Who We Are

PWM was the brainchild of Canadian playwrights Dan Daniels, Carol Libman, Eve Sevack and John Whalen, with the support of theatre artists Norma Springford and Doris Malcom of the Quebec Drama Association, and actors Walter Massey and Victor Knight.  The organization’s first mission was to tackle the then scarcity of English-Canadian plays and playwrights.  Soon after its conception, PWM became a leading voice in the creation of new plays.

Sous la direction artistique de Roy Higgins dans les années soixante-dix, le PWM entreprend des démarches pour devenir une compagnie de production théâtrale et procède à l’acquisition d’un immeuble dans le Vieux-Montréal. Cependant, la tension qui règne entre la production et le développement devient trop forte et le projet est rapidement démantelé.

With a view to protecting the development process from production pressures, Bob White strengthened the organization’s focus on dramaturgy and development. Subsequent ADs Per Brask et Brian Richmond continued to build on this legacy and worked to expand the organization’s reach from coast to coast.

Artistic Director Rina Fraticelli added translation to PWM’s programming, advancing our artistic practice and expanding PWM’s reach.

Michael Springate, Svetlana Zylin, Michael Devine et Peter Smith succeeded Rina Fraticelli as artistic directors, each contributing to PWM’s profile both locally and nationally.

As Artistic Director, Paula Danckert increased PWM’s artistic stability by introducing the permanent position of Dramaturg-in-Residence. In 2006, with support from Briony Glassco, she established the Résidence de Traduction Glassco à Tadoussac.

Under Emma Tibaldo’s leadership, PWM establishes the Résidence d’écriture théâtrale de Gros Morne in collaboration with the CEAD, the Mentorat pour traductrices et traducteurs émergents de la Fondation Cole, and further developed the Résidence de Traduction Glassco à Tadoussac which, to date, has translated 63 plays for the stage.

A landmark decision was made to abolish PWM’s membership structure during the 2018 Annual General Meeting. PWM was transformed from a member-based service organization to a nationally-mandated theatre development centre.

After a period of introspection, led by PWM’s board of directors in collaboration with Arts Consulting Group, PWM’s organizational structure shifted to better support our internal leadership. Fatma Sarah Elkashef, Artistic Director, and Lesley Bramhill, Managing Director, are established as the new co-leadership team. In 2022, Anne-Sophie Grenier joins PWM as Managing Director.