Category: Calls

Posted on

New Application Process for Dramaturgical Collaboration at PWM

Image with text which reads: "New Application Process"

We are excited to introduce a new application process for Dramaturgical Collaboration to welcome artists and projects to PWM in our 2022-2023 season.

Thank you for your interest! Applications are now closed for our 2022-2023 season. Once we finalize our current season we will open applications for next year!

How to Apply

You can apply for Dramaturgical Collaboration via the google form. Audio and video applications are also welcomed. Please forward audio or video applications to dramaturg@playwrights.ca.

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with Dramaturgy at PWM before submitting your application.

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, or require assistance with this application, please contact accessibility@playwrights.ca. For accessibility information and video tours of our location, please click here.

The application form will remain open year round, but a selection committee will be formed once a year to choose projects for the upcoming season. For best consideration for the 2022-2023 season (August 2022-June 2023) please submit a form by Feb 18th, 2022 at 11:59 PM. All applicants will receive a response by email in April 2022 informing them of the outcome of their application. We welcome individual playwright/creator(s) and collectives to apply. We welcome local and national applications. If you are a theatre company, please contact PWM’s Artistic Director at sarah@playwrights.ca to discuss Dramaturgical Collaborations. 

We are accepting applications for projects at any stage of development. It could be an idea, a first draft (in whatever form that may be), or a new iteration of a project that has already been shared. It 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.

If you have any questions regarding application criteria, please contact dramaturg@playwrights.ca

About Dramaturgical Collaboration at PWM

Dramaturgical Collaboration at PWM will include Dramaturgical Conversation and may also include one or a combination of the following opportunities to be determined mutually by PWM and the playwright/creator(s) according to the needs of the project: Workshops, Residencies, Mentorships, and Public Readings. A glossary of these terms can be found here.

PWM has numerous ongoing projects, including those delayed due to COVID-19 that the organization continues to be committed to. Therefore, at this time, PWM will be welcoming a limited number of new projects. In accordance with PWM’s strategic goals for outreach, we will continue to maintain the flexibility to reach out to playwrights/creator(s), and work that inspires us.

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. 

PWM welcomes all applicants 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+, 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.

Application Form for Dramaturgical Collaboration at PWM

You can apply for Dramaturgical Collaboration via the google form. Audio and video applications are also welcomed. Please forward audio or video applications to dramaturg@playwrights.ca.

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with Dramaturgy at PWM before submitting the application.

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.

The deadline to submit is February 18, 2022 at 11:59 PM. All applicants will receive a response by email in April 2022 informing them of the outcome of their application.

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, or require assistance with this application, please contact accessibility@playwrights.ca. For accessibility information and video tours of our location, please click here. If you have any questions regarding application criteria, please contact dramaturg@playwrights.ca.

APPLY NOW
Posted on

APPLY NOW: Experimentation in Digital Creation

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is introducing a new micro-residency program focusing on digital dramaturgy.

Applications are now closed.

Building upon months of online workshops, and various forms of digital theatrical experimentation, PWM is excited to introduce our new micro-residency program: Experimentation in Digital Creation!

This program is open to any theatre project that has digital elements to explore— whether the plan is to present them virtually, in-person, or disseminated in a hybrid-fashion (partly online and partly in-person).

We will be inviting selected artists from across Canada to experiment with us for 3 to 5 days, depending on the needs of their project. Residencies will take place at some point between January and August 2022.

Artists will will have access to our studio, equipment, and PWM’s dramaturgs— including digital dramaturgs and multi-media creators potatoCakes_digital, who are leading this exciting project!

Together, we will create a digital dramaturgy process centred on our resident artists and their exploratory questions. 

PWM promotes equity and encourages applicants to indicate if they self-identify as belonging to one or more equity priority groups: women, racialized persons, 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, Indigenous persons, refugees, recent and first-generation immigrants not belonging to the dominant cultures in their areas, d/Deaf persons, neurodivergent persons, disabled persons, emerging artists, persons living with chronic illness, persons living with chronic pain, if they feel comfortable doing so.

This program was created for folks who are interested in experimenting with new digital art forms. The projects are ideally in the early to mid-stages of development and are in a place to benefit from exploration with different tools and form.  

PWM is a versatile blackbox studio equipped with:

  • Video Equipment (Cameras, switcher, projectors)
  • VR equipment (Vive Pro2 & Oculus Quest 2)
  • Lighting
  • Podcasting microphones
  • Virtual conferencing
  • Greenscreen
  • Other equipment will be sourced by PWM depending on each project’s individual needs

For our full tech rider and available equipment, click here.

