2025 AT 11:59PM EST.

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

This exploring practice workshop considers how consent — both psychological and physical — applies to a creative and process-oriented context. While a given project might not have an intimacy coordinator/director in the room, or even any intimate content, considerations around consent are always present.

Facilitated by theatre creator and Intimacy Coordinator/Director Burcu Emeç, this workshop will focus on consent-forward approaches in the development phase of a performance. The workshop aims to equip artists with tools, practices, and vocabulary to build confidence around consent that they can apply to their own processes. The workshop will also help participants form questions around intimacy, nudity, and other highly charged or sensitive content for consideration in the development phase. This opportunity is open to all artists working in live performance, and may be of particular interest to collective creators, dance makers, interdisciplinary creators, writers, directors, producers, stage managers, choreographers, and dramaturgs.

Please note this workshop does not constitute intimacy coordinator/director training.

SCHEDULE

Monday, March 24, 2025: 10AM to 2PM

Tuesday, March 25, 2025: 10AM to 2PM

Wednesday, March 26, 2025: 10AM to 2PM

Thursday, March 27, 2025: 10AM to 2PM

Friday, March 28, 2025: 10AM to 2PM

LOCATION

PWM Studio: 7250 Rue Clark #103, Montreal, Quebec, H2R2Y3

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

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in applying, please fill out this Google Form by 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, February 16, 2025.

Questions about this workshop can be sent to leila@playwrights.ca with the subject line: Exploring Practice with Burcu Emeç.

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 welcomes all applications. 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.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP FACILITATOR:

Burcu Emeç is a theatre creator, intimacy coordinator (film/TV), and intimacy director (live performance) based in Tkaronto (Toronto). Her theatre/live art practice focuses on narrative beyond text and spatial and visual dramaturgy. She frequently weaves social commentary with images and explores the spaces between performativity and “non-acting.” Her theatre/live art work has found its place in varying venues like theatres, galleries, and parks, and has received support from performance companies and festivals like Festival TransAmériques (FTA), La SERRE-arts vivants, MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), SummerWorks, Playwrights Workshop Montréal, and Public Recordings.

Throughout her artistic path, Burcu has been interested in how the way artists collaborate impacts their work. This interest led her to work at Articule, one of Canada’s oldest artist-run centres, where she played a pivotal role in facilitating anti-harassment and anti-racist advocacy initiatives. The advocacy thread continues in Burcu’s current role as an intimacy professional for stage and screen, where she provides a consent-forward and movement-based framework to tell stories that involve nudity, intimacy, and sensitive content. Certified by SAG-AFTRA accredited IDC: Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (U.S.) and Intimacy Coordinators Canada, Burcu has worked for A24, CBS, Lionsgate, and Paramount+, amongst others. She received training from HBO’s Lead Intimacy Coordinator Alicia Rodis (The Deuce, Insecure, High Maintenance), the first to be hired by a major network, and Claire Warden, the first intimacy director on Broadway. Burcu has a complimentary background as an active listener, which enriches her work. Her approach is rooted in a queer, anti-racist, and sex-positive framework, striving to cultivate a supportive and empowering environment for every member of the team.

Headshot photo credit: Phanie Étier

LEARN MORE ABOUT EXPLORING PRACTICE WORKSHOPS

PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH

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THIS WORKSHOP IS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED BY

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2025 Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac

A view of the bay in Tadoussac. On the top left, in a blue box, the words Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac. On the bottom right, in a blue box, the words Call for Applications.
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE GLASSCO TRANSLATION RESIDENCY.


THIS THEATRE TRANSLATION RESIDENCY IS OFFERED BY PWM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COLE FOUNDATION, AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF BILL GLASSCO.

Apply by February 21, 2025.
Applicants will be contacted by March 31, 2025

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, require assistance with this application, or would like to discuss alternative methods of applying, please contact Heather at accessibility@playwrights.ca.

Pour lire l’appel de candidatures en français, cliquer ici.

