Playwrights' Workshop Montréal, Author at Playwrights' Workshop Montréal

November 4, 2024November 4, 2024

Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

Application Deadline: Sunday, November 24TH, 2024 AT 11:59PM EST.

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

This online workshop will give participants the chance to articulate their project outlines with realistic timelines and budgets, with tips on writing innovative and authentic project proposals.

Participants will build the foundation of their project grant in a shared Zoom room, with collaborative feedback. They’ll learn more about where to apply and when, and how to build a clear and powerful application by developing compelling writing samples. By the end of this Exploring Practice, each participant will leave informed on how to seek diverse sources of funding, with guidance on partnership-building for the future of their proposed project. This workshop is infused with motivational insights, aimed to empower participants to not only write, but enjoy writing grant applications! Each participant will get one-on-one time with the facilitator for individualized support.

Participation is free. Workshop participants are selected based on the complementary experience of the collective group. We encourage all levels of experience to apply.

“Building Your Grant Proposal” is co-presented by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) and the Quebec Drama Federation (QDF), with support from le Conseil de la formation continue (CFC).

SCHEDULE

Monday, January 13: 1 to 4PM

Tuesday, January 14: NO SESSION

Wednesday, January 15: 1 to 4PM

Thursday, January 16: 1 to 4PM*

Friday, January 17: 1 to 4PM*

LOCATION

Remote (Zoom)

*Please note that January 16 and January 17 are reserved for individual meetings, therefore participants will not be required to attend the full hours listed above.

NOTE: The workshop is participatory in nature. Those taking part should come to the workshop with a project/residency idea that they are genuinely interested in developing a grant proposal for. This idea can be fully developed or a seed of a new project. An integral part of this workshop is in supporting the ideas of others and contributing to the group discussions. Participants should be available for the duration of the time scheduled.

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in applying, please fill out this Google Form by 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, November 24th, 2024.

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

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:

Jesse Stong (they/them) is a proud parent of twins, a graduate of Playwriting from the National Theatre School of Canada, and received a Master’s in Art Education from Concordia University. They are an award-winning queer creator, dramaturg, and educator. Over the years, Jesse has supported over 140 emerging Canadian storytellers as director of our Young Creators Unit. Jesse also leads our New Stories Project for Neurodiverse Storytellers. Jesse is an occasional content creator/editor for Moment Factory, and was recently Manager of Children’s Programming for Watchmojo.com, Associate Curator for the National Arts Centre Disability Summit, and Host of the Montreal English Theatre Awards.

Headshot photo credit: Emelia Hellman

LEARN MORE ABOUT EXPLORING PRACTICE WORKSHOPS

PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH

THIS WORKSHOP IS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED BY

October 3, 2024October 3, 2024

Ostinato (I Would Prefer Not To)

A black and white photo of the hair of Strange Victory Performance members David Gagnon Walker and Tori Morrison. On a black background, written in white, the words Public Reading, Ostinato (I Would Prefer Not To) by David Gagnon Walker to the right of the photograph.

Written by David Gagnon Walker

Created and performed with Tori Morrison

A Strange Victory Performance

Developed in collaboration with PWM

Date: Friday, October 25, 2024
Time: 3 PM
Venue: PWM Studio, 7250 Clark St Suite 103, Montreal, QC H2R 2Y3
Please note that Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is not located in a fully accessible building. Our space is located above street level and is only accessible via a flight of stairs (nine steps). More info here.

This is a FREE event. Donations are welcome at the door.

This work-in-process reading will be the culmination of a week of exploration between David, Tori, Christian Barry and Fatma Sarah Elkashef and will be followed by a conversation with the playwright.

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

Synopsis

David and Tori tell two stories. One story is true and recent. The other is made up and old. One is about being a certain type of person with a certain type of mind. The other is about dealing with that type of person. They’re kind of the same story on a loop. Every song is kind of the same song. You know a song is over when it stops.

