Women`s Caucus - November 2014

Transcription

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WC Newsletter November 2014
(November 10, 2014)
In the November 2014 newsletter you’ll find:
The winner of the Bra d’Or Award;
An interview by Joy Fisher with Micheline Chevrier, Artistic and Executive Director of
Montreal’s Imago Theatre;
An update about the EIT project;
An update on the WPI 2015 Conference in Cape Town;
A message from WPI President, Lene Therese Teigen;
Calls and opportunities which may be of interest to members;
Member News. ***
A reminder to please contact me at [email protected] if you would be interested in:
Sharing Writing Tips and/or Prompts with your colleagues;
Writing for ‘Voices’, an initiative begun last year where members have a chance to
share memorable writingrelated experiences or ideas and issues relating to
playwriting: the good, the bad, the ugly, and WhoKnowsWhatElse. As always, if you have questions, ideas for articles you’d like to write, research you’d like to
undertake and/or present, a blog or article you’ve discovered and wish to share in the
Women’s Caucus Newsletter, or what you will, please contact me at [email protected]. This
is your newsletter. The next Women’s Caucus Newsletter will be published in December 2014. The
deadline for submission to the November Newsletter is Wednesday, November 26,
2014. Thank you.
A reminder: calls for submission are published regularly in CanScene PGC’s Membership
Newsletter – and, therefore, those published in the Women’s Caucus Newsletter will
continue to be more specific to our membership.
***
We Have a Bra d’Or Award Winner Every year, PGC’s Women's Caucus presents an individual in the Canadian theatre
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2ca5b5e280d1f81507240586d&id=18e9320c7b
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community with the Bra d'Or Award in recognition for her/his efforts in supporting and
promoting the work of Canadian women playwrights. Past recipients of the Bra d'Or are
Robert Metcalfe, Brian Quirt, Hope McIntyre, Katrina Dunn, Eric Coates, and Andy McKim.
Members of the Women’s Caucus have now voted and chosen the recipient of this year’s
2014 Bra d’Or Award. And the Award goes to… Mary Vingoe!!!
On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 the Bra d’Or Award was presented to Mary Vingoe
before the opening of Catherine Banks’ play It is Solved By Walking at RCA’s LSPU Hall in
St. John’s, NL. Catherine Banks has this to say about Mary Vingoe: "I can say unequivocally that no
theatre artist (male/female) in Nova Scotia has given women playwrights in our theatre
ecology more development than Mary Vingoe, as a director, playwright and Artistic Director.
Mary cofounded two distinguished Nova Scotia theatre companies, Ship’s Company Theatre
(to date has premiered 75 plays), and Eastern Front Theatre (a cornerstone of HRM’s
theatre community), and recently she founded HomeFirst (focusing on plays written by
women). Mary also has distinguished herself nationally as a founding member of
Nightwood (feminist theatre), and as founding Artistic Director of the internationally
respected Magnetic North Theatre Touring Festival."
Congratulations Mary!
***
Interview with Micheline Chevrier, Artistic Director of Imago Theatre in Montreal
Introduction to Micheline Chevrier & Imago Theatre
Micheline Chevrier has been the Artistic and Executive Director of Imago Theatre in
Montreal since July 2013, but she began her association with the theatre in January 2011
when she joined Imago as Associate Director. Previous to that, she had been Associate
Artistic Director at Theatre New Brunswick from 1990 to1992, Associate Dramaturg at
Playwrights Workshop Montreal from 1992 to 1993, Artistic Director of the Great Canadian
Theatre Company in Ottawa from 1995 to 2000, and Associate Artist at Canadian Stage in
Toronto from 2002 to 2004.
In addition to these positions, Chevrier has worked across Canada and abroad for more
than 30 years as a director and dramaturg. As a director, she has worked at such theatres
as the Shaw Festival, the National Arts Centre, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects,
the Citadel, the Globe Theatre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Manitoba Theatre Centre,
Canadian Stage, Young People’s Theatre, Geordie Productions, Imago Theatre, Theatre New
Brunswick and BeMe Productions (Barcelona and Munich). Her directorial credits include
works by Chekhov, Moliere, Shakespeare, Coward, and Virginia Woolf; Canadian
playwrights such as John Murrell, Wendy Lill, David Young, and AnnMarie Macdonald, as
well as several Quebec playwrights, including Michel Tremblay, Michel Marc Bouchard, Jean
Marc Dalpé, Francois Archambault, and Carole Fréchette.
