Tag: Exploring Practice

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Spatial Dramaturgy: Developing an Urban Performance Practice with Shauna Janssen

Image of Shauna Janssen inside a spotlight at the end of a graphic beam of light. The Image has text which reads "Exploring Practice."

Spatial Dramaturgy Application deadline: April 6th, 2022

Although the deadline to apply has passed, there are still a few spots available. If you are interested please apply as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, or need assistance with your application for Spatial Dramaturgy with Shauna Janssen, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.

This multi-day workshop led by Shauna Janssen (interdisciplinary artist and curator) will focus on exploring performance creation methods for developing site-specific/ responsive and urban performance works.

Participants will be engaged in “hands-on” activities taking place in the city, including site-writing and performative mapping workshops.  Each participant will realize a prototype for an urban performance project, as well as have an opportunity to engage with critical texts on interdisciplinary approaches to spatial dramaturgy and creating site-specific performances in the built environment. The workshop is open to playwrights, interdisciplinary performance makers and storytellers, scenographers, and dramaturgs.

PWM is committed to creating an environment where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.  We are continuously working to make all of our programs accessible and inclusive. 

PWM welcomes all applications to our programs. While recognizing that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, multidimensional, changing and evolving, we strongly encourage applications from artists who are: Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized (including recent immigrants), 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, neurodivergent, disabled, living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain. PWM is strongly committed to supporting a wide range of cultural identities and lived experiences, therefore we encourage applicants to self-identify in their application if they are comfortable doing so.

Schedule:

(multi-day workshop)

Part 1: Thursday, April 21st, 6-9pm
Part 2: Saturday, April 23rd, 12-5pm
Part 3: Monday, April 25th, 12-5pm
Part 4: Tuesday, April 26th, 6-9pm
Part 5: Thursday, April 28th, 6-9pm
Part 6: Friday, April 29th, 6-9pm
Part 7: Sunday, May 1st, 12-5pm

Location:

The workshop will take place in-person and primarily in PWM’s studio. Some sessions will consist of in-situ writing sessions in various locations around the city.

If you have any questions, or need assistance regarding this application, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.

Application Instructions for Spatial Dramaturgy with Shauna Janssen

  • Send applications to harris@playwrights.ca with subject line: Exploring Practice with Shauna Janssen.
  • Please attach a bio and/or CV as well as a brief paragraph detailing your interest in the workshop.
    • We also accept alternative methods of application if requested, including video and audio applications.
    • If you have any questions, or need assistance regarding this application, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.
  • Apply before  5 PM on April 6th, 2022.

About the Workshop Leader

Shauna Janssen is an interdisciplinary artist and curator. She specializes in making site-specific performances, public art installations, and urban interventions. Her projects and collaborations have been staged in Montreal, and in various cities in Europe and Australasia. For over twenty years Shauna worked professionally in the theatre on the development of new works for theatre, opera, and dance. She is currently Professor in Performance Creation in the Department of Theatre at Concordia, where she holds a research chair in Performative Urbanism.

Presented in collaboration with
This workshop is financially supported by
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Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

Image of Jesse Stong inside a spotlight at the end of a graphic beam of light. The Image has text which reads "Exploring Practice."

Application deadline: January 21st, 2022

If you have any questions, or need assistance with your application for Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.

Using innovative and interactive activities, Jesse Stong (art educator, playwright and dramaturg) will support the development of your grant writing skills in this Exploring Practice workshop!

From seeding initial ideas to developing dynamic writing samples for your grant, participants will have the opportunity to elaborate and articulate project outlines with realistic timelines and budgets. By the end of these hands-on sessions each participant will leave with a completed first draft of their grant proposal and be informed on how to seek diverse sources of funding, independent fundraising strategies, and guidance on partnership-building for the future of their proposed project.

PWM is committed to creating an environment where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.  We are continuously working to make all of our programs accessible and inclusive. 

PWM welcomes all applications to our programs. While recognizing that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, multidimensional, changing and evolving, we strongly encourage applications from artists who are: Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), Black, POC, racialized (including recent immigrants), 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, d/Deaf, neurodivergent, disabled, living with chronic illness and/or chronic pain. PWM is strongly committed to supporting a wide range of cultural identities and lived experiences, therefore we encourage applicants to self-identify in their application if they are comfortable doing so.