Content advisory

Mental illness, suicide

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 Playwright

David Gagnon Walker is an award-winning writer, performer, and translator born in Edmonton and based in Toronto. His work has been performed and developed in cities across Canada, and through residencies in Sweden, Finland, France, Australia, and the USA. David’s interactive play This Is the Story of the Child Ruled by Fear has been touring since 2021, with twelve presenters to date including an upcoming Ontario Presents tour, and is published by Playwrights Canada Press. Other recent projects include Premium Content (Major Matt Mason Collective/High Performance Rodeo), The Last Children (Curtain Razors), and the English translation of Gabrielle Chapdelaine’s The Retreat (Imago Theatre). He holds an M.A. in Performance Studies from the University of Toronto, and is a graduate of the playwriting program at the National Theatre School of Canada. www.davidgagnonwalker.com

David is Artistic Producer of Strange Victory Performance, a collaboration with composer and production manager Tori Morrison. Their projects collide highly personal content with new performance forms and modes of audience engagement. While grounded in text-based theatre practices, their work has included artists and methods from music, dance, circus, visual art, and digital performance. SVP’s primary interest is the mystery of creativity: the movement from an impulse, to an image, to a structured artistic work, and how this movement can inspire, heal, and transform the human beings it passes through.

This event has been made possible with support from PGC through the PlayConnect program.

September 11, 2024September 11, 2024

BOARD RECRUITMENT: Be Part of PWM’s Board of Directors

Pour lire la version bilingue de ce recrutement, CLIQUEZ ICI.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the PWM Board of Directors, or want to learn more, please reach out to Alanna (Alan) Wrenshall, Managing Director, at alanna@playwrights.ca.

About us

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) is a dynamic nonprofit organization dedicated to the art and craft of dramaturgy and playwriting. PWM acts as an incubator for new work that brings together dramaturgical expertise, a multimedia space in Montreal, and various support programs for writers, translators, interdisciplinary creators and their collaborators.

Our commitment is to support playwrights and artists through the creative process according to their vision for their work. The organization strives to cultivate a space where playwrights can be artistically vulnerable and open, challenge themselves, and define their own risks and goals.

For over 60 years, playwriting and theatre creation have been at the heart of PWM. Programs have also expanded to now include the exploration of devised, digital, and interdisciplinary modes of theatre and performance creation. We actively seek collaborations with diverse artistic approaches and are dedicated to supporting works that reflect a wide range of cultural identities and experiences.

The board

PWM is on the search for new members to join its Board of Directors. The Board’s mission is to support the growth of PWM and deepen the impact of its programs. We work to provide oversight, specialized expertise, and guidance to the organization and its leaders.

The Board of Directors is composed of 7 to 15 directors, one third of whom are artists. The Board meets 6 times a year, every two months. Including committee involvement, the expectations of time required are approximately 2 to 4 hours a month.

Those interested should reach out to the Managing Director, Alan Wrenshall, at alanna@playwrights.ca.

PWM welcomes applicants from a variety of background expertise, but those with the following profiles are strongly encouraged to reach out:

Account and finances

This individual will bring expertise in financial oversight, budgeting, and accounting practices. Their responsibilities will include overseeing the organization’s financial health, ensuring accurate financial reporting, and providing strategic financial advice to support our mission. Ideal candidates will have a background in accounting or finance, experience with non-profit financial reporting, and a commitment to fostering financial transparency and accountability.

human resources and organization

Key responsibilities will include advising on best practices for recruitment, retention, and employee engagement, as well supporting the Artistic and Managing Directors to answer any HR questions and provide guidance on the best path forward, all while ensuring compliance with employment laws and regulations. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in HR management, organizational development, and a passion for creating inclusive and supportive work environments.

Fundraising & Development

This individual will bring their experience in fundraising strategies, donor relations, and development planning. Their role will involve providing guidance in fundraising and outreach, identifying and cultivating potential donors, and developing long-term funding strategies to support our programs. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in successful fundraising campaigns, excellent networking skills, and a deep commitment to advancing the mission of PWM through sustainable financial support.

