Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal works with playwrights, creators, collectives and companies who are making work for theatre and performance. Dramaturgical Collaboration is PWM’s invitation to artists from across Canada to work with us. We engage in deep explorations of story, form and process.
PWM is committed to the exploration of dramaturgy as a process and a practice, fundamental to the creation of new work. 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. We strive to cultivate a space where playwrights, translators and performance makers can take artistic risks, challenge themselves, and define their own goals.
All Dramaturgical Collaborations begin with a conversation and then may also include ongoing Dramaturgical Conversations, Mentorships, Workshops, Residencies, Mentorships, Readings and other professional development opportunities. A glossary of these terms can be found below.
We work hard to keep the environment free from the pressures of production by focusing on the exploratory phase of the work. Our approach is to tailor the process to suit the needs of their project. Sometimes our collaborations are brief, sometimes they are sustained over long periods of time. PWM dramaturgs aim to understand what the artists they collaborate with are making, and how they want their work to evolve. We respect that collaboration is an act of deep trust. Sometimes we work one-on-one, sometimes we assemble a team!
Eligibility Considerations
Please see our About Us page for more detail on who we are and what we do to see if you would like to collaborate with us.
Stage of Development: We accept applications for projects at various stages of development depending on the nature of the work. It could be a proposal, a few scenes, or a first draft (in whatever form that may be), a new iteration of a project that has already been shared, or a draft that is in an advanced stage of development, for example.
Discipline: This project could be a play, a translation, a performance work, a digital work (for example: AR/VR, interactive game-based presentation, live or prerecorded virtual performance), or something hybrid in terms of language, discipline, or technology.
Applicants: We welcome individual playwright/creator(s) and collectives to apply directly through our Google form. If you are a theatre company, please contact dramaturg@playwrights.ca to discuss Dramaturgical Collaboration before submitting an application online.
Location: We welcome local and national applications. We work in-person, virtually (for example: by video chat or by use of online collaborative tools), or a combination of both.
Glossary
Dramaturgical Conversation(s): The foundation of all our collaborations, Dramaturgical Conversations take place between the artist(s) and dramaturg and are focused on the dramaturg listening and asking questions to better understand the artist and the project they are trying to make. Ideas, processes, and challenges may all be points of discussion. Dramaturgical Conversations may also include feedback from the dramaturg on a draft or a performance of the piece-in-progress. These conversations help define a process and help artists to evolve their work.
Workshop: An opportunity to explore works in progress with actors/collaborators in order to evolve the project. Workshops are led by a dramaturg in collaboration with a playwright or creator. A director may join the process, depending on where the piece is in its development. If the project is text based, it will be read by a company of actors, giving the playwright and dramaturg the opportunity to hear the project read, and ask and explore questions with the company. If the project is not text based, the Workshop is built around whatever constitutes a draft of the work. The length of a Workshop is determined by a PWM dramaturg. All artists are paid for their participation in a Workshop.
Reading: Readings of the work being developed serve to bring an audience into the ongoing exploration of the work. They offer an opportunity for the playwright/creator and dramaturg to experience the audience’s real-time response to the work. If fitting, the event may include a moderated feedback session or group discussion. All artists are paid for their participation in a Reading.
Mentorship: Mentorship is a sustained, one-to-one relationship that supports an artist’s creative and professional development through conversation, exchange, and feedback. A mentor may be an expert in a given discipline, an experienced creator, or a dramaturg with a particular field of experience. A mentorship is different from teaching; the mentor isn’t delivering a curriculum or training specific skills. It’s also different from dramaturgical support in that the mentorship relationship can encompass the artist’s broader development, career, and practice. The mentor is paid by PWM to work with the mentee.
Residency: A residency is a dedicated period of time for playwrights or creators to develop their project in our studio (not rehearsal). This could mean solitary writing time or developing work with your team. These residencies take place in the PWM Studio in Montréal and are accompanied by a PWM dramaturg for some or all of the duration. Sometimes residencies are paid opportunities for artists and at other times we are able to offer the use of our studio as an in-kind donation.
A huge thank you to the funders of the program:
