PLAYWRIGHTS’ WORKSHOP MONTRÉAL AND MAI (MONTRÉAL, ARTS INTERCULTURELS) HAVE JOINED FORCES TO SUPPORT ARTISTS* INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DRAMATURG! THE PROGRAM FOCUSES on supporting 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 work with 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.
GOALS
The PWM + MAI joint support is part of the MAI’s Alliance program. The program includes three streams: general program, joint supports and punctual supports. If you want more information on the general program, punctual supports and/or other joint support programs, please visit the MAI website for specific guidelines relative to each stream.
The PWM + MAI joint support accompanies creators on their journey to develop a project and explore their practice. It is aimed at artists encountering structural and systemic obstacles to their full participation in the arts because of their claimed identity and/or perceived identity in society. 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.
For us, dramaturgy must also consider the reverberations/implications of a piece of performance through time and space, and beyond the room/page in/on which it is being created.
SUPPORT PROVIDED
The PWM + MAI joint support offers the following to the selected artist:
- Personalized project coordination support;
- Financial contribution ($5,000) for the development of a project;
- Training and collective reflection opportunities;
- Access to the MAI rehearsal studios;
- 30 hours with a dramaturg, including a 20-hour workshop if relevant.
This program 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 document ‘MAI’s allocations: how they work’ for more information about what is eligible and ineligible.
PROGRAM HISTORY
INTRODUCING 2021-2022 PWM+MAI JOINT SUPPORT ARTIST JAMILA ‘JAI’ JOSEPH
INTRODUCING 2020-2021 PWM+MAI JOINT SUPPORT ARTIST TANHA GOMES
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PROJECT SUPPORTED BY THE CITY OF MONTREAL, THE GOVERNMENT OF QUEBEC, AND THE CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