PWM welcomes all applications. While recognizing that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, and multidimensional, we strongly encourage applications from individuals 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.

Download the PDF of this Board Recruitment

September 11, 2024November 8, 2024

Introduction to Theatre Translation with Leanna Brodie

Extended DEADLINE: Sunday, September 29, 2024, 11:59 PM EST.

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

This introductory workshop for playwrights and theatre artists aims to offer participants ways to approach theatre translation, an enriching craft where the questions you ask are just as important as the answers you come to. In this workshop, participants will explore the practice of translation including thinking through questions such as: Why this play? How best to serve the original? Where to start? What are the challenges, and where to look for opportunities for development and production?

Please note that the workshop will run primarily in English, with interpretation between English and French as needed. Applicants curious about translating languages other than English or French are encouraged to apply: many of the same principles and skills will be transferable.

Participants may come with a play translation in mind or else be matched up with a play for the purposes of this workshop. A minimum of two weeks before the workshop begins, participants need to share their intended text with the facilitator, or request that a text be assigned. Additional brief translations may also be assigned as in-class exercises.

SCHEDULE

Monday, February 10: 12 – 3PM

Tuesday, February 11: 12 – 3PM

Wednesday, February 12: 12 – 3PM

Thursday, February 13: 10AM – 12PM

Friday, February 14: 12 – 4PM

LOCATION

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

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

Participants are expected to be available for the duration of the scheduled sessions.

HOW TO APPLY:

If you are interested in applying, please fill out this Google Form by 11:59 PM EST on Friday, September 27, 2024.

Questions about this workshop can be sent to PWM’s Artistic Producer, Leila Ghaemi, at leila@playwrights.ca with the subject line: Exploring Practice with Leanna Brodie.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP FACILITATOR:

Leanna Brodie is a leading translator of contemporary Québécois and Franco-Canadian playwrights whose award-winning translations have been published and produced across North America. Recent premieres have included David Paquet’s Wildfire (Factory Theatre, Toronto: 2022 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best New Play); Anaïs Pellin’s Clementine (Kleine Compagnie/Carousel Theatre/PHT, Vancouver); Fanny Britt’s Benevolence (Ruby Slippers Theatre/Pacific Theatre, Vancouver); and Rébecca Déraspe’s I Am William (Stratford Festival, Théâtre le Clou). This season sees the premieres of Sébastien Harrisson’s From Alaska (Belfry Theatre, Victoria) and Catherine Léger’s Home Deliveries (Ruby Slippers Theatre/Jericho Arts Centre, Vancouver). Brodie is also an award-winning librettist, performer, and playwright: Salesman in China, co-written with Jovanni Sy, just premiered to great acclaim at the Stratford Festival. Brodie recently served as Assistant Professor (Playwriting) at UBC’s School of Creative Writing; and is currently Artist-in-Residence at Concordia University. www.leannabrodie.com

LEARN MORE ABOUT EXPLORING PRACTICE WORKSHOPS

THIS WORKSHOP IS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED BY

September 9, 2024October 15, 2024

AMPLIFIER 2025-2027

A colourful background made up of salmon pink, royal blue, and turquoise blue blocks. At the bottom left corner, a five white lines of varying length. At the top center, the word Amplifier is written in royal blue, all capital letters. At the bottom right, the words Call For Applications are written in white

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM), LA SERRE – arts vivants (LA SERRE) and the Conseil des Arts de Montréal (CAM) are currently accepting applications for the 2025-2027 English-language edition of AMPLIFIER.

The deadline to submit applications is October 23, 2024 at 11:59PM EST.