The Glassco Translation Residency offers a unique opportunity for playwrights and translators working in any language to delve into the complexities of theatre translation, to bring new translations to life. Translators and playwrights apply together to work on a specific project during the residency. Over the course of the 10 days, participants live together at Fletcher Cottage in Tadoussac to develop the translations. Translations from and into any language are accepted. Work is done independently by each playwright-translator pair, and with the support of acclaimed Translation Dramaturg, Maryse Warda. Artists gather for a collaborative 5 à 7 discussion and catered meal together each evening.

PWM welcomes all applications. 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.

The Glassco Translation Residency provides participants with transportation, accommodation, meals, an honorarium of $800.00, and dramaturgical support. Read more about staying at the Fletcher Cottage below.

Residency Dates: June 17 – 28, 2025

June 17: Arrival in Tadoussac
(travel may take 1 – 2 days depending on point of departure)
June 18 to 27 inclusively: Residency
June 28: Departure from Tadoussac

Artists must be available for the entirety of the dates above.

Selection Criteria

  • A key eligibility requirement is the availability of both the playwright and the translator to attend the residency together.
  • We aim to support translation projects in a variety of languages. We strongly encourage applications for translations in languages in addition to English and French. 
  • We accept applications of plays that are currently in the process of being translated. Please note that we do not fund the commission of the translation. 
  • The play should ideally have had a production in its original language. 
  • At least one component of the project (playwright, translator, commissioning theatre, or producing theatre) needs to be Canadian.
  • Residency participants will be selected by a committee. The number of translator-playwright pairs we can welcome is limited by the number of spots available in the residency. The committee will make their selection based on the potential benefit to the playwright, translator and the project, as well as the dynamic of the group.

How to Apply

You can apply for the 2025 Glassco Translation Residency via our Google form.

Audio and video answers to some of the questions in the form are also welcomed. Click here to view the form as a PDF.

You will be asked to provide the following information: 

  • Name, pronouns (optional), age (optional), and contact information of the translator and playwright
  • Geographical location(s) the translator and playwright will be departing from to get to Tadoussac 
  • A description (written, video or audio) of the project which includes:
    • A description / history of the translator and playwright’s working relationship;
    • Why the work in question is being translated;
    • An indication of how the Residency will benefit the project, including how working in person with the playwright might move the translation forward;
    • Any details on production interest;
    • A description of where you are in the translation process;
    • Whether you are interested in dramaturgical conversations around translations, including with other artists at the residency;
  • Biographies and CVs of both the playwright and translator;
  • A copy of the play in its original language;
  • A sample of a previous translation work (10 – 12 pages); 
  • A sample of the translation work proposed for the residency if the work has already begun (10 – 12 pages)

If you have any questions with regard to the Glassco Translation Residency, please email our Programs Manager, Heather, at heather@playwrights.ca.

About the Glassco Translation Residency

The Glassco Translation Residency invites playwrights and translators from across Canada and internationally to come together for ten days in Tadoussac, Quebec, to work in-depth on their translation projects. As one of the few residencies of its kind in Canada, the Glassco Translation Residency is instrumental in bridging linguistic barriers, and supporting the development of vibrant new translations. 

Participants are provided with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in creative collaboration  and to share questions, thoughts, and ideas in a residency environment. Translations into all languages are welcomed. Over the past 18 years we have offered space, time, and dramaturgical expertise to over 76 translation projects into languages such as Cantonese, Catalan, Cree, English, French, Innu-aimun, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, Tagalog and Urdu.

The Glassco Translation Residency dramaturg will once again be award-winning translator Maryse Warda, joined by residency co-host, Aki Matsushita (PWM Dramaturg).

About the Glassco Translation Residency Facilitator

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 was  presented at La Licorne in the fall of 2022. Since January 2024, she’s had three translations presented in Montreal : Lucy Kirkwood’s Chimerica, at Duceppe; and at Théâtre du Rideau Vert a Québécois adaptation of Benoit Solès’ La Machine de Turing, as well as a translation of Kendall Feaver’s The Almighty Sometimes, consecutively between January and April. 

