Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is introducing a new micro-residency program focusing on digital dramaturgy.
Applications are now closed.
Building upon months of online workshops, and various forms of digital theatrical experimentation, PWM is excited to introduce our new micro-residency program: Experimentation in Digital Creation!
This program is open to any theatre project that has digital elements to explore— whether the plan is to present them virtually, in-person, or disseminated in a hybrid-fashion (partly online and partly in-person).
We will be inviting selected artists from across Canada to experiment with us for 3 to 5 days, depending on the needs of their project. Residencies will take place at some point between January and August 2022.
Artists will will have access to our studio, equipment, and PWM’s dramaturgs— including digital dramaturgs and multi-media creators potatoCakes_digital, who are leading this exciting project!
Together, we will create a digital dramaturgy process centred on our resident artists and their exploratory questions.
PWM promotes equity and encourages applicants to indicate if they self-identify as belonging to one or more equity priority groups: women, racialized persons, 2SLGBTQQIPAA+, Indigenous persons, refugees, recent and first-generation immigrants not belonging to the dominant cultures in their areas, d/Deaf persons, neurodivergent persons, disabled persons, emerging artists, persons living with chronic illness, persons living with chronic pain, if they feel comfortable doing so.
This program was created for folks who are interested in experimenting with new digital art forms. The projects are ideally in the early to mid-stages of development and are in a place to benefit from exploration with different tools and form.
PWM is a versatile blackbox studio equipped with:
Video Equipment (Cameras, switcher, projectors)
VR equipment (Vive Pro2 & Oculus Quest 2)
Lighting
Podcasting microphones
Virtual conferencing
Greenscreen
Other equipment will be sourced by PWM depending on each project’s individual needs
For our full tech rider and available equipment, click here.
Given the knowledge-sharing component of this initiative, prospective participants should be aware that there will be documentation of the digital dramaturgical process that will be shared publicly on our website.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, please complete the online application form. During the application process, you will be asked to include the following:
A description of the project (max. 500 words);
An artistic statement in relation to the integration of digital tools;
The names of the project’s collaborators, and their creative disciplines;
The stage of the work in progress;
Your dramaturgical questions being investigated, or what you are investigating;
The technologies you are presently using for the project (if any);
The technologies you wish you had access to for this project (if known);
The knowledge gaps (if you know them) in relation to transforming the work to a digital platform;
Any documentation you deem appropriate to the project, sending video files as links.
Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal is now accepting applications for a week-long residency, within the Digital Dramaturgy Initiative, to take place from April 26th to May 1st, 2021
The pandemic has accelerated our use of digital tools. However, knowledge and financial gaps are still with us. With this reality in mind, we designed three locally based residencies designed to investigate and expand our collective vocabulary with digital technology.
These three distinct week-long residencies have been designed to allow for a deep investigation and articulation of two main questions:
Where are the literacy gaps in managing the processes and systems in the integration of digital components?
How to best organize creative relationships to maximize expertise in the collaboration process?
THE MONTREAL RESIDENCY
Covid and its impact on live arts : how do we share and grow work in process.
APRIL 26 – MAY 1, 2021
Creating theatre inside a pandemic – how to use the tools available, what is possible, and what have we learned so far? How can we use this knowledge to create a more accessible platform for theatre? What can we take back into live theatre?
Organized by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal, the Montreal residency is looking for theatre performance projects that were conceived for the stage but that now need to be transformed for a digital audience; as well as projects conceived for the new Digital reality. The project may be at any point in the process of creation.
The residency will focus on working with collectives or individuals to discover the possibilities available for the transformation of the work through technology, to a digital platform. This project is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Literacy Fund, as such, an important component of the work is the dissemination of knowledge and expertise. To this end, applicants must be willing to share parts of their creative process and knowledge gained through the residency. DDI and participants will negotiate fair Intellectual Property rights for educational, non-commercial dissemination of exploratory work undertaken during the residency, an example of which can be found here.
Auxiliary programming over the course of the workshop week will include collective investigations into both traditional and emerging digital tools and technologies, exploring the vocabulary needed to collaborate in digital integration and exploration, and looking at case studies from Canadian and international initiatives.
Each participating artist will receive a $750 honorarium and is expected to be available for the 5 days of the residency.
We are continuously working to make all of our programs accessible. We recognize that the identity of each person is fundamentally plural, multidimensional, changing and evolving.
We are committed to working with artists to create spaces within which Indigenous artists (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), racialized artists (including recent immigrants), members of the 2SLGBTQQIPAA+ communities and/or neurodiverse and disabled artists as well as artists living with chronic illness and chronic pain can create.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, please complete the online application form. During the application process, you will be asked to include the following:
A description of the project (max. 500 words);
An artistic statement in relation to the integration of digital tools;
The names of the project’s collaborators, and their creative disciplines;
The stage of the work in progress;
Your dramaturgical questions being investigated, or what you are investigating;
The technologies you are presently using for the project (if any);
The technologies you wish you had access to for this project (if known);
The knowledge gaps (if you know them) in relation to transforming the work to a digital platform;
Any documentation you deem appropriate to the project, sending video files as links.
*COVID-19 UPDATE – June 16, 2020* After fourteen years of programming, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the residency for the 2020 season.
Following close analysis of the situation in Tadoussac, in Quebec, and across Canada, we know that this is the responsible path forward. We were unable to conceive of an in-person residency while respecting public health criteria for gathering in a home.
