Who We Are

PWM was the brainchild of Canadian playwrights Dan Daniels, Carol Libman, Eve Sevack and John Whalen, with the support of theatre artists Norma Springford and Doris Malcom of the Quebec Drama Association, and actors Walter Massey and Victor Knight.  The organization’s first mission was to tackle the then scarcity of English-Canadian plays and playwrights.  Soon after its conception, PWM became a leading voice in the creation of new plays.

Under Roy Higgins’ artistic direction in the seventies, PWM took steps to becoming a producing theatre and purchased a building in Old Montréal. However, the tension between production and development became too great and the project was quickly dismantled.

With a view to protecting the development process from production pressures, Bob White strengthened the organization’s focus on dramaturgy and development. Subsequent ADs Per Brask and Brian Richmond continued to build on this legacy and worked to expand the organization’s reach from coast to coast.

Artistic Director Rina Fraticelli added translation to PWM’s programming, advancing our artistic practice and expanding PWM’s reach.

Michael Springate, Svetlana Zylin, Michael Devine and Peter Smith succeeded Rina Fraticelli as artistic directors, each contributing to PWM’s profile both locally and nationally.

As Artistic Director, Paula Danckert increased PWM’s artistic stability by introducing the permanent position of Dramaturg-in-Residence. In 2006, with support from Briony Glassco, she established the Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac.

Under Emma Tibaldo’s leadership, PWM establishes the Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency in collaboration with the CEAD, the Cole Foundation Mentorship for Emerging Translators, and further developed the Glassco Translation Residency in Tadoussac which, to date, has translated 63 plays for the stage.

A landmark decision was made to abolish PWM’s membership structure during the 2018 Annual General Meeting. PWM was transformed from a member-based service organization to a nationally-mandated theatre development centre.

After a period of introspection, led by PWM’s board of directors in collaboration with Arts Consulting Group, PWM’s organizational structure shifted to better support our internal leadership. Fatma Sarah Elkashef, Artistic Director, and Lesley Bramhill, Managing Director, are established as the new co-leadership team. In 2022, Anne-Sophie Grenier joins PWM as Managing Director.