An extraordinary showcase for an extraordinary year!
We are taking our Young Creators Unit showcase live to YouTube for TWO nights of staged readings from new work by emerging theatre creators.
“We are so excited and proud to present to you this year’s Young Creators Unit. After an exceptional year of digging in and dynamic creation, these participants took on the challenge of finishing our time together in the current socially distant reality. We held together virtually as a group, and now want to welcome audiences at home to join our circle and witness some of the work in development.“
JESSE STONG Young Creators Unit Leader
Every year we produce two evenings of readings where creators from our Young Creators Unit (YCU) read excerpts of their work to an enthusiastic audience of peers and theatre community leaders. Because of the confinement put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working with this year’s 18 YCU members to capture the readings on video.
At 8PM EST on May 29th and 30th, we will showcase their work on Youtube Live with introductions and commentary by YCU leader Jesse Stong. Join us virtually on this page, or directly on YouTube. Watching the showcase on our YouTube channel also gives you access to a live chat where the artists and our staff will be present to answer your questions and have a good time!
Keep scrolling to access the livestreams on this page and learn more about the playwrights.
Night 1
LIVE Friday, May 29th at 8PM EST
Click on a playwright to learn about their work
Night 2
LIVE Saturday, May 30th at 8PM EST
Click on a playwright to learn about their work
About the Young Creators Unit
Thanks to generous funding from Canadian Heritage and the Zeller Family Foundation, and the dedicated mentorship of PWM dramaturg Jesse Stong, the Young Creators Unit has become a mainstay for young Canadian playwrights. Since its beginnings in 2015, YCU has supported more than a hundred young artists as they take risks, develop their voices and find their place in Canadian theatre.
It is with great sadness that Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and Centaur Theatre announce that the Queer Reading Series is postponed to a yet-to-be determined date, effective immediately, due to ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19. While this has been a difficult decision to make in these rapidly changing circumstances, the health and safety of everyone in our community continues to be our top priority. It is the right decision at this time, what is best for our patrons, staff, artists, and community at large.
We are grateful for your patience, understanding, and continued support during these difficult times, and we will let you know when new dates are decided.
Space is limited. Admission to all readings is free, and audiences are invited to join the discussions following each performance.
CONTENT WARNING: These plays feature sexually explicit conversations.
VENUE: CENTAUR THEATRE
453, rue Saint-François-Xavier Montréal, QC H2Y 2T1 Venue is wheelchair accessible (please let us know if you require a wheelchair space so we can make adequate provision).
For inquiries regarding the reading, please contact Jesse Stong at jesse@playwrights.ca.
Calendar
Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal’s Groupe des jeunes créateurs and Centaur Theatre present the Queer Reading Series. This reading series will feature three exciting new plays exploring themes of queer identity from very distinct and compelling points of view.
APRIL 2, 2020
7PM
PRE-SHOW Music Lenny
Lenny is a singer-songwriter based out of Montreal, Canada. Raised in British Columbia, Lenny picked up the clarinet at age 11, guitar at 15, and has been singing since before she could speak.
8PM
WAITING FOR JANICE
Welcome to an absurd world that leads two characters to question their sexuality, labels, and identities. While waiting for the answer to all of their queries, Janice, cycles and patterns start to appear.
About the playwright
Kate Hammer is a writer, performer, producer, and general good guy in Montreal. They created the long-running show INFEMOUS, which has sprouted into several triple-nominated Fringe shows and sketch collectives. Kate is passionate about stories, challenging the classics, and bringing different voices to the front of the stage.
Silk Tits is a Rave’n’Radio DJ and the host of ‘Tender Grooves’ on N10.AS radio, 4th Sunday of every month 3-4pm EST.
8PM
A SONG OF FICTION
“A hopeful singer-songwriter moves to the big city to find his voice, finds love instead…” Max and Aaron aren’t sold on the synopsis of their musical, but it’s the best they can do, having just one day to put together a hefty submission for a new works festival. As they create their show from scratch, they begin to discover the underlying truths of their partnership and that sometimes it’s best not to “write what you know.”