Given the knowledge-sharing component of this initiative, prospective participants should be aware that there will be documentation of the digital dramaturgical process that will be shared publicly on our website.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, please complete the online application form. During the application process, you will be asked to include the following:

  • A description of the project (max. 500 words);
  • An artistic statement in relation to the integration of digital tools;
  • The names of the project’s collaborators, and their creative disciplines;
  • The stage of the work in progress;
  • Your dramaturgical questions being investigated, or what you are investigating;
  • The technologies you are presently using for the project (if any);
  • The technologies you wish you had access to for this project (if known);
  • The knowledge gaps (if you know them) in relation to transforming the work to a digital platform;
  • Any documentation you deem appropriate to the project, sending video files as links.

Audio or video applications are welcomed.

APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED
PROJECT SUPPORTED BY
THE DIGITAL DRAMATURGY CLINIC IS FUNDED BY THE SECRETARIAT FOR RELATIONS WITH ENGLISH-SPEAKING QUEBECERS
Posted on

Young Creators Unit 2021-22: Now Open For Applications!

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is excited to once again be calling for all emerging storytellers under the age of 30 to apply for our YOUNG CREATORS UNIT (YCU)

Applications are open to new and emerging artists. Participants will receive a customized work plan that includes bi-weekly workshops, one-on-one mentorship, grant writing support, and networking opportunities.

PWM strongly encourages applications from Indigenous artists (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), racialized artists (including racialized recent immigrants), members of the 2SLGBTQQIPAA+ communities, Deaf artists, disabled artists, neurodivergent artists, and artists living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain. For questions about accessibility, please contact Jesse Stong at accessibility@playwrights.ca.

Due to the current circumstances of the pandemic, the YCU will only be supporting a maximum of 10 artists*, with a program that will start in October online (over Zoom), and then hopefully shift into smaller live groups/workshops. Group workshops will take place bi-weekly on TUESDAYS FROM 2PM-5PM. The program will run from October 19th 2021 to May 20th 2022  

*Because we only have limited spots this year, please only apply if you are available for this weekly timeslot, and committed to your project/attendance/participation.

how to apply

Send a one-page application to jesse@playwrights.ca by October 9, 2021. You will receive a response by October 12, 2021.

Your application should include:

  • A brief bio of yourself, and your experience (if any) as a storyteller/creator.
  • A brief description of the work you would like to develop, or a list of some ideas.
  • One paragraph on why you would like to join the unit, and what you hope to get out of it.


Please email jesse@playwrights.ca with any additional questions, or for support with the application if needed. 

Learn more about the YCU

Posted on

APPLY NOW: Script Analysis with Maureen Labonté

Note:
This workshop will be held physically in accordance to PWM’s COVID-19 safety procedures. Contact harris@playwrights.ca for any questions about the workshop.

This five-day workshop led by Maureen Labonté is an introduction to a script analysis method based on the belief that it is of supreme importance to take the time to read and analyze the play text well, and know it thoroughly before jumping to interpretation. 

It is essential to take the time to dig, to investigate, to question and to ponder what the playwright wrote before jumping to conclusions or interpretation. Maureen uses the term “archeological” to describe it. This investigative work is fundamental to a sound and imaginative take on the work. It is objective and detailed, but also visceral.

Participants will have the chance to : 

  • Learn how to slow down, be curious and enjoy discovering what makes the play work, what is really there versus what you might think is there or what you want to be there. It’s a way to free the imagination.
  • Put opinion on hold, at least temporarily, and grapple with what the playwright has put on the page. Cultivate curiosity and a spirit of inquiry. 
  • Develop a spirit of investigation. Learn to ask good questions in order to get at the mystery that’s at the heart of the script and discover its beauty, magic, musicality, passion
  • And finally, after a detailed analysis (micro) learn how to pull back (up) in order to arrive at a synthesis of your discoveries (macro) and move into pre-production and eventually the rehearsal hall and the stage. 

“The vision of a great play is inextricably bound up with the exact words of the text.”

Robert Benedetti

Schedule:

(5-day workshop)

Session 1: Monday, November 8th, 2021 10AM to 2PM

Session 2: Tuesday, November 9th, 2021
1PM to 5PM

Session 3: Wednesday, November 10th, 2021
10AM to 2PM

Session 4: Thursday, November 11th, 2021
10AM-2PM

Session 5: Friday, November 12th, 2021
10AM-2PM

Possibility of an extra 2-hour session on Saturday, November 13th, 2021.

NOTE: Participants will be assigned a play to read between the first and second sessions. This assignment is mandatory and central to the workshop.

Location:

PWM Studio
7250 Clark St., #103
Montreal, QC
H2R 2Y3

Application Instructions

  • Please send us a bio and/or artistic CV as well as a brief (1-2 paragraph) statement explaining why this workshop interests you, how it is relevant to your artistic practice, and what your expectations are.
  • The workshop is open to playwrights, dramaturges and other theatre creators with some professional experience.
  • Send applications and any questions to harris@playwrights.ca with the subject line: Exploring Practice with Maureen Labonté.