Schedule:

(2-part group session)

Part 1 – Tuesday, February 15th
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Part 2 – Wednesday, February 16th
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

In addition to the group sessions, individual or smaller group calls may be scheduled based on the participants’ availability.

Location:

The workshop will take place remotely via video-conferencing software.

If you have any questions, or need assistance regarding this application, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.

Topics Covered in Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

  1. General grant writing tips/cautions.
  2. Stress and time management/infusing grant writing into your artistic practice.
  3. Hands-On Project Proposal Building (developing treatment, describing project.)
  4. Creative Activities (exploring innovative grant writing processes.)
  5. Expressing authentic need and attracting support.
  6. Group Brainstorm Sessions (exploring ideas, developing proposals further in the workshop.)
  7. Editing and Increasing Impact (How to sharpen your grant.)
  8. Action planning/specific measurable steps towards grant submission.
  9. Ongoing discussions/Group Sharing of resources/Sources of funding.

Expectations for Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

  • Please come to the workshop with a project/residency idea that you are genuinely interested in developing a grant proposal for (the idea can be fully developed or a seed of a new project.)
  • Be prepared to support the ideas of others/contribute to the group discussions.
  • Expect to leave with a clear plan to complete your grant application.

Application Instructions for Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

  • Send applications to harris@playwrights.ca with subject line: Exploring Practice with Jesse Stong.
  • Please attach a bio and/or CV as well as a brief paragraph detailing your interest in the workshop.
    • We also accept alternative methods of application if requested including video and audio applications.
    • If you have any questions, or need assistance regarding this application, please contact the program coordinator Harris at harris@playwrights.ca.
  • Apply before  5 PM on January 21st, 2022.

About the Workshop Leader

Headshot photograph of Jesse Stong
Photo by Nasuna Dawn

Jesse Stong is a proud father of twins, a graduate of Playwriting from the National Theatre School of Canada, and received his Master’s in Art Education from Concordia University. He is an award-winning artist, dramaturg, and educator.

Over the years, he has supported over 100 emerging Canadian storytellers as director of our Young Creators Unit.  He also leads our New Stories Project for artist with different abilities.

Jesse is an occasional content creator/editor for Moment Factory, and was recently Manager of Children’s Programming for Watchmojo.com, Associate Curator for the National Arts Centre Disability Summit, and Host of the Montreal English Theatre Awards.

Presented in collaboration with
This workshop is financially supported by
Compétence Culture Logo

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APPLY NOW: Script Analysis with Maureen Labonté

Note:
This workshop will be held physically in accordance to PWM’s COVID-19 safety procedures. Contact harris@playwrights.ca for any questions about the workshop.

This five-day workshop led by Maureen Labonté is an introduction to a script analysis method based on the belief that it is of supreme importance to take the time to read and analyze the play text well, and know it thoroughly before jumping to interpretation. 

It is essential to take the time to dig, to investigate, to question and to ponder what the playwright wrote before jumping to conclusions or interpretation. Maureen uses the term “archeological” to describe it. This investigative work is fundamental to a sound and imaginative take on the work. It is objective and detailed, but also visceral.

Participants will have the chance to : 

  • Learn how to slow down, be curious and enjoy discovering what makes the play work, what is really there versus what you might think is there or what you want to be there. It’s a way to free the imagination.
  • Put opinion on hold, at least temporarily, and grapple with what the playwright has put on the page. Cultivate curiosity and a spirit of inquiry. 
  • Develop a spirit of investigation. Learn to ask good questions in order to get at the mystery that’s at the heart of the script and discover its beauty, magic, musicality, passion
  • And finally, after a detailed analysis (micro) learn how to pull back (up) in order to arrive at a synthesis of your discoveries (macro) and move into pre-production and eventually the rehearsal hall and the stage. 

“The vision of a great play is inextricably bound up with the exact words of the text.”

Robert Benedetti

Schedule:

(5-day workshop)

Session 1: Monday, November 8th, 2021 10AM to 2PM

Session 2: Tuesday, November 9th, 2021
1PM to 5PM

Session 3: Wednesday, November 10th, 2021
10AM to 2PM

Session 4: Thursday, November 11th, 2021
10AM-2PM

Session 5: Friday, November 12th, 2021
10AM-2PM

Possibility of an extra 2-hour session on Saturday, November 13th, 2021.

NOTE: Participants will be assigned a play to read between the first and second sessions. This assignment is mandatory and central to the workshop.