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

If you have any questions regarding this program, your application, or the eligibility of your project, please contact our Artistic Producer, Leila Ghaemi, at leila@playwrights.ca with the subject line: AMPLIFIER

AMPLIFIER offers a long-term exploratory creation process to a playwright who identifies as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized, including 1^st or 2^nd generation immigrant artists (as defined in the Conseil des Arts de Montréal’s glossary), working creatively in one of Canada’s official languages. This program offers artistic and financial support to one working* playwright residing on the island of Montréal, including dramaturgical collaboration, a professional workshop with actors, and a residency leading to a presentation to programmers and peers.

AMPLIFIER seeks to foster dialogue between Montréal’s English and French speaking theatre communities, as well as intercultural exchanges and greater representation for culturally diverse artists within the theatre community and on Montréal’s stages.

In order to support artists creating in French and artists creating in English, CAM and La Serre offer this program alternately with the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD) in French (Résidence Voix Théâtrales), and with PWM in English. The 2025-2027 edition is intended for artists working in the English language. PWM supports English language minority artists in Quebec, therefore the work with PWM will take place in English. Applications are to be submitted in English.

Please refer to the Program Presentation (PDF) for more details about what this partnership includes, program eligibility criteria, and other conditions.

THE SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

CONSEIL DES ARTS DE MONTRÉAL

Founded in 1956, the Conseil des arts de Montréal identifies, supports and recognizes excellence in the professional creation, production and dissemination of the arts.

To remain in tune with the organizations and collectives it serves, the Conseil relies on its knowledge of the communities, its innovative skills, and its ability to bring the city’s artists and financial partners together.

PLAYWRIGHTS’ WORKSHOP MONTRÉAL

Founded in 1963, Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) is a nationally-mandated theatre creation and development centre based in Montréal. PWM is led by a team of experienced dramaturgs and arts administrators. With a focus on dramaturgy, its mission is to collaborate with artists in the development of new works of theatre and performance. PWM gives artists the opportunity to create and experiment, dream and take risks. Its collaborative process draws on the team’s unique experience and is tailored to the artist’s individual needs.

At PWM, playwrights, dramaturgs, translators, directors, performance makers, and theatre companies across the country find a creative collaborator willing to invest deeply in the development of meaningful work. PWM acts as a community hub for theatre-makers in Montreal and beyond.

PWM operates a 2,000 square foot creation studio and shared office space, equipped with theatre lighting, sound and digital equipment. Click here for accessibility information for our office and creative studio space: https://www.playwrights.ca/accessibility-contact/

LA SERRE – ARTS VIVANTS

LA SERRE is a structuring incubator that supports emerging artists in the development and establishment of their artistic practices. It offers initiatives conducive to their visibility; takes care of its community, and offers inspiring spaces. LA SERRE supports emerging artists by creating lasting and invested connections with them. It enables artists to create and share performances that shift the perspectives of spectators and explore new ways of being together. The practices supported by LA SERRE question, transform and resist preconceptions, let pluralities unfold, and contribute to the renewal of established models. LA SERRE activates collaborations between artists, citizens, fields of knowledge, and artistic disciplines. Its support is experimental and multifaceted.

SUPPORT PROVIDED

The 2025-2027 AMPLIFIER artist will receive a project creation grant of $13,000 from the CAM over two years, along with numerous support provided by PWM, LA SERRE, and CAM. This is a one-time, non-renewable grant.

The program takes place over two years, and support is provided as follows:

YEAR 1

$3,000 creation grant for a new theatrical creation

30 hours of dramaturgical collaboration with Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal

A 9 hour workshop with actors with Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal

A reading presentation with actors at Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal

YEAR 2

$10,000 creation grant for production

50 hours of production and management mentorship by LA SERRE–arts vivants

60 hours of free access to the Conseil des Arts de Montréal’s studios

Presentation of two performances in lab format

One-year subscription to Machinerie des arts.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, please complete the online application form. Click here to view the form as a PDF. During the application process, you will be asked to include the following documents in PDF format:

A CV;
An excerpt of the current project (12 pages maximum);
A full script of a previously written theatrical work in English

Applications will be evaluated by representatives of the CAM, PWM, and La Serre. Projects will be evaluated based on merit, feasibility, and impact on the artist.