We felt it important to maintain the integrity of the Residency, centred on bringing playwrights and translators together in one place to deepen the practice of translation for the stage. We are looking forward to welcoming translators and creators back to Fletcher Cottage in June 2021.
In lieu of this year’s residency, we are beginning to plan a virtual retrospection of the Glassco Translation Residency, one that will welcome learning from past participants. We will be releasing more details in the coming months.
*COVID-19 UPDATE – March 26, 2020* The level of uncertainty around the Coronavirus and travel restrictions, make it difficult for us to continue the selection process. We have therefore decided that the most responsible course of action is to delay selection until more reliable data is available. We will be in touch late April with all updates.
The Glassco Translation Residency invites playwrights and translators from across Canada and beyond to come together for ten days in Tadoussac, Quebec, to work in-depth on their translation projects.
The chosen participants are provided with a unique opportunity to focus on their projects and to share expertise in a retreat environment. Translations into all languages are welcomed. Over the past 15 years we have offered space, time, and dramaturgical expertise to over 63 translation projects into languages such as Cantonese, Catalan, Cree, English, French, Innu-aimun, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Tamil, Tagalog and Urdu.
This season we welcome award-winning translator Maryse Warda, who will serve as residency host and translation dramaturg.
We are now accepting submissions of plays that are slated for translation. Please note that we do not fund the translation. The play should ideally have had a production in its original language. At least one component of the project needs to be Canadian. We strongly encourage Indigenous artists to apply.
To apply, please send us:
A description of the project which includes the name of the translator and playwright, an indication of how the Residency will benefit the project, and any details on production interest;
Biographies of both the playwright and translator;
A copy of the play in its original language.
One of the selection criteria for translation projects will be the availability of both the playwright and the translator to attend the residency together.
An honorarium of $750 is offered to each participant. In addition, all costs for travel, meals and accommodation are covered.
Submission deadline: March 2nd, 2020
Please email submissions (PDF format, 1 file only) to residency@playwrights.ca with the subject line: 2020 Glassco Translation Residency application.
The residency is in Tadoussac, Québec in an 18th century log home. There are 8 steps down to the entrance of the house. The bathrooms are not wheelchair accessible.
The Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac is made possible through our partnership with the Cole Foundation’s Intercultural Conversations Program, the dedication of Residency Producer Briony Glassco, and the support of the friends and family in memory of the great Canadian theatre artist, Bill Glassco. We are also grateful to Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Conseil des arts de Montréal for their ongoing support.
Much like the bees in the burgeoning flower garden outside Fletcher Cottage, this year’s residency featured a tremendous amount of cross-pollination as we welcomed playwrights and translators from Innu, Queer Pakistani-Canadian Muslim, Tamil Canadian, French-speaking Quebecois, English-speaking Quebecois, and Argentinian communities. The plays in translation dealt with the aftermath of the Sri Lankan Civil War, the perversion of contemporary art by corporate interests, the intersection of queerness and Islamic identity, and how to talk about life to toddlers. Conversations are always inspiring and exciting in Tadoussac, but there was an essential shift this year that provoked new exchanges which will likely reverberate for years to come.
Innu translator Joséphine Bacon kicked off the residency with a deeply moving, in-depth acknowledgment of the unceded land that Fletcher Cottage was built upon. It was a true gift to hear her speak about Tadoussac, her Nation, and its historical ties to the Saguenay and North Shore. She came to Tadoussac to work on residency veteran Jasmine Dubé’s Marguerite. Marguerite is a choral play which tells the entire life story of one woman, from her birth until her death. A poetic piece that flows like a river, Jasmine set out to write this play after she was inspired to create theatre for toddlers. With Marguerite, she shares her love of language and playfulness through straightforward and evocative storytelling. After performing this work in French for 10 years, Jasmine decided she wanted to try and tour it to smaller communities in Northern Quebec. After she approached Joséphine about translating the play, they both agreed it would be a wonderful opportunity for the Innu-aimun language to be reinforced and for toddlers (and even their parents) to learn the language through a theatrical experience, surrounded by other babies and their parents. The main challenge Joséphine faced was that Innu-aimun has far fewer words than French. So, on occasion, she needed to use several words to describe one French word when there was no Innu-aimun equivalent. It was wonderful to see Jasmine and Joséphine forge a deep bond at the Residency, even though they’d never met before. Jasmine took advantage of Joséphine’s presence to advance her soon-to-be produced play for adults (a first!) Lascaux, even cutting out a central part of story she felt she’d appropriated from an indigenous myth.
First-time resident Alexis Martin came to Tadoussac to work with playwright Michael Mackenzie on a translation of Art Object, Michael’s sequel to Instructions for a Socialist Government Looking to Abolish Christmas, also translated by Alexis. Art Object, slated to premiere at Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui in 2020, is a play that satirises the often amoral and complex relationship between high art and high finance. In his translation of the play, Alexis drew upon his prior knowledge of Michael’s characters and universe, as well as his acting experience. During the residency, Alexis spoke about his need to find the “breath” inside each translation he works on. Until he finds its breath, until the text is playable, he isn’t satisfied with his work. He uses a more liberal and creative approach to theatre translation, something he executes with Michael’s enthusiastic blessing. Each day, the two old friends and collaborators would go for long hikes during which Alexis would ask all the questions he’d accumulate over his morning work session. Later in the residency, when Argentinian translator Jaime Arrambide arrived to work on his Latin American Spanish version Michael’s Instructions to Any Future Government Wishing to Abolish Christmas, all three artists exchanged tactics and ideas to improve the translations. During the residency, Jaime fell in love with Art Object and now feels compelled to translate that play too. Jaime spoke to us about the vibrant theatre scene in Buenos Aires as well as the challenges of getting translated work staged there. While both Alexis and Jaime were working on their translations, Michael advanced his numerous writing projects.
