Now seeking applications for our 2022-2023 Young Creators Unit!

YCU NEWS: WE’RE welcoming a new dramaturG to lead the Unit

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is delighted to announce that dramaturg and director Leila Ghaemi will be leading this year’s Young Creators Unit! The current leader and creator of the YCU, Jesse Stong, will work with YCU alumni this year, while continuing their work as a dramaturg at PWM with both the Queer Reading Series and the New Stories Project.

“I’m so excited to have Leila taking the Young Creators Unit into the next phase. With her passion, intelligence, and experience, I am sure she will exceed expectations!” says long-time YCU facilitator Jesse Stong.

Find out more about Leila here


The application period for this year’s YCU has now passed. We’d like to thank each of the creatives who applied.

If you’re an aspiring playwright or storyteller who is 30 or under, then Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal’s Young Creators Unit (YCU) is the place to grow your work. This incubator for learning and experimentation helps emerging artists find their voice, as they workshop an original piece of theatre over the course of several months.

Playwriting is an ever-expanding field, and workshop environments are flexible and judgment-free spaces to work collectively. Interested storytellers need only apply with an idea, a question, a theme or topic. We welcome diversity of experience in life and in theatre, and all kinds of emerging writers and theatre makers are encouraged to apply. 

By taking part in group sessions every two weeks, participants establish their craft in conversation with a close cohort of creatives. A customized work plan and one-on-one mentorship supports the development of your play, alongside professional support with grant writing and networking opportunities.

PWM welcomes all applications to our programs. 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. 

If you have any questions about the Young Creators Unit, please contact both Leila Ghaemi Leila@playwrights.ca and Jesse Stong jesse@playwrights.ca.


If you have any questions regarding accessibility, or require assistance with the form, please contact Heather accessibility@playwrights.ca. Accessibility concerns are central to how we structure our programs and we’ve learned a lot from our Accessibility Committee conversations. Click here to read more about the work done by PWM’s accessibility committee

To learn about what it’s like navigating our space click here.

how to apply

Fill out this Google Form by 11:59 PM on September 27, 2022. Your application will require the following information:

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.

A brief description sharing why you would like to join the Unit, and what you hope to get out of the experience.

Group sessions will take place in person every 2 weeks on Tuesdays from 5PM-8PM, and will shift to a weekly format beginning in January 2023. The program runs from October 18th, 2022 to May 26th, 2023 in PWM’s studio at 7250 Rue Clark in Montreal.

There are limited spots in the program and participants are expected to attend the group sessions, one-on-one meetings,  as well as commit to some additional self-directed activities. Please only apply to the Unit if you can commit to the schedule. All applicants will be informed of their results by October 12. 

PWM is committed to upholding safety and comfort for in-person gatherings, with regard to COVID-19. We continue to strongly encourage the  regular wearing  of masks, frequent hand-washing and use of sanitizer, as well as frequent surface wipe-downs. To read more about PWM’s COVID-19 guidelines, click here

THE SELECTION PROCESS

A selection committee will be reading all applications and selecting the participants for the Unit. There are many factors that go into the selection process in addition to the consideration of your application, such as group dynamics and the range of experience within the cohort. There are no judgements with regard to training or competencies.

Spatial Dramaturgy: Developing an Urban Performance Practice with Shauna Janssen

Image of Shauna Janssen inside a spotlight at the end of a graphic beam of light. The Image has text which reads "Exploring Practice."

Spatial Dramaturgy Application deadline: April 6th, 2022

Although the deadline to apply has passed, there are still a few spots available. If you are interested please apply as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, or need assistance with your application for Spatial Dramaturgy with Shauna Janssen, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.


This multi-day workshop led by Shauna Janssen (interdisciplinary artist and curator) will focus on exploring performance creation methods for developing site-specific/ responsive and urban performance works.

Participants will be engaged in “hands-on” activities taking place in the city, including site-writing and performative mapping workshops.  Each participant will realize a prototype for an urban performance project, as well as have an opportunity to engage with critical texts on interdisciplinary approaches to spatial dramaturgy and creating site-specific performances in the built environment. The workshop is open to playwrights, interdisciplinary performance makers and storytellers, scenographers, and dramaturgs.