Chevrier received a Betty Mitchell Award for Best Direction, two Capital Critics’ Awards for
Best Direction and Best Production, a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Production, and a
META for Best Direction. She has also directed and taught at the National Theatre School,
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Concordia University, McGill University, York University, Dalhousie, and University of
Alberta, among others. Imago Theatre was incorporated as a nonprofit company in February 1987. It is one of
Montreal’s longest running independent Englishlanguage theatre companies. Imago was
founded by Andres Hausmann. In 2000, Clare Schapiro took the reins, eventually sharing
them with Chevrier, and ultimately yielding them to her in 2013. Imago “produces thought
provoking works that reflect women’s voices and stories of our times.” It is a member of the
Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT); Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal
(PWM); Conseil Quebecois du Theatre (CQT); and Association des Compagnies de Theatre
(Act).
*
Q. What is the mandate/focus of Imago Theatre?
A. Well, it has always been to produce work that deals with, for lack of a better term,
current issues; so we’ve always showcased contemporary work. It’s not a theatre company
that produces Shakespeare or Oscar Wilde. So the plays are recently written, and right now
we’re focusing pretty much on plays that have been written within the last decade.
We have done some new work as well, but we rarely commission. Next year, we’ll be
working with a playwright from Montreal to do a creative collaboration, where the script will
be developed in a more devised, collaborative way.
More recently, we’ve been focusing on stories with a more feminine perspective, so most of
the playwrights we are producing, by default, are women. But it’s not exclusive. If we got a
story that reflected the feminine perspective but was written by a man, we would consider
it as well. And we are, more and more, going toward strong political content. By that I
mean that the play contains a really strong discussion, about both political and social
issues.
Another important factor is that we look for plays that come from different cultural
perspectives. The conversation should always have some intercultural perspective, as well
as a feminine one. Q. How many new Canadian plays does Imago Theatre do per season?
A. We do one full production a season. Usually an established play, not a new Canadian
play. We’re a tiny little theatre company. We’re trying to expand our activity to two
productions a year. This season, we’re doing a festival of play readings, and then a
production of an established play. Given that we are a small company with little means, it’s
very rare that we have produced new plays given the demands of the development of a new
work. It’s pretty challenging. We have premiered new translations in the past. In short, we
have limited resources to produce new work, unless we are in a partnership situation.
Q. What do great Imago plays have in common?
A. They deal with a current issue that has a strong social and political conversation within
them, but they also offer a great amount of “theatricality,” meaning plays that challenge
the form, that invite a high level of creativity and invention in their realization. I am also
drawn to strong characters in extraordinary situations. Last season, we produced Erin
Shields’ If We Were Birds. That is a perfect example of the kind of work we want to be
doing.
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Q. One special project listed for the 20142015 Season is a Festival of Readings to
mark the one hundred year anniversary of the First World War. I noticed that
most of the plays are by women playwrights despite the fact that the subject
matter is war. Can you talk a little about this project?
A. My idea was to reflect on the last century, since the start of the First World War, the
“war to end all wars”, which obviously was not the case. I wanted us to present plays that
explored the consequences of war, the victims of war, predominantly children, women and
the displaced. It just happened that five out of the six plays were written by women. It
wasn’t planned. We are collaborating with five other Montreal companies and they are each
presenting one evening, one play, which is within their mandate. For example, Geordie
Productions in Montreal is a TYA [Theatre for Young Adults] company, and they are
presenting The Sound of Cracking Bones, which is about child soldiers. It was written by
Suzanne Lebeau, a Quebecois playwright. I think it happened that way because we’re not
talking directly about warfare. We’re discussing the outcome of war – that war is a losing
proposition for everyone – there’s no such thing as ‘winning a war’. I wanted us to reflect
on that. All the plays are about contemporary conflicts, within the last 50 years or so.
Imago approached several independent theatres. These companies all have very different
mandates. I asked them whether they would consider having their artistic director or
someone else of their choice pick a play and direct a reading for the series. They all agreed.
Imago is curating the festival, so I chose the plays with them to make sure that there was
enough variety and that we could afford to do it! Imago is the producer as well as the
curator. We all participated in every creative decision regarding the readings, but everybody
is taking charge of casting, contracting, and overseeing the realization of the readings.