Dushy Gnanapragasam came to translate Suvendrini Lena’s play The Enchanted Loom into Tamil. The Enchanted Loom is a haunting drama about a Tamil Canadian family dealing with trauma in the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war. The multiple levels of language in the play presented a big challenge for Dushy since Suvendrini’s writing is equally poetic, lyrical, and medical, with Tamil influences. This team had been working on this translation for the past 3 years but the Residency was the first time they were able to spend dedicated time to the process. While working with Dushy in Tadoussac, Suvendrini discovered there were elements of the play, her first script, which she wanted to rewrite or cut. This often happens in Tadoussac as the translation process provides a means to improve upon original work through the lens of translation. Once they completed the Tamil version, Suvendrini and Dushy worked day and night on a new bilingual (Tamil/English) version of the play, rushing to get it done before they returned to their busy lives. During her stay at Fletcher Cottage, Suvendrini often repeated how this was the version of the play she’d “always dreamed of” creating. Though The Enchanted Loom will premiere in Toronto in Tamil in the next year or so, it’s often difficult to find the means and time to translate theatre for communities that aren’t part of the so-called dominant culture. During our late-afternoon discussions, we spoke about looking beyond English – French translation in this country in order to address the needs of the many communities who want to hear and see themselves on stage.
This year Olivier Sylvestre returned to Tadoussac as a translator to work with Bilal Baig on his playAcha Bacha. Bilal wrote Acha Bacha to speak specifically to Queer Muslim Pakistanis, so translating this play into French for a Quebecois audience posed several challenges. Acha Bacha is about a Queer Muslim Pakistani living in Mississauga (a large suburb of Toronto) who’s haunted by a traumatic memory the day before his lover leaves on a pilgrimage to the Middle East. Olivier thought about transposing this story to Montreal but expressed his concerns about this choice. His inquiry created an opportunity for some wonderful and lively discussion during our end-of-day meetings. How does a Queer Muslim Pakistani Canadian speak in French? Do they just sound Quebecois using, as Olivier put it, “ma langue”? Olivier explained how there aren’t many French-language Quebecois plays set in South Asian communities, let alone about the Queer Muslim Pakistani experience – which is what inspired him to translate this play. After listening to the group’s advice and his gut, Olivier decided to keep the play in Toronto as well as all the Urdu that’s spoken in the play. Olivier realized he needed to be sensitive to Bilal’s intentions and not simply translate the play to make it palatable for a French-speaking Québecois audience. He had to find a way maintain cultural specificity while keeping his audience engaged with material that may be unfamiliar to them. No small feat. By the end of the residency, Bilal seemed incredibly honored to have gone through this process and trusted that his first play was in Olivier’s expert hands – a clear result of their sustained proximity at Fletcher Cottage.
Like every year, it’s challenging to summarize everything that happened during this year’s residency. There are intangibles: the increased confidence residents gain over their time at the residency; the new creative relationships that are made; the validation they all feel; the significant moments of creative birth/rebirth… There were also bracing noon swims (in honor of Bill who swam every day), a trip to Cap de Bon Désir with no whales in sight, spicy debates about cultural appropriation, and – depending on which room you walked into – a constant stream of Tamil, Innu-aimun, French, Spanish, Urdu, or English. As always, Briony Glassco’s welcoming and joyous presence helped set the positive tone of our wonderful 10-day stay at her family’s magical home.
(L to R) Michael Mackenzie, Dushy Gnanapragasam, Bilal Baig, Jasmine Dubé, Joséphine Bacon, Suvendrini Lena, Alexis Martin, and Olivier Sylvestre (Not pictured: Jaime Arrambide)
PWM would like to thank the Cole Foundation and the Friends & Family of Bill Glassco for making this residency possible.
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Bobby Theodore is a scriptwriter, dramaturg, and translator. After graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada’s playwriting section in 1998, he was a Governor General Award finalist in 2000 for his translation of 15 Seconds by François Archambault. Since then, Bobby has gone on to translate over 35 plays from French to English and has received 2 Betty Mitchell Awards (with François Archambault) for Outstanding New Play. For the stage, he co-created 300 Tapes (with Ame Henderson), which premiered at the Theatre Centre in Toronto and at Alberta Theatre Projects in Calgary. His most recent projects include a translation of Paradise in Flames by François Archambault, a transadaptation of Public Enemy by Olivier Choinière (Published by Playwrights Canada Press, Produced by Canadian Stage), and working as content developer and scriptwriter on the new visitor experience for Province House in PEI. Currently, Bobby is co-writing (with JC Niala) The Importance of Being Oscar Wilde’s Valet, a counterfactual exploration of Wilde’s relationship with Stephen Stephens, a Black minstrel performer he hired as his valet while touring the US.