Location:

PWM Studio
7250 Clark St., #103
Montreal, QC
H2R 2Y3

Application Instructions

  • Please send us a bio and/or artistic CV as well as a brief (1-2 paragraph) statement explaining why this workshop interests you, how it is relevant to your artistic practice, and what your expectations are.
  • The workshop is open to playwrights, dramaturges and other theatre creators with some professional experience.
  • Send applications and any questions to harris@playwrights.ca with the subject line: Exploring Practice with Maureen Labonté.

Apply before 1PM EST on October 4th, 2021 to ensure that your application will be considered.

About the Workshop Leader

Photo by Nasuna Stuart-Ulin

Maureen Labonté is a translator, dramaturg and teacher. She has translated over forty Quebec plays into English. And Slowly Beauty (Talonbooks) her translation of Lentement la beauté by Quebec City playwright, Michel Nadeau, was a finalist for the 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award in Translation.

Maureen has worked as a dramaturg and coordinated play development programs in theatres and play development centres across the country. She was the Co-Director of the Playwrights’ Lab at the Banff Center for the Arts from 2006 to 2012 and has taught at the National Theatre School of Canada since the mid-90’s.

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APPLY NOW: Creating Object Theatre with La Pire Espèce

Note:
Due to its hands-on approach, this workshop will be held physically in accordance to PWM’s COVID-19 safety procedures. Contact harris@playwrights.ca for any questions about the workshop.

*UPDATE – May 25, 2021*
Application deadline extended to Friday, May 28 2021 at 5 PM EST.

Open to playwrights, puppeteers and other theatre creators, this bilingual four-day workshop led by Olivier Ducas and Francis Monty, co-artistic directors of the Théâtre de la Pire Espèce will guide participants through a creative process where image and text intermingle, a process in which the form emerges from the tension between all simultaneously examined scenic elements.

The unique form of object theatre is built around three key aspects: clear and poetic language, the possibilities of the object itself, and the actor’s performance, both manipulator and storyteller. Through hands-on exercises and practical discussions, La Pire Espèce will immerse you in the exciting, specialized and minimalist art of object theatre.

Schedule:

(4-day workshop)

9:30AM to 3:30PM EST every day

Session 1: Friday, June 25, 2021
Session 2: Monday, June 28, 2021
Session 3: Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Session 4: Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Location:

June 25th:
PWM Studio
7250 Clark St., #103
Montreal, QC
H2R 2Y3

June 28th-30th:
Maison internationale des arts de la marionnette
30, Saint-Just ave.
Montreal, QC
H2V 1X8

Creating Object Theatre is presented in collaboration with the Association québécoise des marionnettistes (AQM). The workshop is open to playwrights, puppeteers, performers and interdisciplinary creators. Members of the AQM are encouraged to apply. Please note that this is a hands-on workshop with some performance-based exercises. The workshop will be led bilingually in English and French, participants will be encouraged to express themselves in either language.

Application Instructions

  • Please send us a bio and/or artistic CV as well as a brief (1-2 paragraph) statement explaining why this workshop interests you, how it is relevant to your artistic practice, and what your expectations are.
  • Send applications and any questions to harris@playwrights.ca with the subject line: Exploring Practice with Pire Espèce.
  • You may send your application in English or French.

Apply before 5PM EST on May 28, 2021 to ensure that your application will be considered.

About the Workshop Leaders

Headshot of Olivier Ducas
Photo by Mathieu Doyon

Olivier Ducas studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada. His decisive encounter with Francis Monty led in 1999 to the founding of Théâtre de la Pire Espèce, for which they act as co-artistic director. He also cofounded Théâtre Aux Écuries (2005) a creation center and theatre venue in Montreal and was one of Carte Premiere’s initiators. A playwright, actor, director and object/puppet manipulator, he is the co-creator of the company’s productions (Ubu on the Table, Perseus, Gestes impies et rites sacrés, Die Reise, Futur intérieur and L’Effet Hyde) that have toured across Canada, Europe, Mexico and Brazil over the last 20 years. In 2008, he single-handedly wrote and directed Roland, la vérité du vainqueur, a show for two actor-storytellers for teen audiences. In 2014, he repeated the experience with Cities, adding solo performer to his list of credits. He is currently working on the Contes zen du potager, a series of short, minimalist forms, where vegetables display all their substance. Ducas is a leading object theatre director in Canada. Research in object and image-based playwriting is at the core of his actions as a creator. In addition to his creative work, Ducas also gives object theatre classes for professionals, theatre school professors and theatre students.