PWM welcomes all applications from eligible playwrights: Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized (including recent immigrants). While recognizing that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, and multidimensional, we strongly encourage applications from artists who meet the above criteria and are also: 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 deadline to submit applications is October 23, 2024 at 11:59PM EST.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

* This is an opportunity for professional playwrights as defined in the Conseil de Arts de Montreal glossary: “An individual with a professional artistic practice who possesses the necessary experience and knowledge to develop this practice. This includes self-taught individuals as well as those who have studied art. This person is recognized in their artistic community (artists working in the same artistic tradition), creates, carries out or publishes works of art, is dedicated to their artistic practice and is generally paid for their work.”

August 26, 2024October 12, 2024

Announcing the 2024 Gros Morne Residency Playwrights | Dévoilement des Participant.e.s de la Résidence de Gros-Morne 2024

A photo of Gros Morne national park - a dock with water surrounding it and mountains further off. The sky is grey. The words 2024 Gros Morne Residency Playwrights written in white in the forefront.

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) and le Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD), 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, are pleased to announce the seven playwrights participating in the 2024 Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency.

The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency is a dual-lingual residency that welcomes playwrights from across the country to share space and conversation in the unparalleled landscape of Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador. The program offers dramaturgy in French and English.

From September 26 to October 7, 2024, Pascal Brullemans, Veronica Dymond, Mélanie Léger, Gislina Patterson, Adjani Poirier, Jovanni Sy, and Érika Tremblay-Roy will be staying at the Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station in Norris Point. The residents will have the opportunity to explore their plays during unstructured writing time, one-on-one dramaturgical conversations, and group discussions.

Look out for future social media posts about the artists and the residency!

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) et le Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD), en partenariat avec Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, Creative Gros Morne, le Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station, et avec le soutien vital de la Fondation Cole, ont le plaisir d’annoncer les sept auteurs et autrices dramatiques qui participeront à la Résidence canadienne d’auteurs et d’autrices dramatique de Gros Morne 2024.

La résidence d’écriture théâtrale de Gros-Morne est une résidence bilingue qui accueille des dramaturges de tout le pays pour partager un espace et la conversation dans le paysage sans pareil du parc national du Gros Morne, à Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador. Le programme propose de l’accompagnement dramaturgique en français et en anglais.

Du 26 septembre au 7 octobre 2024, Pascal Brullemans, Veronica Dymond, Mélanie Léger, Gislina Patterson, Adjani Poirier, Jovanni Sy, and Érika Tremblay-Roy séjourneront au Bonne Bay Aquarium & Research Station à Norris Point. Les résidents auront l’occasion d’explorer leurs pièces pendant des périodes d’écriture non structurées, des conversations dramaturgiques individuelles et des discussions de groupe.

Ne manquez pas les prochains messages sur les médias sociaux concernant les artistes et la résidence!

Meet the Playwrights | Rencontrez les auteurs

PASCAL BRULLEMANS (QUÉBEC)

Pascal Brullemans débute son parcours en 1994, avec Les derniers jours du Gouverneur, mis en scène par Wajdi Mouawad. Suivra une collaboration avec le metteur en scène Eric Jean, dont sont issus les pièces Camélias et Hippocampe. L’auteur fait ensuite une incursion dans l’univers jeune public avec notamment Isberg, puis Vipérine et Moi et l’autre. Puis, Brullemans collabore avec la metteure en scène Nini Bélanger pour créer Endormie(s) et Beauté, chaleur et mort. En 2016, il remporte le prix Michel-Tremblay pour la pièce Ce que nous avons fait. Ces dernières années, l’auteur a poursuit plusieurs projets dont les pièces Petite Sorcière et Ceux qui n’existent pas.