Imago doesn’t have its own space. Actually, none of the companies that we are
collaborating with on this project have their own space, so we are presenting it at the
Monument National in their Studio space in November. Q. With regard to the 20142015 Season, Imago’s website says: “Stay tuned,
more to come shortly.” In addition to the play reading series, how is the season
shaping up? A. I am presently in Edmonton directing a play called La corneille. This is a copresentation
with l’UniThéâtre in Edmonton. I approached the artistic director, Brian Dooley, about this
play, since I had met the playwright in Montreal. Imago commissioned the translation, and
then partnered with l’UniThéâtre to present the original French version in Edmonton, with
myself as director. So that’s part of our season. We will also be doing a public reading of
the translation in Montreal in December.
Our full production this season is Random, by U.K. playwright Debbie Tucker Green. This
will be a coproduction with Black Theatre workshop, presented in March 2015. A friend who
had seen it in London told me about this piece and said it was the best theatre she had
seen in years, so, of course, I looked into it, got a copy of the play, read it and fell in love
with it. It’s a piece that is performed by a solo black female actor who plays multiple roles.
It’s a play Green wrote in response to the random stabbings that were happening in London
in 2008 due to gang violence in urban centres. The play is the story of a family, of a young
kid who goes to school one day and is stabbed as part of a gang war encounter, and dies.
And the family deals with it. It’s beautifully poetic; it’s really, really moving, and I thought it
would be a perfect match for us to do a copro with Black Theatre Workshop. Quincy
[Armorer], the Artistic Director of Black Theatre Workshop, wanted to expand his activities
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during the year, and so, for the first time, they are actually producing two plays. This
coproduction is allowing both companies to do more.
We are presenting it at the MAI, the Montreal Arts Interculturels. Q. The website indicates that Clare Schapiro is coordinating a new project on
behalf of Imago to form a coalition of companies to create a permanent home for
the Englishlanguage theatre community. Can you talk about this project?
A. Clare, who is the past Artistic Director of Imago, started this a long time ago. The aim is
to find a home for six independent theatre companies in Montreal. It is about us finding
space for office and for creation. Originally we wanted to add performance space, but it’s
proven difficult to get the support of the different government levels for that. So, now we
have an actual building that the city has promised us, which will be able to house the offices
of six companies and two major rehearsal spaces, one fully equipped so that we can
actually rehearse with tech, a space that can also be used for readings for a limited
audience. The plan is that we will probably be moving in there by 2016. The aim was to
have a home where these independent Anglophone companies could share resources and
try to partner on more projects. And to also have a place that will be recognized as the
home of the independent English theatre community.
Q. Can you talk about the Artista project?
This was a dream of mine in terms of activities that Imago could undertake. I wanted us to
be present in the community in more ways than producing shows, and that’s what we’re
trying to do. This is a youth mentorship program aimed at young women between the ages
of 16 and 21 who are in need. “In need” can mean many things: in need of a place where
they feel safe to create and express themselves; in need because they are financially
challenged (this is a free program); in need because they feel they want to have a career in
theatre and wish to connect with the professional community; or in need of finding such a
program when there might be none in the community where they live. This year – our first
– we have seven participants. They’re all amazing; they’re all of different cultural, financial,
and social backgrounds. This is led by our artistic and administrative associate at Imago
and by a member of the professional community. It takes place over a period of 13 weeks.
Participants create their own work and then present it. Each participant has their own
personal mentor, a professional female artist from the community. They also have people
who come to teach them specific workshops – script analysis, some movement work, some
vocal work.
We just did an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for it and we reached our goal of
$10,000. We’re pretty happy. We’re learning a lot. There are a few things we’re going to
adapt and change. Every Monday, the participants and mentors meet and have dinner
together from 5 until 6, and then they work from 6 until 9.
I’ve always wanted to reach out to young women. Giving them a place where they can
express what they feel and are encouraged to do so is very important. I want them to know
that they have a right to speak and be heard. For some women that realization can come
late, especially for young women who are trying to find their place in the world. Theatre is
one of the best ways to do that. When Joy [RossJones, Artista’s Program Coordinator]
joined our team last year, she mentioned how much she loved teaching, how close to her
heart that was, I thought: “This is serendipity: Joy should create this program with us and
make it happen.” http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2ca5b5e280d1f81507240586d&id=18e9320c7b
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Q. How does Imago develop new plays? How do you decide which plays you are
going to develop?
