Ostinato (I Would Prefer Not To)

A black and white photo of the hair of Strange Victory Performance members David Gagnon Walker and Tori Morrison. On a black background, written in white, the words Public Reading, Ostinato (I Would Prefer Not To) by David Gagnon Walker to the right of the photograph.

Written by David Gagnon Walker

Created and performed with Tori Morrison

A Strange Victory Performance

Developed in collaboration with PWM

Date: Friday, October 25, 2024
Time: 3 PM
Venue: PWM Studio, 7250 Clark St Suite 103, Montreal, QC  H2R 2Y3
Please note that Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is not located in a fully accessible building. Our space is located above street level and is only accessible via a flight of stairs (nine steps). More info here.

This is a FREE event. Donations are welcome at the door.

This work-in-process reading will be the culmination of a week of exploration between David, Tori, Christian Barry and Fatma Sarah Elkashef and will be followed by a conversation with the playwright.

Please RSVP by emailing heather@playwrights.ca: There is limited seating available, so reservations will be first come, first served.

Synopsis

David and Tori tell two stories. One story is true and recent. The other is made up and old. One is about being a certain type of person with a certain type of mind. The other is about dealing with that type of person. They’re kind of the same story on a loop. Every song is kind of the same song. You know a song is over when it stops.

Content advisory

Mental illness, suicide

Accessibility Information

You can find accessibility information about our space here. Please let us know if you have any accessibility requests when you RSVP so we can do our best to accommodate them. Some accessibility request examples include, but are not limited to: Reserving a seat close to the front, on an aisle, or close to the exit; reserving a seat for a support person, etc.

About the Playwright



David Gagnon Walker is an award-winning writer, performer, and translator born in Edmonton and based in Toronto. His work has been performed and developed in cities across Canada, and through residencies in Sweden, Finland, France, Australia, and the USA. David’s interactive play This Is the Story of the Child Ruled by Fear has been touring since 2021, with twelve presenters to date including an upcoming Ontario Presents tour, and is published by Playwrights Canada Press. Other recent projects include Premium Content (Major Matt Mason Collective/High Performance Rodeo), The Last Children (Curtain Razors), and the English translation of Gabrielle Chapdelaine’s The Retreat (Imago Theatre). He holds an M.A. in Performance Studies from the University of Toronto, and is a graduate of the playwriting program at the National Theatre School of Canada. www.davidgagnonwalker.com

David is Artistic Producer of Strange Victory Performance, a collaboration with composer and production manager Tori Morrison. Their projects collide highly personal content with new performance forms and modes of audience engagement. While grounded in text-based theatre practices, their work has included artists and methods from music, dance, circus, visual art, and digital performance. SVP’s primary interest is the mystery of creativity: the movement from an impulse, to an image, to a structured artistic work, and how this movement can inspire, heal, and transform the human beings it passes through. 

This event has been made possible with support from PGC through the PlayConnect program.

Young Creators Unit Showcase 2022

Young Creators Unit graphic with green and pink lines; grey, black and white banners; and blue a background. The image has text which reads: “Young Creators Unit” and the dates: “May 19, May 20”

Join us May 19th and 20th at 7:00 PM EST for our Young Creators Unit Showcase on Gather. Tune in for 2 nights of staged readings from the YCU emerging creators!

Every year Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal produces two evenings of readings where creators from our Young Creators Unit (YCU) read excerpts of their work to an enthusiastic audience of peers, community leaders, and theatre lovers.

“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 working and meeting virtually during this socially distant and difficult time, held together 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

Starting today and until the showcase, we will be releasing content about the YCU on our social media! Learn about the process, what’s unique about the YCU, and what goes into their work. Follow us on social media to see more!

THIS YEAR’S YOUNG CREATORS

Click on the portraits to learn more about the creators and their work.

Alex Brault

Camille Mankumah

Elizaveta (Liza) Makarova

Aharon Elter

Anaïs Damphousse Joly

Charles Gao

JC Bitonti

Nelly Esméralda Zarfi

Brandon Adam

Eish Van Wieren

Laura Buchanan

Rachel Renaud

HOW TO CATCH THE SHOWCASE

At 7:00 PM EST on May 19th and 20th, our showcase will be livestreamed on Gather with introductions and commentary by YCU leader Jesse Stong. There will be ASL interpretation available for this event. Auto-generated captioning is available in Gather for people who use Chrome.

SCHEDULE

MAY 19TH SHOWCASE

(co-hosted by Anaïs Damphousse Joly) featuring:

Mayala-Kali’ Elter

Alex Brault

Charles Gao

Rachel Renaud

Eish Van Wieran

Nelly Esméralda Zarfi

MAY 20TH SHOWCASE

(co-hosted by Alex Brault) featuring:

Anaïs Damphousse Joly

Elizaveta (Liza) Makarova

Camille Mankumah

Laura Buchanan

Brandon Adam

JC Bitonti

You can RSVP for the YCU Showcase via the google form here:

ABOUT THE YOUNG CREATORS UNIT

Thanks to generous funding from the RBC Foundation, Canadian Heritage and the Zeller Family Foundation, as well as 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 creators as they take artistic risks, develop their voices and find their place in Canadian theatre.