About the playwright
Trevor Barrette[Book, Music, Lyrics] is a Montreal-based actor, director, playwright / composer and stage manager. In 2011, he founded the award-winning Kaleidoscope Theatre Montreal, for which he has directed their ten productions including four original musicals and the Fringe hits: Captain Aurora I & II and Memento Mori. As an actor, he has had the pleasure of performing with the National Arts Center, Centaur Theatre, Geordie Theatre, Repercussion Theatre, Scapegoat Carnivale and in readings and workshops with Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal, Infinitheatre and Teesri Duniya Theatre. His work has been presented at Centaur Theatre’s Wildside Festival, PlayShed Theatre’s WRK’N’PRGRSS and the Segal Centre’s Academy. He has proudly served as President of the Montreal English Theatre Awards as well as Vice President of the Quebec Drama Federation.
Mars is an experimental-folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and performer currently living and working on Tiohtiá:ke also known as Montreal. Using voice, harp, loops, and her imagination, Mars strives to create a dreamlike state in which to tell soothing stories and bring nightmarish shadows into the light.
Mars has JUST RELEASED her first full length album. This album, Music for the Moon, explores themes of time, nature, and the intersections and dissections of body, mind, and spirit.
8PM
Still Gay When I’m Not In Love
Ada wants to have a baby but unfortunately the planet is set on fire. Now she’s stuck in limbo with her best friend and her worst enemy and must reckon with a bureaucratic Angel who will determine her fate. Set on the evening of a (gay) wedding turned apocalyptic disaster, three flawed heroes navigate the complexities of relationships, love, queerness and family values.
About the playwright
Adjani Poirier is a multidisciplinary theatre creator who at times likes to experiment with sound art and radio. Her work is focused on principles of queerness, feminism and the destruction of white supremacy. She is thrilled to have performed, written and curated work presented at the Montreal Fringe Festival (I like Cowboys) Revolution They Wrote (ACOUS!, Still Gay When I’m Not In Love) and The Yukon Riverside Arts Festival (Permanence /Impermanence, Experimental Radio Hour). She is the co-creator of On Life and Living, a documentary theatre and oral history project exploring the history of AIDS Community Care Montreal. Adjani is currently part of Black Theatre Workshop’s Artist Mentorship Program in playwriting and is an alumnus of Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal’s Young Creators Unit.
Follow her on Instagram @fo_fanny
Cast and Crew
Jesse Stong
Dramaturge
Sarah J Culkin
Director
Adjani Poirier
Ada
Sophie-Thérèse Stone-Richards
Kal
Sarah Nairne
The Angel of Death
Gabe Maharjan
Stella
9PM
Post-SHOW Event THE VIOLET HOUR
The Violet Hour, Montreal’s queer reading series, takes over the bar lounge of the Centaur Theatre! Come discover emerging and established LGBTQ writers and artists.
This special edition of the Violet Hour will showcase a roster of short readings by LGBTQ writers. With Eloisa Aquino, Cait Cooke, Steve Galluccio, Louis Negin and Russell Parkway. Hosted by Christopher DiRaddo
PLAYWRIGHTS’ WORKSHOP MONTRÉAL AND CENTAUR THEATRE BELIEVE IN THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING YOUNG THEATRE ARTISTS TOOLS FOR DEVELOPING AND SHOWCASING THEIR WORK.
The Young Creators Unit was not created as a queer-specific program, but over the past three years has become a vibrant space for self-discovery and political/personal creation. I am so proud that we’ve gained a reputation for being a supportive space for emerging queer artists to be bold, dive deeply into the intersections of their identity, and make work for the stage that reflects their unique existence in our contemporary world.
JESSE STONG Festival Director and Young Creators Unit Leader
Centaur Theatre is so happy to collaborate with PWM’s Young Creators Unit by supporting the process of bringing the voices of the next generation of Montreal’s diverse artists to the stage. They are the future of theatre.