Photo Credit: Keith Barker
Danielle Le-Saux Farmer — Translator
Comédienne, metteure en scène, autrice et traductrice, Danielle Le Saux-Farmer est diplômée de l’Université d’Ottawa en théâtre, et du Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Québec en interprétation. Elle a assuré la direction artistique et générale du Théâtre Catapulte de 2017 à 2023. Depuis sa sortie de l’école en 2011, elle a joué au Théâtre du Trident, à la Bordée, à Premier Acte, au Périscope, au Théâtre la Licorne, au Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, ainsi qu’en tournée à travers le Canada. On a pu la voir, entre autres, dans Le Projet Laramie au Théâtre du Trident, dans l’adaptation théâtrale de La Guerre des Tuques de Fabien Cloutier et dans L’art de la chute, projet qui la compte comme coautrice et pour lequel elle reçoit une nomination pour un prix d’interprétation. Elle a signé trois traductions pour le théâtre : Avant l’archipel d’Emily Pearlman, création dans laquelle elle joue et qui a connu plus de cent représentations, Beyond the Night Sky, une création des Nuages en pantalon et The Art of the Fall, traduction publiée de L’art de la chute aux éditions QC Fiction. Elle a également assuré la mise en scène d’une adaptation de Dans le bois de David Mamet en 2013, d’une création du Collectif du Vestiaire, Le Jeu, texte dePascale Renaud-Hébert, en 2017, ainsi que Princesse de personne de Pascale Renaud-Hébert. Plus récemment, on a pu la voir dans la tournée pancanadienne de Un.Deux.Trois. de Mani Soleymanlou. Danielle était de la distribution de Durant des années de Louis-Philippe Roy à l’automne 2023 et a créé, à l’écriture, mise en scène et interprétation, le premier chapitre de son projet de théâtre documentaire sur la langue française, Oh! Canada.
Photo Credit: Stéphane Bourgeois
Sophie Gee — Translator
Sophie is a director and creator of multidisciplinary work. Through her company Nervous Hunter, her works include Bonnes Bonnes (Théâtre Aux Écuries), Lévriers (MAI (montréal, arts interculturels), National Arts Centre, CAM en tournée), and The Phaedra Project (No! I! Don’t! Want! To! Fall! In! Love! With! You!) (MAI (montréal, arts interculturels)). Her directing work for other companies include Habibi’s Angels: Commission Impossible by Hoda Adra and Kalale Dalton-Lutale (Talisman Theatre), The Tropic of X by Caridad Svich (Imago Theatre), and Duos en morceaux for Théâtre INK. In January 2024, she was a directing consultant on Chimerica at Théâtre Duceppe where she directed the scenes in Mandarin. Alongside set and costume designer Eo Sharp, she recently completed Un an en défilés, a monthly series of participatory parades in Verdun to explore the act of walking together as a community over a year. Sophie is a graduate of the directing programme at the National Theatre School.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Cabrera
Evelyne de la Chenelière — Playwright
Écrivaine et comédienne, Evelyne de la Chenelière est une figure incontournable de la scène québécoise et de la dramaturgie contemporaine.
Ses pièces de théâtre, traduites et montées au Québec et au Canada comme ailleurs dans le monde, interrogent les limites du langage et l’expérience de l’écriture. En 2017, elle est finaliste pour le Prix Siminovich à l’excellence et à l’innovation en théâtre canadien, et reçoit en 2018 la distinction de Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres de la République française.
Parmi ses pièces, La vie utile, créée à Espace Go et présentée au Festival TransAmériques dans une mise en scène de Marie Brassard, a reçu le prix Marcel Dubé de l’Académie des lettres du Québec. Bashir Lazhar a fait l’objet d’une adaptation au cinéma par le cinéaste Philippe Falardeau, sous le titre de Monsieur Lazhar. Le film a été mis en nomination pour l’Oscar du meilleur film en langue étrangère. Son plus récent texte, Le traitement de la nuit, a été créé par Denis Marleau à Montréal et par Kornelius Eich à Francfort dans sa traduction allemande.
Régulièrement invitée à aborder sa pratique et les thèmes parcourant son œuvre, elle a participé comme conférencière à différents festivals de littérature et de théâtre à Mexico, Barcelone, Limoges, Toulouse, Paris, Édimbourg, Londres, Sarrebruck, ainsi qu’au Caire.
Elle a également donné des classes de maître et participé à des colloques (Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal, Université de Munich, Conservatoire de Tours, Université de Valencia, Université de Madrid, École Normale Supérieure de Paris).
Comme comédienne, on a pu la voir s’illustrer, entre autres, sous la direction de Marie Brassard, Daniel Brière, Jérémie Niel, Brigitte Haentjens, Florent Siaud, Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, et plus récemment le cinéaste Denis Côté.
Le parcours d’Evelyne de la Chenelière est marqué par une exploration formelle et un désir de questionner l’art vivant, tant par l’écriture que par le jeu. Sa singularité fait d’elle une artiste qui déjoue les attentes. Elle est présente dans les grandes institutions au Québec et à l’étranger, mais aussi dans le secret de leurs marges.
Photo Credit: Charlotte de la Chenelière
Maud de Palma-Duquet — Playwright
Maud de Palma-Duquet obtient son diplôme du Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Québec en 2012. La même année, elle participe aux Chantiers du Carrefour International de théâtre de Québec. Elle bénéficie également d’un mentorat d’écriture avec l’auteur Fabien Cloutier grâce à la mesure Première Ovation. La pièce qui en résulte, Enfant unique, est mise en lecture au théâtre Premier Acte. En 2013, elle participe à la soirée de clôture du Festival du Jamais Lu Québec en tant qu’autrice et comédienne. C’est dans le cadre de ce même festival, lors de l’édition montréalaise du printemps 2022, que son texte Bénévolat est mis en lecture pour la première fois. Cette pièce lui mérite le prix Gratien Gélinas et est présentée au Théâtre La Licorne en janvier et février 2024 avant d’être reprise en décembre. Comme interprète, on a pu la voir notamment dans Act of god, une production du Théâtre Niveau Parking, ainsi que dans Chante avec moi d’Olivier Choinière. Éternelle curieuse, elle a aussi étudié en droit et en journalisme à l’Université de Montréal.