ThE YOUNG CREATORS UNIT is financially supported by
Canadian Heritage
Zeller family foundation

Queer Reading Series

Abstract graphic art of shapes in shades of blue, purple, pink and red arranged with one larger blue square which has text that reads: "Queer Reading Series, March 18, March 19, 7:00 PM".
The Queer Readings Series is Presented by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal’s Young Creators Unit and Centaur Theatre with Festival Director Jesse Stong.

The Queer Reading Series- a selection of staged public readings showcasing emerging Canadian Queer Playwrights is back for two nights only at Centaur Theatre!

QUEER READING SERIES SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, MARCH 18 at 7:00 PM –  NO JUSTICE/NO PEACE by Blxck Cxsper

With direction by Jesse Stong

Please note that for the reading of “No Justice/No Peace” by Blxck Cxsper, there will be strobe lights as well as loud music.

SATURDAY, MARCH 19 at 7:00 PM – SCORPIO MOON by Adjani Poirier 

With direction by Murdoch Schon. Financially supported by Y4Y Québec

SATURDAY, MARCH 19 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMQUEER LEADERSHIP IN THEATRE PANEL

Centaur Theatre and PWM are delighted to present the Queer Leadership in Theatre Panel as a part of our Queer Reading Series! This panel discussion, moderated by Jesse Stong, will be looking at how queerness intersects with art-making. We will talk about the shows, the movements, and the key players making amazing Queer art. Then, we will open the discussion to the community to gather more stories, insights, and questions. This panel will take place in the Centaur Theatre gallery.

Panelists:
Gabe Maharjan, Co-Chair, Quebec Drama Federation
Corrina Hodgson, Artistic Director of Rose Festival
Greg MacArthur, Playwright & Professor at Concordia University
Alisa Palmer, Artistic Director of the English section of the National Theatre School of Canada

Jesse Stong, Moderator

Admission is free. Space is limited.

QUEER READING SERIES VENUE: CENTAUR THEATRE

453, rue Saint-François-Xavier
Montréal, QC  H2Y 2T1

For questions regarding accessibility, please email accessibility@playwrights.ca. Please refer to Centaur Theatre’s accessibility webpage to plan your trip to this venue.


ABOUT THE PLAYS

NO JUSTICE/NO PEACE

By Blxck Cxsper

The Blxck Cxsper universe is a multidisciplinary work of fiction based around a vigilante who questions super hero culture and the many ways it negatively affects society.

Kyng “Blxck Cxsper” Rose (they/them) is a multidisciplinary hip hop artist based in Montreal best known for being the founder of Trans Trenderz, the world’s first record label dedicated to trans musicians. In 2021 they were named by Billboard in their Change Agents list alongside names like Jay-Z and The Weeknd, the same year they debuted their fictional Blxck Cxsper universe at the Montreal Fringe Festival.

SCORPIO MOON 

By Adjani Poirier 

Night, the hot summer air hangs heavy with regret. Two estranged friends find themselves together again in a crumbling abandoned warehouse. Lily wants absolution, Koa has other ideas. A story about the complexities of Blackness, queerness, art, love, and the ever agonizing question: is forgiveness possible in the face of heartbreaking betrayal?

Adjani is interested in creating work that explores the beauty and the ugly of the human experience. She’s drawn to stories that reveal the complexity of navigating a world where systemic “isms” oppress and yet love and connection still seep through the cracks, strong and fierce, giving us life. Her plays include Celebrity Dogs, part of Boca del Lupo’s national project “Plays2Perform @ Home”,  Still Gay When I’m Not In Love and On Life and Living: A History of AIDS Community Care Montreal. She curated the 2021 edition of QueerCab with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and currently lives and writes in her hometown of Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal where she studies playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada.


ABOUT THE QUEER READINGS SERIES

Centaur Theatre and Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal believe in the importance of providing young theatre artists with tools for developing and showcasing their work. The Queer Reading Series is a free reading series that seeks to provide a platform for emerging artists to experiment with their writing.

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, RBC Foundation, 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.

Click here to find out more about the Young Creators Unit.

PRESENTED IN COLLABORATION WITH
FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED BY

Tune in to the Young Creators Unit – Virtual Showcase 2021

Join us June 3-4 at 7 PM EST for our livestreamed Young Creators Unit showcase on YouTube — 2 exciting nights of staged readings by emerging theatre creators!