Apply before 1PM EST on October 4th, 2021 to ensure that your application will be considered.

About the Workshop Leader

Photo by Nasuna Stuart-Ulin

Maureen Labonté is a translator, dramaturg and teacher. She has translated over forty Quebec plays into English. And Slowly Beauty (Talonbooks) her translation of Lentement la beauté by Quebec City playwright, Michel Nadeau, was a finalist for the 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award in Translation.

Maureen has worked as a dramaturg and coordinated play development programs in theatres and play development centres across the country. She was the Co-Director of the Playwrights’ Lab at the Banff Center for the Arts from 2006 to 2012 and has taught at the National Theatre School of Canada since the mid-90’s.

Quebec Logo
Compétence Culture Logo

Posted on

2021-2022 PWM + MAI joint support for artists* interested in working with a dramaturg

Applications are now closed.

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated about our latest initiatives.

The Artist

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and MAI (Montréal, Arts Interculturels) are thrilled to announce that the PWM + MAI  Joint Support for Artists will feature Jamila ‘Jai’ Joseph with her work Wild Roots!

Learn more about Jamila and her project here.

The call

IMPORTANT:
Applicants can apply to more than one partnership program at Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal, but can only be the recipient of one partnership program.

PWM is an English language minority company and therefore the work with PWM will take place in English. The application must be completed in English.

Artists who have already applied to the MAI’s artist support program Alliance can also apply to this partnership program, but CAN ONLY BE THE RECIPIENT OF ONE MAI ALLIANCE ALLOCATION AT A TIME.
We are thrilled to announce that PLAYWRIGHTS’ WORKSHOP MONTRÉAL AND MAI (MONTRÉAL, ARTS INTERCULTURELS) have joined forces again to Bring back our joint support program for artists* interested in working with a dramaturg! 

The following artists are eligible to submit proposals: Indigenous artists (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), racialized artists (including racialized recent immigrants), members of the 2SLGBTQQIPAA+ communities, Deaf artists, disabled artists, neurodivergent artists, and artists living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain.

*We accept applications from artists in theatre, performance, dance, circus, interdisciplinary arts and visual arts (with a performance component) if they are interested in collaborating with a dramaturg from theatre and performance.

PWM logo

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) is a national new creation centre for theatre and performance led by a team of dramaturgs and arts administrators. While playwriting has been at the core of what we do for over 50 years, our work now strives to include devised and interdisciplinary forms of creation. In addition to seeking collaborations across diverse artistic practices, we are strongly committed to supporting work which reflects a wide range of cultural identities and lived experiences. 

Hosting 10-15 artists, collectives and companies per year, MAI’s Alliance program is a unique artist support initiative conceived for practitioners from all fields who encounter systemic and structural obstacles. The program strives to eliminate barriers to their full participation in the arts by offering financial allocations and guidance that are adapted to the learning and creative needs and desires of each participant. 

What is dramaturgy and what do we do? 

Dramaturgy is an exploration of all the elements that make a work, how they are brought together to create meaning, and what the process for developing that work might be. PWM primarily works on projects that centre text and narrative but also on pieces where text and storytelling are not the primary components or concerns.

PWM’s work centres around the artist and our dynamic collaborative process is tailored to meet the needs of their project. We listen deeply to understand who an artist is, what they are making and how they want their work to evolve. We offer feedback and reflection through questions and conversation and often accompany the artists from draft to draft or iteration to iteration. We work one-on-one, but also through workshops and residencies.

PWM understands that the work of playwriting and performance making is not created in a vacuum, but that it interacts with society. Theatre can be impactful, and therefore PWM considers not only how a piece is made and by whom, but also its effect and meaning beyond the walls of its creation studio.

Refer to the Artist’s guide (PDF) for more details about what this joint mentorship includes, eligibility criteria and other conditions.

APPLICATION TOOLBOX

Artist’s guide (PDF)

MAI’s allocations: How they work (PDF)

Alliance’s intercultural vision (PDF)

Budget example (EXCEL)

SUPPORT
PROVIDED

Personalized project coordination support

$5,000 fund allocation (refer to “MAI’s allocations: How they work” for more information)

Training and collective reflection opportunities

Access to the MAI rehearsal studios

30 hours with a dramaturg, including a 20-hour residency

The PWM + MAI joint support for artists* interested in working with a dramaturg is not a grant program. It offers an allocation of funds  ($5,000) for the artists to establish mentorships and collaborations, supporting their learning and creation process (for example, to work with a mentor, a sound designer, a choreographer, a grant writer, or other experts and collaborators). Please see the toolbox’s document ‘MAI’s allocations: how they work’ for more information about what is eligible and ineligible.

project supported by the City of Montreal, the Government of Quebec, and the Canada Council for the Arts
Canada Council logo
Posted on

APPLY NOW: Creating Object Theatre with La Pire Espèce

Note:
Due to its hands-on approach, this workshop will be held physically in accordance to PWM’s COVID-19 safety procedures. Contact harris@playwrights.ca for any questions about the workshop.