Headshot of Francis Monty
Photo by Mathieu Doyon

A 1997 graduate of the playwrighting program at the National Theatre School of Canada, Francis Monty is a theatrical jack of all trades – directing, clowning, puppetry and his many writing projects all intertwine. In 1999 he co-founded Théâtre de la Pire Espèce with Olivier Ducas, and both share the position of artistic director. He has co-created many of the company’s plays, including Ubu on the table and Perseus. A number of his plays have travelled across Canada, and to Brazil and Europe, including Par les temps qui rouillent, Déclownestration, Traces de cloune, Léon le nul, Ernest T., Petit bonhomme en papier carbone and Nous sommes mille en équilibre fragile. He received the 2005 Masque award for best original script for Romances et karaoké, the 2014 Cochon dramatique for best original script for Petit bonhomme en papier carbone at the Gala des Cochons d’or and Ernest T. was nominated for best original script for young audiences for the Louise LaHaye Award.

WITH THE collaboration of
This workshop is financially supported by
Emploi-Québec_Logo
Compétence Culture Logo

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APPLY NOW: Building Your Grant Proposal with Jesse Stong

*UPDATE*
Application deadline extended until Friday April 23, 2021.

Using innovative and interactive activities, Jesse Stong (Art educator / Playwright / Dramaturg) will support emerging artists as they develop strong applications for their own future project grants.

From seeding and exploring initial ideas to developing dynamic writing samples, participants will have the opportunity to elaborate and articulate project outlines with realistic timelines and budgets. By the end of these hands-on sessions, each participant will leave with their own completed first draft of a grant proposal, as well as strategies on seeking diverse sources of funding, independent fundraising strategies, and guidance on partnerships-building strategies for the future life of their proposed project.

Schedule:

(2-part group session)

Part 1 – Wednesday, May 5th
10am-2pm

Part 2 – Thursday, May 6
10am-2pm

In addition to the group sessions, individual or smaller group calls may be scheduled based on the participants’ availability.

Location:

The workshop will take place remotely via video-conferencing software.

Contact harris@playwrights.ca for any questions about setting up for the workshop.

Topics Covered

  1. General grant writing tips/cautions
  2. Stress and time management/infusing grant writing into your artistic practice
  3. Hands-On Project Proposal Building (developing treatment, describing project)
  4. Creative Activities (exploring innovative grant writing processes)
  5. Expressing authentic need and attracting support
  6. Group Brainstorm Sessions (exploring ideas, developing proposals further in the workshop)
  7. Editing and Increasing Impact (How to sharpen your grant)
  8. Action planning/specific measurable steps towards grant submission
  9. Ongoing Discussions/Group Sharing of Resources/Sources of Funding

Expectations

  • Please come to the workshop with a project/residency idea they are genuinely interested in developing a grant proposal for (the idea can be fully developed or a seed of a new project)
  • Be prepared to support the ideas of others/contribute to the group discussions.
  • Expect to leave with a clear plan to complete your grant application.

Application Instructions

  • Please attach a bio and/or CV as well as a brief paragraph detailing your interest in the workshop.
  • Send applications to harris@playwrights.ca with subject line: Exploring Practice with Jesse Stong.
  • Apply before  5 PM on April 23, 2021
  • Due to the revised format of the workshop, the number of participants may be limited to ensure that each participant gets the most out of the workshop.

About the workshop leader

Headshot photograph of Jesse Stong
Photo by Nasuna Dawn

Jesse Stong is a proud father of twins, a graduate of Playwriting from the National Theatre School of Canada, and received his Master’s in Art Education from Concordia University. He is an award-winning artist, dramaturg, and educator.

Over the years, he has supported over 100 emerging Canadian storytellers as director of our Young Creators Unit.  He also leads our New Stories Project for artist with different abilities.

Jesse is an occasional content creator/editor for Moment Factory, and was recently Manager of Children’s Programming for Watchmojo.com, Associate Curator for the National Arts Centre Disability Summit, and Host of the Montreal English Theatre Awards.

Presented in collaboration with
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is QDF-Logo.jpg
This workshop is financially supported by
Emploi-Québec_Logo
Compétence Culture Logo
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APPLY NOW: CIRCUS — Writing in the In-Between with Andréane Leclerc

Note:
due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this workshop will take place remotely.
Contact harris@playwrights.ca for any questions about the workshop.