A. I do get plays in the mail once in a while. It’s great that I don’t very often because I
work parttime at Imago and I don’t have much time to read new works or works from
people interested in getting them produced. In terms of new work, we definitely favour
Montreal playwrights, no doubt about it. If I’m going to produce a new work, chances are
pretty high that it’s going to be a Montreal playwright. And the subject matter (how it fits
our mandate) is what’s going to tip the balance. I try to figure out ways to present as many works as we can, and the only way to do that is
in partnership. We have a very small operating budget, and it limits us. But with a partner,
our resources increase. Q. How often does Imago premier a new Canadian play with a full production? A. Extremely rarely. I would like to change that, but I would need to partner with another
company that has more resources than we do. We already have a partnership with
Playwrights Workshop Montreal. They’ve been incredibly supportive. Last year, we worked
on developing a piece called The Peace Maker. We workshopped it at Playwrights Workshop
Montreal and then presented a public reading of it. I invited a couple of artistic directors
from Montreal, in the hopes that they would be interested in producing it with us. The story
takes place in Israel and Palestine: we follow a young Canadian Jewish woman as she goes
on her birthright. Given the content and that we have a very committed theatregoing
Jewish community in Montreal, I thought maybe the Centaur or the Segal might be
interested in presenting it. So far, no bites. Q. Is there a place at Imago for playwrights from other provinces?
A. Oh, absolutely. For example, we’re doing Debbie Tucker Green, who’s from the U.K. In
this case, we had an amazing Montreal actor for this play. We’re not “playwrightcentric.”
We are “artistcentric.” Random is great, but the reason I’m producing it is that we have a
Montreal actor who is perfect for the part.
Q. I didn’t see submission guidelines on your website. Do you accept unsolicited
submissions? What’s the process for submitting plays to your theatre?
A. When I read over your questions, I thought I should probably say something about that
on the website. I love when people write to me and say, “I have this play and this is what
it’s about,” and give me a sense of the content of the play and the history of the play and
tell me why it’s a good match to Imago. Then, depending on what’s going on with us, I can
say, yes, please send the play along. I need to express that on the website. I should
probably say I prefer getting a personal email and then a short description of what the play
is about, where it’s at, what the playwright hopes to do with the piece. All of that is
extremely informative and helpful.
Q. What happens to a script that is sent to you? What is the process you go
through reading new scripts?
A. I read it. I’m the one. I read it and then I write back and probably say (in most cases so
far), thanks, it’s not going to happen at Imago. I might say I have ideas where this script
could go, if I think it’s a good match, potentially, with other Montreal companies. Because
I’m alone – at the best of times we’re two – it’s really hard to give it full attention. So, I
don’t give feedback, I don’t evaluate it. I simply say if we’re interested or not, and that’s it.
Q. Do you personally like to read a play in the early stages or when it is farther
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along? Why?
A. I’m happy to read it in the early stages, but I’m not interested in dramaturging it. I do
not have the resources or the time. I don’t care what stage it’s at because I will make a
decision based on the content and maybe a sample of the writing, if I don’t know the
playwright’s writing.
Q. Approximately how many plays come across your desk each year? Roughly
how many are submitted by women playwrights?
A. I would say up to 10 plays cross my desk each year. About half right now are submitted
by women playwrights. It seems to be on the increase now, more and more women,
because, I think, people are starting to understand who we are, that we are focusing on
that perspective. I think it’s a perspective that’s lacking on our stages. Q. Do you have any general comments about your contact with playwrights? What
works for you and what makes you a little crazy or turned off? How soon after a
playwright submits a script do you want to get a followup call/email and do you
prefer a call or email?
A. Email is my first choice because it gives me a chance to respond when I can. A phone
call would be hard because I’m in and out of the office so much.
It’s great when they know what we do. When they’ve looked at our website, looked at the
plays we’ve produced in our recent past, understand our mandate and our activities, read
our blog. When they’ve really researched the company, so they know what we’re after, that
helps. Then they can see if their play how their play would fit and write to me because
they think there is a match.
What turns me off completely is someone who doesn’t do that. I’ve had people send me
stuff that didn’t even remotely fit the mandate, and I’ve written back a very curt message
saying: “Perhaps you should find out about our company before you send your work to us.”
And, of course, I didn’t read it. Again, no time.