*UPDATE – May 25, 2021*
Application deadline extended to Friday, May 28 2021 at 5 PM EST.

Open to playwrights, puppeteers and other theatre creators, this bilingual four-day workshop led by Olivier Ducas and Francis Monty, co-artistic directors of the Théâtre de la Pire Espèce will guide participants through a creative process where image and text intermingle, a process in which the form emerges from the tension between all simultaneously examined scenic elements.

The unique form of object theatre is built around three key aspects: clear and poetic language, the possibilities of the object itself, and the actor’s performance, both manipulator and storyteller. Through hands-on exercises and practical discussions, La Pire Espèce will immerse you in the exciting, specialized and minimalist art of object theatre.

Schedule:

(4-day workshop)

9:30AM to 3:30PM EST every day

Session 1: Friday, June 25, 2021
Session 2: Monday, June 28, 2021
Session 3: Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Session 4: Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Location:

June 25th:
PWM Studio
7250 Clark St., #103
Montreal, QC
H2R 2Y3

June 28th-30th:
Maison internationale des arts de la marionnette
30, Saint-Just ave.
Montreal, QC
H2V 1X8

Creating Object Theatre is presented in collaboration with the Association québécoise des marionnettistes (AQM). The workshop is open to playwrights, puppeteers, performers and interdisciplinary creators. Members of the AQM are encouraged to apply. Please note that this is a hands-on workshop with some performance-based exercises. The workshop will be led bilingually in English and French, participants will be encouraged to express themselves in either language.

Application Instructions

  • Please send us a bio and/or artistic CV as well as a brief (1-2 paragraph) statement explaining why this workshop interests you, how it is relevant to your artistic practice, and what your expectations are.
  • Send applications and any questions to harris@playwrights.ca with the subject line: Exploring Practice with Pire Espèce.
  • You may send your application in English or French.

Apply before 5PM EST on May 28, 2021 to ensure that your application will be considered.

About the Workshop Leaders

Headshot of Olivier Ducas
Photo by Mathieu Doyon

Olivier Ducas studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada. His decisive encounter with Francis Monty led in 1999 to the founding of Théâtre de la Pire Espèce, for which they act as co-artistic director. He also cofounded Théâtre Aux Écuries (2005) a creation center and theatre venue in Montreal and was one of Carte Premiere’s initiators. A playwright, actor, director and object/puppet manipulator, he is the co-creator of the company’s productions (Ubu on the Table, Perseus, Gestes impies et rites sacrés, Die Reise, Futur intérieur and L’Effet Hyde) that have toured across Canada, Europe, Mexico and Brazil over the last 20 years. In 2008, he single-handedly wrote and directed Roland, la vérité du vainqueur, a show for two actor-storytellers for teen audiences. In 2014, he repeated the experience with Cities, adding solo performer to his list of credits. He is currently working on the Contes zen du potager, a series of short, minimalist forms, where vegetables display all their substance. Ducas is a leading object theatre director in Canada. Research in object and image-based playwriting is at the core of his actions as a creator. In addition to his creative work, Ducas also gives object theatre classes for professionals, theatre school professors and theatre students.

Headshot of Francis Monty
Photo by Mathieu Doyon

A 1997 graduate of the playwrighting program at the National Theatre School of Canada, Francis Monty is a theatrical jack of all trades – directing, clowning, puppetry and his many writing projects all intertwine. In 1999 he co-founded Théâtre de la Pire Espèce with Olivier Ducas, and both share the position of artistic director. He has co-created many of the company’s plays, including Ubu on the table and Perseus. A number of his plays have travelled across Canada, and to Brazil and Europe, including Par les temps qui rouillent, Déclownestration, Traces de cloune, Léon le nul, Ernest T., Petit bonhomme en papier carbone and Nous sommes mille en équilibre fragile. He received the 2005 Masque award for best original script for Romances et karaoké, the 2014 Cochon dramatique for best original script for Petit bonhomme en papier carbone at the Gala des Cochons d’or and Ernest T. was nominated for best original script for young audiences for the Louise LaHaye Award.

WITH THE collaboration of
This workshop is financially supported by
Emploi-Québec_Logo
Compétence Culture Logo

Accessibility Tools
English (Canada)
Français du Canada English (Canada)
Skip to content