Photo credit: Valérie Remise

PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT: Guide de survie

Guide de survie raconte l’histoire d’une femme qui apprend qu’elle est atteinte d’un cancer incurable et qui choisira de se départir de tous ses biens, pour terminer ses jours dans une maison de soins palliatifs… où elle ne mourra pas. Guérissant de façon inattendue, celle-ci devra surmonter l’échec de sa mort, avant de retourner affronter les vivants.

VERONICA DYMOND (NEWFOUNDLAND and labrador)

Veronica ‘Vero’ Dymond is a writer based in St. John’s, NL. She has worked in film, television, theatre, stand-up, animation, comics, and music and is featured on the Just for Laughs Originals album “Infinity Plus Pizza.” Her short films and sketches have played in festivals like the Nickel Independent Film Festival, the St. John’s Shorts Festival, Toronto Sketch Fest, NL Sketch Fest, and the Halifax Animation Festival. Her work blends queer themes with classic styles, bringing new perspectives to traditional media.

Photo credit: Veronica Dymond

PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT: I Kill Myself: A Live Comedy Show

A priest, a writer, a juggler, a comedian, a tomboy, a construction worker, a documentarian, an addict, a land acknowledgment, a singer, a voice, an amorphous blob of misery and shame, and a tea drinker walk into a play. They are the same person. That person is me.

“I Kill Myself: A Live Comedy Show” is a comedian’s attempt to rediscover joy after trauma. Told through stand-up, sketch, and circus, the show tackles identity, faith, what it means to be “funny.” Also, there’s knife juggling.

MÉLANIE LÉGER (NEW BRUNSWICK)

De Shédiac au Nouveau-Brunswick, Mélanie Léger (elle) écrit pour le théâtre, la télévision et le cinéma, en plus de travailler comme recherchiste, réalisatrice et comédienne. Elle a écrit une douzaine de pièces de théâtre portée à la scène. À l’hiver 2024, la pièce Becca (une coproduction du Théâtre Populaire d’Acadie et de Theatre New Brunswick) était en tournée un peu partout au Nouveau-Brunswick. En même temps, la pièce pour ados Tsunami (une production du théâtre l’Escaouette) était présenté en reprise au Québec et à Ottawa.

Photo credit: Emmanuel Albert

PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT: P’tite affiche de tête de mort au bord de la route (titre de travail)

« J’ai longtemps pensé qu’il serait simple et facile de bannir les pesticides à usage esthétique. Le monde serait sauvé. En tout cas, il serait un peu moins empoisonné. Mais – et j’ai honte – je n’ai jamais vraiment agi avant que le problème se retrouve, comme qui dirait, dans ma cour. » La pièce entame un chantier de création autour de ma/notre relation aux pesticides au Nouveau-Brunswick. Dans ce premier chapitre, je souhaite explorer les mœurs entourant les pesticides à usage esthétique.

GISLINA PATTERSON (manitoba)

Gislina Patterson is a playwright, performer, director, and dramaturg. His play i am your spaniel, or, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare by Gislina Patterson has been presented by SummerWorks, Buddies in Bad Times, and the London Ontario Media Arts Association. They dramaturged and directed Dasha Plett’s award winning play 805-4821 which toured to SummerWorks, OFFTA, PushOFF, Théâtre Catapulte, and Buddies in Bad Times. They co-directed the premiere of “Rencor Vivo” by The Mariachi Ghost with Jorge Requena Ramos at the Prismatic Festival, and were the 2019 recipient of the Reg Skene Award for Emerging Artists.

Photo credit: Dasha Plett

PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT: Eat Me

“Those who speak of revolution without speaking of everyday life talk with a corpse in their mouths.”
– Raoul Vaneigem

Eat Me is an erotic lesbian melodrama about student loans, dentistry, and cannibalism. Helga, a burned out recent art school grad meets Camille, a wealthy butch dentist 35 years her senior during her first check up in 5 years. After a chance run in at Helga’s gallery job the women find themselves drawn to each other. When Helga, desperate to pay down her debt, moves into Camille’s waterfront condo, their relationship spirals into toxic, bloody, and ultimately fatal codependency. Eat Me as a play about real estate, the fundamental imbalance in the safety and stability of those who own property vs those who rent, and the ways that this imbalance can make love impossible.