This bilingual five-day workshop led by circus artist Andréane Leclerc will explore the process of creating and performing circus from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Too often, circus acts are simply inserted into an existing work or juxtaposed with other forms. There are many reasons for this, including the technical constraints of the art form and the particularity of its languages. These challenges can complicate staging, research and creation processes, and can hinder real interdisciplinary dialogue. How then can we reflect on circus as a subject within an interdisciplinary creative process? How do we move beyond a dichotomy between two disciplines? What can we discover in the in-between? What new dramaturgical possibilities might emerge?

Schedule:

(5-day virtual workshop)

1PM to 4PM EST every day
Monday, January 25 to Friday, January 29, 2021.

Location:

The workshop will take place remotely via video-conferencing software.

This workshop offers a space for reflection, exchange, dialogue and creation. Participants will be led to question and discuss different visions and possible interpretations linked to the challenges inherent in circus creation. The workshop’s hands-on format seeks to disrupt the hierarchy of scenic languages ​​to allow new performance forms to arise. It is an invitation to develop a practice of active listening and sensitive dialogue, to delve into the heart of the unknown, and to find links in the porous in-between zones. 

Writing in the In-Between is open to creative artists from all disciplines with experience or interest in circus arts, interdisciplinary creative processes, and contemporary dramaturgy.

Topics covered will include:

  • The multidisciplinary vs. the interdisciplinary;
  • Exploring disciplinary permeability;
  • Distinguishing between lived vs. perceived experience in the context of circus performance;
  • Dramaturgical challenges in the circus pieces;
  • Contemporary dramaturgy;
  • Staging questions;
  • Developing a common language.

Application Instructions

  • Please send us a bio and/or artistic CV as well as a brief (1-2 paragraph) statement explaining why this workshop interests you, how it is relevant to your artistic practice, and what your expectations are.
  • Send applications and any questions to harris@playwrights.ca with the subject line: Exploring Practice with Andréane Leclerc.
  • You may send your application in English or French.

Apply before noon on January 8, 2021 to ensure that your application will be considered.

Work plan

The course will begin with group discussions, followed by a pair or individual work sessions. The instructor will also offer a personalized, one-hour session with each pair or individual. 

Lesson plan

Day 1: Introduction – Circus

What is it? How did it come to be that? What does it mean?

Day 2: Circus disciplines and the relationship to the object

Is it extension of the body? A binary duality?
Where do we situate circus? How do we differentiate between acrobatics, acrobats and their apparatus?

Day 3: Acrobatic language

What is its inherent system? What can we hide and reveal?
Where does dramaturgy come into play?
What are the technical repercussions of dramaturgical choices ?

Day 4: Space-time, and the question of becoming

What is circus’ relationship with other forms? How can they be brought together coherently?

Day 5: Conclusion – The encounter with the audience 

 Reflecting on the context in which a piece is presented.

About the workshop leader

Photo by Valérie Sanguin

Founder of Nadere Performing Arts, Andréane Leclerc graduated from the National Circus School of Montreal in 2001. Driven by a desire to harness contortion technique as a malleable material that is capable of generating a world of sensation and imagery beyond the spectacular, she now creates her own experimental and conceptual performances – Di(x)parue (2008), Insuccube (2012), Eat Me (2013), Bath House (2013), Cherepaka (2014), Sculptural body (2014) and The Whore of Babylon (2015). In 2013, she finished a masters degree in circus dramaturgy in the Theatre department at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) under the direction of Marie-Christine Lesage. Actually in a co-creation with the dancer and choreographer Dany Desjardins called Sang Bleu, Andreane has a particular interest in the scenes that pushes limits out (cabarets, Edgy Women Festival, Short and Sweet, Piss in the Pool, Salon K). She continues to interpret for choreographers and directors such as Peter James (Famille Déjantée), Angela Konrad (Variations pour une déchéance annoncée) and Theatre Republique in Denmark (The Tiger Lillies performs Hamlet, 2016). Since 2014, Andreane gives workshops around the world for circus artists: Acrobatic dialogue and Contortion technique. Recently, Andréane also offers Contortion for All that aims to demystify and undo clichés inherent to the art of contortion by introducing a strong technique and giving tools to allow movements throughout the whole spine.

WITH THE collaboration of
This workshop is financially supported by
Emploi-Québec and Compétence Culture Logos
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