Photo Credit: Paule Beaudoin
Tamara Nguyen — Playwright
Tamara Nguyen est autrice et conseillère dramaturgique. En 2016, elle obtient un baccalauréat en littératures de langue française et philosophie de l’Université de Montréal et en 2019, elle complète une formation en écriture dramatique à l’École Nationale de Théâtre du Canada. Sa pièce Légendes de canapé est montée par Héloïse Desrochers en 2020 au Théâtre des Béloufilles. En 2023, la pièce Bonnes Bonnes qu’elle a co-écrite avec Sophie Gee est présentée au Théâtre Aux Écuries. La même année, sa pièce Les papillons du littoral est montée par Claudia Chan Tak au Quai 5160. En 2024, sa pièce Maelström est mise en scène par Annie Ranger au Théâtre Aux Écuries. À titre de conseillère dramaturgique, Tamara a travaillé avec Claudia Chan Tak sur Au revoir zébu présenté à La Chapelle en 2022 et avec Stephie Mazunya sur la pièce S’enjailler qui est présentée au Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui en 2024. Tamara s’intéresse à la satire politique, à la manière dont l’art peut mettre un frein au défilement de l’actualité pour permettre une réflexion de fond.
Photo Credit: Maxime Côté
Linda Gaboriau — Translator
Translator and dramaturg, Linda Gaboriau has translated over 125 plays and novels from the French, including the works of Québec’s most prominent playwrights. Her translations of plays by Michel Marc Bouchard, Normand Chaurette, Daniel Danis, Wajdi Mouawad and Michel Tremblay have been published and widely produced across Canada and abroad. Her long collaboration with Michel Marc Bouchard has included the film adaptations of Lilies (1996 Genie Award, Best Motion Picture), The Tale of Teeka and The Girl King, directed by Mika Kaurismaki. Her theatre translations have garnered many awards across Canada. She has been a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Translation six times and she won this award in 1996 for Stone and Ashes (Daniel Danis), in 2010 for Forests (Wajdi Mouawad) and in 2019 Birds of a Kind (Wajdi Mouawad). Her most recent publication is with Talon: TWISTS OF FATE which includes the translation of two Michel Tremblay novels: AU HASARD LA CHANCE/IF BY CHANCE and LES CLEFS DU PARADISE/DESTINATION PARADISE. And soon to be published and premiered at Centaur Theatre: EMBRASSE/KISSES DEEP by Michel Marc Bouchard. For several years she was in charge of the dramaturgical workshops at Montreal’s Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CeAD) where she subsequently coordinated translation and exchange projects with English and Spanish-speaking countries. At the Banff Playwrights Colony she was an associate director, in charge of translation projects. From 2002-2007, she was the founding director of the Banff International Literary Translation Centre. Linda Gaboriau was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015 and an Officer of Ordre national du Québec in 2023.
Photo Credit: Josée Lambert
Olivier Choinière — Playwright
Depuis plus de vingt ans, Olivier Choinière œuvre comme auteur, metteur en scène et traducteur pour le théâtre. Il est co-directeur général et artistique de L’ACTIVITÉ, compagnie de création basée à Montréal. Diplômé en écriture de l’École nationale de théâtre en 1996, Olivier Choinière est lauréat du Prix Gascon-Thomas 2015 et du Prix Siminovitch 2014, remis à un auteur dramatique canadien.
Il se fait connaître avec Le bain des raines (1998), puis par Autodafé (1999), mis en scène par André Brassard. Ses pièces Venise-en-Québec (2006) et Nom de domaine (2013) ont été finalistes des Prix du Gouverneur Général du Canada. Félicité (2007) a été présenté au Royal Court Theatre de Londres. Plusieurs de ses pièces ont été traduites et ont été jouées au Canada, en Europe et en Asie.
En 2000, il fonde L’ACTIVITÉ, compagnie de création basée à Montréal, avec laquelle il met en scène près de 20 spectacles, dont Chante avec moi (2010), Mommy (2013), Ennemi public (2015), qui s’est valu le Prix Michel-Tremblay, Manifeste de la Jeune-Fille (2017), qui s’est vu récompensé par le Festival Primeurs ainsi que Zoé (2020), Prix Marcel-Dubé. 8 de ces spectacles prenaient la forme de déambulations sonores à travers la ville.
Olivier Choinière enseigne à l’École nationale de théâtre du Canada et donne fréquemment des conférences et des ateliers. Ses textes sont publiés chez Atelier 10, Leméac et Dramaturges éditeurs.
À travers ses œuvres, il explore différentes formes de représentations et cherche à donner un rôle actif aux spectateurs.
Photo Credit: Charles Lafrance
“Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal has completely transformed my experience of being an artist. Fatma Sarah Elkashef and I had our first dramaturgical conversation in 2018, and in a way, it hasn’t stopped. For the past five years, we have collaborated on two very different projects: a five character play with music about a rockstar family and the complicated legacy of our cultural icons, and a digital-hybrid solo show about power, coercion, and escaping a cult. We share a belief that how we make work is as important as the work itself. From ongoing dramaturgical conversations, to dramaturgical residencies (2022, 2023), to full-cast workshops (2020, 2021, 2023), to the Gros Morne Residency in Newfoundland (2022), Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal has provided me with unparalleled and essential support. I wouldn’t be the playwright I am today without this organization.”