ADJANI POIRIER (QUÉBEC)

Adjani Poirier is a theatre artist who currently lives and writes in their hometown of Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal.

She is interested in creating work that explores the beauty and the ugly of the human experience, is drawn to stories that reveal the complexity of navigating a world where systemic inequalities oppress, yet love and connection still seep through the cracks, strong and fierce, giving us life. Their writing uses magical realism to explore ideas of home, queer desire and how the subconscious influences our relationships to each other and our physical surroundings.

Adjani is an Associate Artist at Imago Theatre and a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada where she studied playwriting.

Photo credit: Alex Tran

PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT: One Spectacular Moment

Montreal, present day. Africville, 1967. A rift in time, an undoing of space, a shift in reality, the two worlds merge.

Historical fiction meets magical realism in a play that explores the connections between the historic Black community of Africville, urban renewal, the civil rights movement, the current housing crisis in Canadian cities and QTBIPOC activist movements. One Spectacular Moment is a celebration of those who resist in the face of systemic discrimination and the complexity that goes into this kind of activism: the determination, the exhaustion, the bravery, the necessity, the grief, and the hope.

JOVANNI SY (QUÉBEC)

Jovanni Sy is a Montreal-based playwright, director, and performer. He is the former artistic director of Gateway Theatre (Richmond) and Cahoots Theatre (Toronto). Since 1992, Jovanni’s artistic mission has been to create bridges across cultures with a particular interest in reimagining Western classics through an Asian Canadian lens. His plays include Salesman in China (co-written with Leanna Brodie), A Taste of Empire, The Five Vengeances, Nine Dragons (Jessie Richardson Award), The Tao of the World (PGC Comedy Award), and Kowloon Bay (PGC Drama Award).

Photo credit: Kristine Cofsky

PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT: Fan Tan Alley

Fan Tan Alley is a fast-paced farce set in a Chinese bunkhouse in Victoria’s famous Fan Tan Alley around 1900. The action takes place in a tiny room with six beds that is time-shared among almost twenty Chinese men. Most of the tenants have loose connections to the seedier aspects of Fan Tan Alley and struggle to find privacy in a place where privacy is impossible. Fan Tan Alley is a Silver Commission project from Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre.

ÉRIKA TREMBLAY-ROY (QUÉBEC)

Érika Tremblay-Roy est autrice, metteuse en scène et directrice artistique du Petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke. Elle signe des formes interdisciplinaires qui laissent une grande liberté de lecture aux jeunes publics. Ses œuvres, jamais prescriptives, touchent, questionnent et décoiffent. Parmi ces créations récentes, citons Le Potager, un concert-rock pour tout-petit.e.s, Le problème avec le rose, où elle aborde avec sensibilité et humour les questions du genre et de la diversité sexuelle et Prince Panthère, un cabaret-onirico philosophique déroutant. Érika est une créatrice qui va là où on ne l’attend pas, les métissages qu’elle réussit à créer entre les langages se renouvelant à travers l’un et l’autre de ses projets.

Photo credit: Annick Sauvé

PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT: Très beau mais très difficile (titre de travail)

Que c’est difficile d’habiter l’échec avec humanité. D’admettre que tout ne se passe pas comme on le voulait. Tout ce qui nous entoure carbure au sentiment de réussite. Il faut être au top en tout. Pourtant, rien ne se passe jamais comme on l’avait imaginé. Comme dans un jeu déroutant où on ne connait ni le but ni ce qu’on gagne, quatre interprètes débordés par la tâche insurmontable qu’on leur confie nous invitent à l’intérieur de familles, toutes sortes de familles, remuant la montagne des petits et grands ratés qu’on doit traverser et qui nous façonnent.