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


Schedule:

(multi-day workshop)

Part 1: Thursday, April 21st, 6-9pm
Part 2: Saturday, April 23rd, 12-5pm
Part 3: Monday, April 25th, 12-5pm
Part 4: Tuesday, April 26th, 6-9pm
Part 5: Thursday, April 28th, 6-9pm
Part 6: Friday, April 29th, 6-9pm
Part 7: Sunday, May 1st, 12-5pm

Location:

The workshop will take place in-person and primarily in PWM’s studio. Some sessions will consist of in-situ writing sessions in various locations around the city.

If you have any questions, or need assistance regarding this application, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.


Application Instructions for Spatial Dramaturgy with Shauna Janssen

  • Send applications to harris@playwrights.ca with subject line: Exploring Practice with Shauna Janssen.
  • Please attach a bio and/or CV as well as a brief paragraph detailing your interest in the workshop.
    • We also accept alternative methods of application if requested, including video and audio applications.
    • If you have any questions, or need assistance regarding this application, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.
  • Apply before  5 PM on April 6th, 2022.

About the Workshop Leader

Shauna Janssen is an interdisciplinary artist and curator. She specializes in making site-specific performances, public art installations, and urban interventions. Her projects and collaborations have been staged in Montreal, and in various cities in Europe and Australasia. For over twenty years Shauna worked professionally in the theatre on the development of new works for theatre, opera, and dance. She is currently Professor in Performance Creation in the Department of Theatre at Concordia, where she holds a research chair in Performative Urbanism.

Presented in collaboration with
This workshop is financially supported by
Compétence Culture Logo

Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

Image of Jesse Stong inside a spotlight at the end of a graphic beam of light. The Image has text which reads "Exploring Practice."

Application deadline: January 21st, 2022

If you have any questions, or need assistance with your application for Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.


Using innovative and interactive activities, Jesse Stong (art educator, playwright and dramaturg) will support the development of your grant writing skills in this Exploring Practice workshop!

From seeding initial ideas to developing dynamic writing samples for your grant, participants will have the opportunity to elaborate and articulate project outlines with realistic timelines and budgets. By the end of these hands-on sessions each participant will leave with a completed first draft of their grant proposal and be informed on how to seek diverse sources of funding, independent fundraising strategies, and guidance on partnership-building for the future of their proposed project.

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 applications to our programs. While recognizing that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, multidimensional, changing and evolving, we strongly encourage applications from artists who are: Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized (including recent immigrants), 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, 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.


Schedule:

(2-part group session)

Part 1 – Tuesday, February 15th
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Part 2 – Wednesday, February 16th
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

In addition to the group sessions, individual or smaller group calls may be scheduled based on the participants’ availability.

Location:

The workshop will take place remotely via video-conferencing software.

If you have any questions, or need assistance regarding this application, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.


Topics Covered in Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

  1. General grant writing tips/cautions.
  2. Stress and time management/infusing grant writing into your artistic practice.
  3. Hands-On Project Proposal Building (developing treatment, describing project.)
  4. Creative Activities (exploring innovative grant writing processes.)
  5. Expressing authentic need and attracting support.
  6. Group Brainstorm Sessions (exploring ideas, developing proposals further in the workshop.)
  7. Editing and Increasing Impact (How to sharpen your grant.)
  8. Action planning/specific measurable steps towards grant submission.
  9. Ongoing discussions/Group Sharing of resources/Sources of funding.

Expectations for Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

  • Please come to the workshop with a project/residency idea that you are genuinely interested in developing a grant proposal for (the idea can be fully developed or a seed of a new project.)
  • Be prepared to support the ideas of others/contribute to the group discussions.
  • Expect to leave with a clear plan to complete your grant application.

Application Instructions for Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

  • Send applications to harris@playwrights.ca with subject line: Exploring Practice with Jesse Stong.
  • Please attach a bio and/or CV as well as a brief paragraph detailing your interest in the workshop.
    • We also accept alternative methods of application if requested including video and audio applications.
    • If you have any questions, or need assistance regarding this application, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.
  • Apply before  5 PM on January 21st, 2022.

About the Workshop Leader

Headshot photograph of Jesse Stong
Photo by Nasuna Dawn

Jesse Stong is a proud father of twins, a graduate of Playwriting from the National Theatre School of Canada, and received his Master’s in Art Education from Concordia University. He is an award-winning artist, dramaturg, and educator.