EDA HOLMES Artistic Director of Centaur Theatre
About the Young Creators Unit
Thanks to generous funding from Canadian Heritage and the Zeller Family Foundation, and the dedicated mentorship of PWM dramaturg Jesse Stong, the Young Creators Unit has become a mainstay for young Canadian playwrights. Since its beginnings in 2015, YCU has supported more than a hundred young artists as they take risks, develop their voices and find their place in Canadian theatre.
À venir du 24 au 27 février 2020, rejoignez-nous et plongez dans l'histoire du théâtre anglophone de Montréal!
QUOI : Chez Nous: A Staged-Reading Series Showcasing English-Language Drama in Québec (1930-1979) QUAND : Lundi 24 février - Jeudi 27 février à 19 heures. OÙ : Moyse Hall, université McGill – 853 rue Sherbrooke O., Montreal H3A 0G5
Chez Nous: A Staged-Reading Series Showcasing English-Language Drama in Quebec (1930-1979) is a collaboration between Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and professor Erin Hurley (Department of English, McGill University), with the artistic collaboration of four of Montreal’s English-language theatres: Black Theatre Workshop, Centaur Theatre, Imago Theatre, and the Segal Centre. The event will spotlight influential writers like Leonard Cohen, Irving Layton, Mada Gage Bolton and more, including PWM’s founders Carol Libman and Aviva Ravel, who helped shape Montreal’s English-language theatre tradition.
La série d'évènements, gratuite et ouverte au public, se déroulera du 24 au 27 février 2020 dans le Hall Moyse de l'Université McGill à 19h. Chaque soirée sera suivie d'un échange avec le metteur en scène, les acteurs et l'équipe de recherche. L'équipe de recherche est composée d'Alexis Diamond (auteure et traductrice) et d'Alison Bowie (conseillère dramaturgique et doctorante à Concordia), ainsi que d'Emma Tibaldo (directrice artistique et exécutive de PWM).
24 Fév. :Thème: «Une question de classe» – Repenser la «belle vie» pendant la Grande Dépression et la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
Mada Gage Bolton, Dealer’s Choice(1937) — Une femme qui travaille propose un plan pour échanger son style de vie indépendant à New York contre une propriété familiale dans le pays.
Janet McPhee and Herbert Whittaker, Jupiter in Retreat(1942) — Un mathématicien hautain et ses deux domestiques jouent au chat et à la souris dans une cabane laurentienne.
Mise en scène de Micheline Chevrier, directrice artistique et exécutive, Théâtre Imago.
25 Fév. : Thème: «Il a dit X, elle a demandé : pourquoi?» – Un regard poétique sur les aspects les plus sombres de la nature humaine.
Irving Layton and Leonard Cohen, A Man Was Killed(1959) — Une comédie noire sur l'impulsion humaine pour la violence et la destruction des relations sociales.
Elinore Siminovitch, Big X, Little Y(1974) — Les rôles des femmes dans la société sont examinés de manière ludique à travers des comptines, des chansons et des jeux.
Mise en scène d'Eda Holmes, directrice artistique et exécutive, Centaur Theatre.
26 Fév. : Thème: «La troisième solitude» — Portraits de l'expérience juive à Montréal.
Carol Libman, The Reluctant Hero(1956) — Un mineur, deux reporters et un cirque médiatique. Qui déterminera ce qui fait un héros?
Linda Ghan, Coldsnap (1979) — Un immigrant de la Jamaïque doit se marier pour rester au Canada, mais il remet en question ses motivations et raconte son expérience du racisme.
Mise en scène de Quincy Armorer, directeur artistique, Black Theatre Workshop.
PWM est situé en territoire autochtone, lequel n’a jamais été cédé. Nous reconnaissons la nation Kanien'kehá: ka comme gardienne des terres et des eaux sur lesquelles nous exerçons. Tiohtiá:ke / Montréal est historiquement reconnu comme un lieu de rassemblement pour de nombreuses Premières Nations. Aujourd'hui, une population autochtone diversifiée, ainsi que d'autres peuples, y résident. C’est dans le respect des liens passés, présents et futurs que nous reconnaissons les relations continues entre les Peuples Autochtones et autres personnes de la communauté montréalaise.