Every year Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal produces two evenings of readings where creators from our Young Creators Unit (YCU) read excerpts of their work to an enthusiastic audience of peers, community leaders, and theatre lovers.

Last year, our first virtual showcase was a resounding success, with more people tuning-in than we ever had in-person in our studio space. Since then, our organization dived deep into the digital rabbit hole — launching programs such as the Digital dramaturgy initiative, the Digital dramaturgy clinic, and adding Digital dramaturgs Emily Soussana and Andrew Scriver from collective potatoCakes_digital to our team — we are excited to leverage these new skills to bring you an even better virtual event.

“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 working and meeting virtually during this socially distant and difficult time, held together 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

Starting today and until the showcase, we are also releasing video interviews of the Young Creators. Learn about their process, what’s unique about the YCU, and what goes into their work. Follow us on social media or subscribe to our YouTube channel to see them as soon as they are released!

WATCH THE FIRST INTERVIEW

THIS YEAR’S YOUNG CREATORS

Click on the portraits to learn more about the playwrights and their work.

Headshot of Rebecca Bauer

Rebecca Bauer

Headshot of Miriam Cummings

Miriam Cummings

Headshot of Victoria Hall

Victoria Hall

Headshot of Darragh Mondoux

Darragh Mondoux

Headshot of Nicolas Retson

Nicolas Retson

Headshot of Anna Burkholder

Anna Burkholder

Headshot of Sophie El Assad

Sophie El Assaad

Headshot of Megan Hunt

Megan Hunt

Headshot of Tyson Night

Tyson Night

Headshot of Kyng Rose

Kyng Rose

Headshot of Willow Cioppa

Willow Cioppa

Headshot of Steven Greenwood

Steven Greenwood

Headshot of Sam Melnick

Sam Melnick

Headshot of David Noël

David Noël

Headshot of Anne-Marie Saint Louis

Anne-Marie St-Louis

HOW TO CATCH THE SHOWCASE

At 7PM EST on June 3rd and 4th, our showcase was livestreamed on YouTube Live with introductions and commentary by YCU leader Jesse Stong. We are not planning to release the complete recordings of the nights, but will release individual excerpts in the coming months!

More 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.

ThE YOUNG CREATORS UNIT is financially supported by
Canadian Heritage
Zeller family foundation

Young Creators Unit – 2020 Showcase

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.

More about the Young Creators Unit.

Canadian Heritage_Logo

Public Reading of Mizushōbai (The Water Trade)

Date: Friday, February 28, 2020
Time: 7 PM
Venue: PWM Studio, 7250 Clark St Suite 103, Montreal, QC  H2R 2Y3
Please note that Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is not located in a fully accessible building. Our space is located above street level and is only accessible via a flight of stairs (nine steps). More info here.

This is a FREE event. Donations are welcome at the door.

Don’t forget to RSVP, seating is limited.

Synopsis

Mizushōbai (The Water Trade) explores the life of Kiyoko Tanaka-Goto, a Japanese picture-bride turned ‘underground’ business woman in 1930’s British Columbia. It delves into her history, not as a clichéd dragon-lady madam (although at times, perhaps she is), nor as a dutiful daughter (although at times, perhaps she is), nor as a submissive and sexualized female Asian body (although at times, perhaps she is), but as a valuable member of Canadian society who had to fight against expectation, and for autonomy and recognition every step of the way.

“What fascinates me about Kiyoko is that she broke EVERY SINGLE RULE and expectation of culture, gender and society.”

Mizushōbai (The Water Trade) was developed with Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal through a variety of programs, including the Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency and the EstérELLE Writers-in-Residence.

Mizushōbai (The Water Trade) was the recipient of Tableau D’Hôte Theatre’s inaugural More than a footnote commission, and received financial support from the Cole Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Content Warning

Sexual References, Mature Language

About the Playwright

Julie Tamiko Manning is an award-winning Montreal actor and theatre creator.

Selected acting credits include: Sin in Paradise Lost (Centaur), Annie in Jean Dit (Théâtre D’Aujourd’hui), and Elena in Butcher (Centaur).

Her first play, Mixie and the Halfbreeds (with Adrienne Wong), is a play about mixed identity in multiple universes, first commissioned as a radio play by CBC, then adapted for the stage for Neworld Theatre in Vancouver. Her second play, The Tashme Project: The Living Archives (with Matt Miwa) is a one act verbatim play about the Japanese Canadian internment camps during WW2, which recently toured to Montreal (Centaur), Toronto (Factory), Vancouver (Firehall) and Ottawa (Prismatic Arts Festival/GCTC).

Creative Team

This play is currently in development.

Play by Julie Tamiko Manning

Dramaturged by Emma Tibaldo

Featuring Deena Aziz, Brenda Kamino, Kyungseo Min, Mahalia Golnosh Tahririha, Annie Yao

Accessibility Tools
English (Canada)
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