Q. What is the single most important thing you are looking for in a new play?
A. I guess it’s the importance of the story. Why are we talking about this right now? I
respond to the urgency and the importance of the story. And of course, to the quality of the
writing. It’s hard to write a play, much harder than writing a novel, frankly. Finally, I would
say that, as a director, I like a certain degree of theatrical invention, when the playwright is
playing with form. I’m not as interested in a naturalistic piece: I love it when we’re using
theatre in an imaginative way to tell a story.
Q. What plays did you read last year that really excited you?
A. The one we produced last year, If We Were Birds, by Erin Shields. That really excited
me. Random is one that really excited me when I first read it. And I just read a piece by
Colleen Murphy called Pig Girl. It really excited me. When the playwright is not only dealing
with challenging content, but is also challenging the form itself, that excites me. Q. What is the demographic of your audience? Age? Gender?
A. That’s a really interesting question. I think it’s shifting. Certainly, on our last production,
If We Were Birds, we had a very young demographic. Kids in college, at university, in their
20s. And then we have people who are 40s, 50s. People who are looking for edgier content
than the established Montreal theatres might provide. We are building our audience right
now. Because we produce so little every year, we can’t establish a consistent relationship
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with an audience, and so each project is a very specific outreach. We reach out to schools –
high schools, colleges, and universities. We do a lot of outreach to groups, depending on
what the play is addressing. Social media has become, of course, an important way to reach
people. Audience members who are over 60 and come to see us, know us. I’m thrilled when
they come, but we can’t make that our target audience: other theatres already speak to
that demographic. No need to compete there.
No specificity when it comes to gender or ethnicity unless we’re doing something like
collaborating with Black Theatre Workshop. Age is more of a factor for us, not gender or
cultural background. There, our reach is broad.
Q. What plays have been popular in the past?
A. If We Were Birds was the topselling show at Imago. There are many reasons for that.
Great play to begin with, and, if I can say so myself, a strong production. We produced it at
the Centaur Theatre as part of the “Brave New Looks” series, and it was in the fall. I have
learned over the years that people want to go to the theatre in October! We had a very
large cast. There’s something about seeing lots of people on stage (or at least more than
2), seeing something epic, and the story itself is epic. So there was something about the
theme and the size of the conversation that attracted people. Q. What keeps you working in the theatre?
A. I go back to the necessity to tell what I call important stories. Stories that need to be
told, that need to be heard. A conversation that needs to happen about a particular subject.
If there is an exploration of the form added to a challenging issue, suddenly people revisit
that topic in a different way and want to talk about it. It sounds really grand, but I believe
the only way to change the world is to understand it and the only way to understand it is to
learn about it, and I think theatre can be an amazing tool for people to learn about
situations that they may not be aware of, that they may not understand, that they may be
afraid of. And I think theatre has a way of introducing it without being dogmatic. So, I do
this work because I think we need to tell stories to make the world a better place to live. Joy Fisher is a graduate of the writing program at the University of Victoria and has been a
member of the Playwright's Guild of Canada since 2013. ***
An Update about Equity in Theatre (EIT)
Submitted by Rebecca Burton
Background: Partnering with the industry’s major stakeholders, EIT is a new and inclusive
initiative designed to help redress existent gender inequities in the theatre industry.
Although women form the vast majority of theatre school graduates, support workers,
amateur practitioners, and audience members, when it comes to key creative roles in the
sector (such as AD, director, and playwright), their numbers diminish substantially,
dropping below 35%. With funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts
Council, and the Trillium Foundation, EIT will work for change: fostering dialogue,
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generating greater awareness of and exposure to Canadian women playwrights, and
developing community actions that will help rectify industry imbalances. This is to be
achieved via a multifaceted and multipartnered response involving the community as a
whole. For additional context and information about the EIT project, click here.
Update: Equity in Theatre officially launched nationally on September 19th with an online
action of support that attracted the attention of people all across the nation and beyond.
Regional launch events followed in Toronto (which featured a chalk bombing of the
downtown west side), Victoria (with Intrepid Theatre hosting an evening of excerpted play
readings), and Vancouver (presenting a moderated panel discussion about diversity issues
at the Playwrights Theatre Centre). All of these events were successful, spreading the word
about EIT, while also attracting supporters, and helping formulate future action plans.
Nova Scotia’s EIT event, originally announced for November, has been rescheduled to
coincide with SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day at the end of March 2015. Plans are
also in the works for events in Calgary (February 2015), Edmonton (March 2015), and
Ottawa (May 2015). Stay tuned for info about these and other events in the near future.