Over the years, he has supported over 100 emerging Canadian storytellers as director of our Young Creators Unit.  He also leads our New Stories Project for artist with different abilities.

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.

Presented in collaboration with
This workshop is financially supported by
Compétence Culture Logo

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

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.

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Introducing the Cole Foundation Mentorship Emerging Translators

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and The Cole Foundation are thrilled to announce the participants to this year’s Cole Foundation Mentorship for Emerging Translators, Rhiannon Collett and Elaine Normandeau.

THE ARTISTS

Rhiannon Collett

Headshot of Rhiannon Collett
Photo credit: Yuula Benivolski

Rhiannon Collett (they/them) is an award-winning non-binary playwright, performer, director and translator based in Montreal and Toronto. Their work explores the ritualization of grief, gender performativity, queer/trans identity and the psychological effects of sexual objectification.

Selected playwriting credits include Miranda & Dave Begin Again / Miranda et Dave recommencent encore (2016 Playwrights Guild of Canada RBC Emerging Playwright Award, presented in French at the 2019 Festival du Jamais Lu, and the 2020 Festival les Petites Formes, Martinique); Wasp (commissioned by Nightswimming, presented at the 2019 Rhubarb Festival, and developed at the Stratford Festival Lab), The Kissing Game (commissioned by Youtheatre and Young People’s Theatre, developed at the 2018 Banff Playwrights Lab, produced by Youtheatre, awarded the META for Outstanding New Text 2019); Tragic Queens (commissioned and devised with CABAL Theatre/Wildside Festival 2018); There Are No Rats in Alberta (created as a part of the 2017-18 Buddies in Bad Times Emerging Creators Unit, presented at the Rhubarb Festival 2018 ), and the English language translation of Chienne(s) by Marie-Eve Milot and Marie-Claude St-Laurent (in development with BoucheWHACKED! Theatre Collective). Rhiannon’s work is funded by the Toronto
Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

Rhiannon was a guest artist at the LungA festival in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland and artist-in-residence at the Mauser Eco House in Costa Rica. They are a graduate of Generator’s Performance Criticism Training Program, Buddies in Bad Times Emerging Creators Unit, Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal’s Young Creators Unit and Black Theatre Workshop’s Artist Mentorship Program.

Rhiannon is a settler in Toronto, on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, the Huron-Wendat and the Haudenosaunee peoples, and in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), on the traditional, un-ceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka people.

Play in translation: Ces regards amoureux de garçons altérés by Éric Noël

Elaine Normandeau

Headshot of Elaine Normandeau
Photo credit: John Lederman

For 25 years, after studying law and then theater, Elaine Normandeau has worked as an assistant director and stage manager in French and English theatre.

During these years, she had the privilege of working on landmark productions such as Le Procès and Siegfried by Wagner directed by François Girard, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Le misanthrope directed by Michel Monty, Belles-Soeurs directed by René Richard Cyr, Intérieur and Au coeur de la rose directed by Denis Marleau, Variations énigmatiquesUn fil à la patte and Equus directed by Daniel Roussel,  Une musique inquiétante/Old Wicked Songs directed by Martin Faucher, Waiting for the Barbarians and Amadeus directed by Alexandre Marine and Top Girls directed by Micheline Chevrier. In 2017, Elaine Normandeau participated as linguistic director in the film  Hochelaga, terre des âmes by François Girard, immersed in Mohawk and Anishnaabe cultures. She also works as a translator and creates surtitles for the theatre.

Play in translation: Muliats by Charles Bender, Charles Buckell, Marco Collin, Xavier Huard, Natasha Kanapé Fontaine et Christophe Payeur (le collectif)

THE PROGRAM

The translation of new work for the stage is a core part of our programming. Since its inception in 2013, the Cole Foundation Mentorship for Emerging Translators (formerly Cole Competition for Emerging Translators) has been guiding the next generation of translators from French into English. 

With the expert guidance of acclaimed translator Maureen Labonté and in partnership with the Cole Foundation, PWM has built a program that mentors emerging translators through every stage of the process. The successful candidate receives a $1,000 honorarium and an eight-month mentorship with Maureen Labonté which includes a workshop with actors and a public reading.

More details about the program available here.

This program is a partnership between
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