Young Creators Unit

The call for applications for the 2025-2026 Young Creators Unit is now closed. Subscribe to our newsletter to see all open opportunities.

Our Young Creators Unit (YCU) has become an important incubator through which we discover exciting new voices from our community. Open to emerging creators and performers under the age of 30, YCU offers emerging artists innovative, interactive, and dynamic workshops that focus on creation, dramaturgy, and professional development. Young creators have the opportunity to experiment with form, content, and narrative structure, regardless of where they are in the process of creation.

Another key aspect of the YCU is its support in showcasing the artists and their creations. Every year we produce two evenings of readings, where creators read excerpts of their work to an enthusiastic audience of peers and theatre community leaders. We have supported YCU artists further through the Queer Reading Series co-produced yearly with the Centaur Theatre. YCU participants have also showcased their work through the Rose Festival and the Montreal Fringe Festival, garnering recognition and experience. In December 2019, we co-presented full productions of two YCU solo shows: Crybaby by Kalale Dalton-Lutale and Dark Red by Willow Cioppa with Black Theatre Workshop at the MAI.

The YCU is facilitated by dramaturg Leila Ghaemi.

Leila is a first generation Persian dramaturg and theatre creator. She received both her BFA in Theatre Arts and MFA in Theatre Education & Direction from Boston University’s School of Theatre. Early in her studies, she was introduced to dramaturgical methods, which quickly became the heartbeat and entry point of her artistic practices. Having spent a decade working for various theatre organizations in the United States, Leila was able to further develop her admin and artistic skills professionally, specifically focusing on new play development. Her artistic pillars include responsible MENASA representation, radical theatre empowerment, asking endless questions, and creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive spaces – on and off stage. She also serves as the board president for Persephone Productions Montreal. When not dreaming about theatre, her world revolves around her very sassy cats: Leslie & Hiccup.

Recent external credits include: Creative Consultant, POTUS (The Segal Centre); Cultural Consultant & Audience Engagement, English (The Segal Centre for the Performing Arts); Senior School Drama Teacher, The Study School; Co-Director, Pool (No Water) (Persephone Productions Montreal); Director, Romeo & Juliet (Classic Repertory Theatre); Director, The Scarlet Letter (Classic Repertory Theatre); Artistic Associate, New Repertory Theatre; Dramaturg & Director, The Tragic Ecstasy of Girlhood (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); and Script Reader & Conservatory Associate, American Conservatory Theater.