– Scout Rexe
“Ever since my graduation from theatre school in 2015, Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal has been an invaluable support, both institutionally and personally. They supported further development of my solo show Miss Katelyn’s Grade Threes Prepare for the Inevitable, which went on to have over 75 performances in English and French, as well as my site-specific Everyone We Know Will Be There, which ran in residential houses in Edmonton in Calgary back in 2016. They’ve offered me ongoing access to an environment where I’m able to witness new play development in action. As a playwright, it can be rare to receive support that has no agenda, where your supporters’ only objective is to help you germinate a story that you yourself are happy with before anyone else. This has always been my experience with PWM, making it one of my favourite theatre institutions in Canada, and a place that I recommend to other playwrights enthusiastically and often.”
– Elena Belyea
“I really got involved in activities during the pandemic, searching for ways to stay creative and stay sane; I came across PWM’s call for submissions – online opportunities. PWM’s Digital Dramaturgy Initiative – Montreal residency in 2021 was my first experience and I had a wonderful and enlightening experience learning and deepening my understanding of theatre and the art of thinking and writing for theatre. I went on to also participate in:
PWM + MAI Joint Support for Artists (2021–2022)
Exploring Practice workshop – Spatial Dramaturgy: Developing an Urban Performance Practice with Shauna Janssen (Apr – May 2022)
Exploring Practice – The Dramaturgical Process: First Principles and Practical Applications with Andrea Romaldi (Jan – Feb 2023)
PWM X Arrivals Legacy Project (2023)
PWM’s Cross Cultural Adaptation Lab (Jul 2023 – Oct 2025)
I enjoy the fact that they always have interesting offerings for development and mentorship. I love the staff, as well as the individuals they bring in to facilitate workshops. They have all been down to earth, open, knowledgeable, and just fun to be around and speak to on a human level.
Having the opportunity to incorporate theatre and writing into my dance practice has been a very rewarding journey. I am grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend with both Sarah and Aki in conversation and for the relationships fostered. The individuals who make up an organization are important and PWM has wonderful individuals all throughout.
As I’ve been working on my first play, ‘Wild Roots’, PWM has been gently riding the wave, supporting my explorations and development in playwriting. I never feel pressured to present as anything or one other than me, allowing myself to feel the freedom to really find my own voice and solidify my own footing. That is huge for me.
In the end, what I can say is PWM, ‘Thank you for being a friend!’”
– Jamila Joseph
“For as long as I can remember, PWM has been an artistic and social hub of the community. One can always depend on great conversation and artistic exchange when you spend time there. As a young actor it was always a point of pride to be hired to read a new script in workshop: it was a wonderful job no matter how quickly you passed through their doors or how long you stayed; it has been some of the best training I have ever received as an actor. It taught me how to be clear and rigorous and respectful. As a playwright, I have received an incredible amount of support from the folks at PWM and would have never completed my last play without their belief in me. The relationship I have with PWM is a rare one. I have taken that and used it to build the artist I have always wanted to become. Dramaturgy received through PWM: The Tashme Project: The Living Archives and Mizushōbai- The Water Trade. Residencies through PWM: Gros Morne, ÉsterELLE- 2019. I have participated in endless workshops and a multitude of invaluable Master Classes, like playwriting with Daniel MacIvor, Carole Fréchette and Robert Chafe.”
“Without Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal, I would not have the career in theatre translation that I have. Nor would I have been able to sustain a career in Montreal as a playwright working in both English and French. PWM introduced me to the Francophone-theatre milieu as a potential translator in the 2010s. From there grew my familiarity with the agents and stakeholders of the milieu, which led to me serving as a kind of bridge between Anglophone and Francophone theatre in Montreal, a role I happily play today, along with a growing number of bilingual and multilingual artists who make their livelihoods in both English and French in this city.
I had my first experience with theatre translation in the PWM Translation Unit with Maureen Labonté in 2010-2011. That was when I initially started work on the translation of Amaryllis [Vipérine] by Pascal Brullemans. In 2016, I participated in PWM’s Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac for Amaryllis [Vipérine], this time with the guidance of Bobby Theodore. The book Amaryllis and Little Witch (Playwrights Canada Press) would later go on to be nominated for the Governor General’s Award for translation in 2021.
In 2013, I was the first ever recipient of PWM’s Cole Foundation Mentorship for Emerging Translators to translate Je n’y suis plus (Marie-Claude Verdier), which was workshopped and received a public reading at PWM. I would go on to mount a production, directed by Jen Quinn, at Toronto’s SummerWorks Festival in 2016, to great acclaim.
In 2018, Talisman Theatre commissioned the translation of Minuit by Marie-Hélène Larose-Truchon. Workshopped through PWM, it gave me the opportunity to benefit from the tutelage of the Grande Dame of Québécois-theatre translation, Linda Gaboriau, and also to journey to New Orleans, where we had a workshop with local actors and a public reading at the Southern Repertory Theatre.
In 2019, I participated in “Theatre Translation Workshop with Frank Heibert”, offered through PWM’s Exploring Practice program, to work on Marie-Claude Verdier’s touring play, Andy’s Gone (Playwrights Canada Press). The book was one of five selected in 2022 for Top Grade: CanLit for the Classroom, a program run by the Association of Canadian Publishers’ Children’s Committee.
In 2020, I was commissioned by PWM to translate Camille : le récit by Audrey-Anne Bouchard and Marc-André Lapointe and in 2022, Camille: The Story was produced at the Segal Centre, where it won a META Award for best production.