Details on the Stay

The house: The Glassco Translation Residency is held in Tadoussac, Québec, in an 18th century log home. There are 8 steps down to the entrance of the house. Each guest will have their own room with a writing area, and there are multiple communal areas to write throughout the home. The bathrooms are shared. The bathrooms are not wheelchair accessible. For detailed information or to ask specific questions about the bathrooms, accommodations, or workspaces, please email Heather at accessibility@playwrights.ca.

Travel: In order to arrive in Tadoussac, transportation is provided typically by train or airplane to Quebec City. From Quebec City, a three-hour taxi ride or a bus ride via Orleans Express (that crosses a ferry at one point) brings the participants to the house in Tadoussac. 

Meals: PWM hires a chef to make dinner each evening. Dinners are communal. Lunch and breakfast are on a self-serve basis. PWM asks all participants their food preferences and dietary restrictions ahead of time so that they can be accommodated as much as possible.

Internet: WiFi access throughout the house has been recently optimized and is suitable for working. However, it may not be suitable for video calls and streaming in certain areas, and service interruptions are possible due to the location.

The Glassco Residency logo -- a hand-drawn line underneath two thick pathways.

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.

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Public Reading: Katherine Turnbull’s Translation of 21 by Rachel Graton

Translated through the Cole Foundation Mentorship for Emerging Translators.

Date: Friday, January 24, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM
Venue: PWM Studio, 7250 Clark St Suite 103, Montreal, QC  H2R 2Y3
Please note that PWM is not located in a fully accessible building. Our space is only accessible via a flight of stairs (nine steps). More accessibility information here.

This is a FREE event. Donations help us keep our programming free to artists, and will be gratefully accepted at the door.

Join us for a free public reading celebrating the culmination of a year-long translation mentorship between Katherine Turnbull and acclaimed theatre translator Maureen Labonté as part of the Cole Foundation Mentorship for Emerging Translators.

This reading will take place as part of a week-long workshop of the translation, with translation dramaturgy by Maureen Labonté, direction by Emma Tibaldo, and featuring the performances of Kathleen Stavert and Masha Bashmakova.

Please RSVP by emailing heather@playwrights.ca: There is limited seating available, so reservations will be first come, first served.

Synopsis of 21 by Rachel Graton

Sara’s job is to help troubled teens with a host of issues. Like Zoe, an angry fifteen-year-old with a tendency to run away. Now, how to get her to open up and begin the journey of personal growth and healing when she doesn’t trust adults? “I hear you like basketball.”

Content advisory

The following are mentioned as opposed to depicted in the play:

Drug and alcohol abuse, sex, unplanned pregnancy, abortion, sex work, homelessness, mental illness, troubled teens, social services

Accessibility Information

You can find accessibility information about our space here. Please let us know if you have any accessibility requests when you RSVP so we can do our best to accommodate them. Some accessibility request examples include, but are not limited to: Reserving a seat close to the front, on an aisle, or close to the exit; reserving a seat for a support person, etc.

About the Translator

Katherine Turnbull is a writer, translator, theatre creator, and actor. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts [Honours] in Acting with a minor in French Studies from the University of Windsor. Based in Montreal, she works in French and English in theatre and film. Katherine is fascinated by the messy and complex aspects of life, and so she explores the nitty-gritty of humanity in her projects.

In 2021, Katherine translated La nuit du 4 au 5 by Rachel Graton, commissioned by Talisman Theatre. The resulting translation, The Night From the 4th to the 5th, has recently been shortlisted for the Tom Hendry Best Drama Award. In May 2022, Talisman Theatre presented it as a digital reading, which has since won awards at the 2023 Snow Leopard International Film Festival (Madrid, Spain) & Sweden International Film Festival for Best Drama, Best Black and White Film, and Best Stage Play. It also received four (4) nominations at the 2023 MAGMA Film Festival (Best Feature & Experimental Film, Best Directing, Best Original Concept, and Best Ensemble).

This reading and program are made possible with support from the Cole Foundation.

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