Having benefited from the tutelage and mentoring of the giants of Québécois theatre translation – Maureen Labonté, Linda Gaboriau and Bobby Theodore – PWM then deemed me ready to serve as a mentor to emerging translators. Since 2019, I have had the honour of being the translation mentor for Traductions Croisées, the program jointly organized by Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and Centre des auteurs.trices dramatiques (CEAD) to encourage the emergence of new translators for Québécois plays.
As part of the Traduction Croisées mentorship program (Introduction to Theatre Translation), I mentored Katherine Turnbull for her translation of La nuit du 4 au 5 by Rachel Graton, which was produced by Talisman Theatre in 2022. Katherine Turnbull was just selected as the 10th mentee for the Cole Foundation Mentorship for Emerging Translators.”
-Alexis Diamond
Other Worlds will be presented with as a Geordie Theatre mainstage production from September 29 – October 7, 2023.
A proud Montrealer, Alexis Diamond (she/her) is an anglophone theatre artist, opera and musical librettist, translator, dramaturg and theatre curator working on both sides of Montréal’s linguistic divide. She creates works for a wide range of audiences, from toddlers, to school-aged children, to all ages, to adults only, which have garnered awards, residencies, and attention at home and abroad. Alternately playful, poetic and profound, her texts and performances break open the stories we inherit and the myths we perpetuate, often to our detriment. She was a finalist for the 2020 Governor General’s Award for her translation of Pascal Brullemans’ plays for young audiences, Amaryllis and Little Witch (Playwrights Canada Press). Alexis is a member of the Board of the Conseil québecois de théâtre. She has a B.A. Honours in English and Creative Writing from Concordia University and an M.A. in English Literature from the Université de Montréal.
Headshot by Ron Diamond.
Even Gilchrist— Playwright
Even Gilchrist (he/him) is a theatre designer and creator based on Treaty 6 territory, located in amiskwaciy (or Edmonton, AB). He is a recent MFA Theatre Design graduate of the University of Alberta, and received his undergraduate degree in theatre from the University of Ottawa.
As a scenographer, his desire for creative processes lives in finding ways in which design is the catalyst of storytelling, rather than reactionary to the script, and was very much so the case in the creation of Re:Construct.
Recent design credits include: Boy Trouble (Production Design – Amoris Projects) and 10 Funerals (Set and Lighting Design – Shadow Theatre). Check out evengilchrist.com for more info on new projects!
Headshot by BB Collective.
Jasmine Dubé — Auteure dramatique
Cofondatrice et directrice artistique du Théâtre Bouches Décousues (TBD), Jasmine Dubé est comédienne, au- teure et metteure en scène.
Sa première pièce, Bouches décousues, a été jouée plus de 350 fois au Québec et en Europe. Petit monstre s’est méritée le prix de la meilleure production « jeunes publics » de l’Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre en 1992. La bonne femme a remporté trois Masques décernés par l’Académie québécoise du théâtre en 1996 : Production « jeunes publics », Texte et Mise en scène. Ma petite boule d’amour (2018), Le pingouin (2002), La mère merle (2000) et Le bain (1998) ont reçu le prix du public à Beloeil. La série Nazaire s’est retrouvée finaliste des prix Chronos 1997, en France et en Suisse. En 1998, l’album L’ourson qui voulait une Juliette a reçu le prix Alvine-Belisle, choix des bibliothécaires pour le meilleur livre jeunesse. Certains de ses textes sont traduits en anglais, portugais, espagnol, grec, innu-aimun et en italien.
En 1996, Jasmine Dubé a reçu le prix Arthur-Buies pour l’ensemble de son œuvre. En 1998, Artquimédia lui décernait l’Agathe de distinction pour son rayonnement artistique à l’échelle nationale et internationale et elle recevait de la Renaissance française, la médaille du Rayonne- ment Culturel. En 2006, TBD était le lauréat du Grand prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal pour « son apport immense à la vit alité et au déve- loppement du théâtre d’ici ». En juin 2010, on inaugurait la bibliothèque Jasmine-Dubé à Amqui. En 2013 elle recevait le Prix Raymond-Plante pour son travail exceptionnel en littérature jeunesse.
Headshot par Angelo Barsetti.
Émanuel Dubbeldam — Translator
Émanuel Dubbeldam is a queer and transgender franco-albertan artist based in Edmonton. He has been acting onstage and onscreen since his childhood and began working in the industry as a professional in 2010. With many years of acting, hosting, and emceeing under his belt, Émanuel also writes sketches, screenplays and stage plays in his two first languages.
Headshot by Liam Mackenzie.
François Grisé — Auteur dramatique
François Grisé est comédien et artiste multidisciplinaire. Sa pratique englobe les codes du théâtre, mais aussi de la performance, de l’installation et des arts visuels. En 2012, il fonde Un et un font mille pour accueillir ses créations hybrides: œuvres multidisciplinaire, événements, tableaux vivants et activités d’innovation sociale.
En 2017, il écrit Tout inclus, une pièce de théâtre-documentaire. Elle a enclenché un grand cycle de création et d’action face aux réalités du vieillissement. Dans son prolongement, il a créé le mouvement HABITATS, un espace d’innovation sociale et d’action citoyenne où l’on se pose activement la question : Comment voulons-nous habiter notre vieillesse?
Violeta Sarmiento Marabotto — Traductrice
Née à Mexico, Violeta Sarmiento est comédienne, diplômée du Centro Universitario de Teatro (CUT) de l’Université Nationale Autonome du Mexique (UNAM). Elle a aussi un diplôme en psychologie avec mention honorifique (UNAM).
De 2012 à 2014, elle suit le programme de maîtrise sur les méthodes de formation théâtrale pour les pratiques pédagogiques innovantes intitulé The New Face of Acting Teachers, sous la direction de Jurij Alschitz (UNAM). Elle a également une maîtrise en psychothérapie intégrale à l’Instituto de Psicoterapia Integral y Ciencias de la Salud en 2021.
En 2011, elle participe au séminaire sur la traduction de littérature dramatique francophone organisé par Boris Schoemann et Humberto Pérez Mortera.
En 2012, elle fonde l’Instituto Magia Producciones, où elle est traductrice, productrice, metteuse en scène et comédienne. Elle se spécialise dans la traduction en espagnol de la dramaturgie en langue française.
En 2018, elle est invitée à la rencontre internationale Dramaturgies en Dialogue, organisée par le Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD) à Montréal, en tant que productrice, traductrice et metteuse en scène.
Parmi les œuvres qu!elle a traduites, produites et jouées, on peut citer Portrait Chinois d’une imposteure de Dominick Parenteau-Lebeuf, Petite Sorcière de Pascal Brullemans, Huis clos de Jean Paul Sartre, qui a remporté le prix de la meilleure production au XIVe Festival National de Théâtre au Mexique en 2006. Iris tient salon de Dominick Parenteau-Lebeuf a été présentée de 2015 à 2020, y compris dans des festivals au Mexique et au festival Les Coups de Théâtre en 2018.
En 2022, Petite Sorcière a été en nomination par l’ACPT (Agrupación de Críticos y Periodistas de Teatro) dans deux catégories : meilleure pièce pour le jeune public et meilleure conception de mouvement. En 2016, Iris tient salon a été nominée par l!ACPT dans la catégorie : meilleure actrice révélation.
Entre 2014 et 2018 elle est membre de la troupe permanente de la Compañía Nacional de Teatro (CNT). À deux reprises, (2011-2012) et (2019-2020), elle reçoit la subvention gouvernementale du FONCA (Fonds national pour la culture et les arts) dans le programme Créateurs de scène.
Entre 2011 et 2013, elle a joué en espagnol les œuvres d’origine québécoise Forêts et Ciels de Wajdi Mouawad, sous la direction de Hugo Arrevillaga.
Sa formation multidisciplinaire comprend la musique, le chant, la danse et le théâtre. Dans le domaine vocal, elle a étudié les techniques de Bel Canto, Roy Hart et Linklater. Elle possède aussi une formation en danse classique et fait de fréquentes mises à jour des techniques contemporaines. Elle a fondé le groupe musical Expresso doble. Pendant cinq ans, elle a produit des spectacles et enregistré des chansons en studio.
Elle enseigneJeu réaliste à Casazul (École des arts du spectacle), de même que Voix et parole à la Casa del Teatro. De 2008 à 2016, elle a enseigné Expression du vers du Siècle d’Or espagnol au CUT-UNAM, et, en 2012, à CEUVOZ. Elle exerce également sa pratique comme psychothérapeute intégrale.
Charles Bender — Translator
Charles has been a regular presence at the helm of the Indigenous Day Live event and is the host of Sans reserve on APTN. We recently saw him as host of the National Truth and Reconciliation live event broadcast on CBC and APTN. He has also worked as host/facilitator for many aboriginal organisations or events across Canada.
As an actor, you might have caught him in Sioui-Bacon, Mohawk Girls or, more recently, as Joe Naveau in Eaux Turbulentes or Frère Brière in Pour toi Flora. On stage, he has worked with many companies with social justice as part of their mandate such as Teesri Duniya, Ondinnok and Tableau d’Hôte.
In 2015, Charles co-founded productions Menuentakuan, an indigenous theatre company invested in creating new paths of dialogue amongst indigenous and non-indigenous people in Canada. He has translated various plays by indigenous authors such as Where The Blood Mixes by Kevin Loring, Thuderstick by Kenneth T. Williams, Free as Injuns by Tara Beagan and alterNatives by Drew Hayden Taylor. He has just finished translating Maria Campbell’s Halfbreed and is currently working on translating Tomson Highway’s Permanent Astonishment. As part of his community involvement, he sits on a variety of boards and comities to make sure indigenous voices are represented and heard.
Developed plays include Governor General Award nominated works by Sean Dixon, Brendan Gall, Jonathan Garfinkel, Michael Healey, Joan MacLeod, and Hannah Moscovitch, and Governor General Award-winners Erin Shields and David Yee; eleven Dora Award Outstanding New Play nominees and three winners; and a Trillium Book Award winner. Throughout her career, Andrea has been a regular panellist for the Directors Lab North, and contributed a chapter entitled “Master Class: Dramaturgy and New Play Development” to the book The Directors Lab edited by Evan Tsitsias (Playwrights Canada Press 2019). She has mentored both graduate students and professional theatre makers through university training programs, internships, and play development programs at a variety of theatres. Previously, she has worked with Brian Quirt at Nightswimming and with Maureen Labonté and Neil Munro at the Shaw Festival, and contributed to Canadian Stage’s inaugural Festival of Ideas and Creation. Andrea also participated in workshops at the National Theatre Society (Dublin) while she pursued her MPhil in film and theatre at Trinity College, Dublin.
PWM is located on unceded Kanien’kehà:ka/People of the Flint (Mohawk Nation) territory. Tiohtià:ke/Broken in two (Montreal) is historically and presently a gathering place for many First Nations.