Want to Host An Event? We would love to have a blitzkrieg effect of events happen all
across the country, so if you would like to facilitate, arrange, and/or participate in an event
in your area, contact Rebecca and/or Jennie for assistance with setting that up.
*
Other Items of Import:
Research Study: Dr. Michelle MacArthur has been contracted by EIT to conduct a
preparatory research study about equity initiatives that have taken place in the past, in
other countries, and in other industries. She will compile the results and write a “best
practices” report with recommendations that will serve as a foundational framework for the
EIT project. Dr. MacArthur’s work will ensure that we do not waste time repeating past
mistakes, but rather that we capitalize on the successes of other people, places, and ideas.
Symposium: We will be hosting an industrywide Symposium in Toronto in April 2015
(which will be livestreamed to increase access for those who cannot attend in person).
Facilitated by Context Consulting, the Symposium will bring together audiences, artists, and
stakeholders to identify barriers and hashout possible solutions, all of which will contribute
to a firstdraft strategic plan for improved equity in the industry as a whole.
Website: The EIT website (www.eit.playwrightsguild.ca) should be up and running by March
2015. It will house a myriad of items (a calendar of events, equity tool kit, etc.) and act as
an informational hub. If you identify as a woman theatre practitioner, make sure that you
are included in EIT’s database of Canadian women artists, which will provide a resource for
the larger community (e.g. countering the perception that there aren’t that many women
playwrights). To make things as simple as possible, we can take your profile from the PGC
website and copy it into the new EIT database if you sign and return the Database
Transfer Permission Form included below (scanning and sending the form back to
the PGC by email is just fine).
*
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PGC PROFILE DATABASE TRANSFER PERMISSION FORM
I, __________________________________, hereby grant Playwrights Guild of Canada
(please print name)
permission to copy my profile (biography and photo) from the PGC website in order to post
it on the new Equity In Theatre (EIT) website.
__________________________________ _______________________________
(Signature) (Date) *
Want to Get Involved? If you would like to get involved with EIT, or learn more about the
project, contact Rebecca Burton or Jennie Egerdie by email or phone (#4167030201).
***
Victoria’s Intrepid Theatre, led by Janet Munsil, will launch its New Play Reading
Series with a focus on the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Equity in Theatre Initiative. The
first six months will feature readings by six women playwrights. Information on Reading
Number One in the series follows.
Mad Lady Peel: The Funniest Woman in the World
Written by Kirsten Van Ritzen
Tuesday, November 4 at 8pm, Intrepid Theatre Club – 1609 Blanshard (at Fisgard)
Admission by donation. Seating is limited. ***
WC Members and The Women Playwrights International (WPI) Conference 2015 in
Cape Town, June 29 to July 2, 2015
More news has come in from Caucus Members invited to attend the WPI Conference 2015
in Cape Town as playwright delegates and workshop presenters. I’ve also heard from
Caucus members who are interested in exploring the possibility of attending the conference
in other capacities. For Conference Information: To register or learn more about the 2015 WPI Conference
in Cape Town, please check out the conference website: www.wpiconference.com. http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2ca5b5e280d1f81507240586d&id=18e9320c7b
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For additional information regarding Women Playwrights International:
http://wpic.riksteatern.se/Facebook
Caucus Members who have indicated they’ve been invited to attend:
Flora StohrDanziger, who lived and studied in Cape Town for many years, has
been invited to attend the conference with her play Welcome Home, a sequel to her
script Behind the Yellow Door, previously performed in Cape Town.
Tara Goldstein was invited to present three workshops. Unfortunately, she is
unable to attend.
Gail Nyoka has been invited to attend the conference in Cape Town as a playwright
representative with her play My Bones Shall Rise Again.
Talia Pura is invited with her play, This I Have Believed. She is also presenting a
workshop on devised theatre for social justice issues.
Marcia Johnson is invited to present her workshop: ‘Making the Actual Theatrical’.
Beverley Cooper is invited to copresent a workshop: ‘Sculpting Plays from True
Life Stories’. Sally Stubbs is invited with her script Centurions and to copresent the workshop:
‘Sculpting Plays from True Life Stories’. Seeking Funding Assistance: Some funding assistance for playwright delegates and
workshop presenters may be available from The Canada Council for the Arts (Travel Grants
to Theatre Artists). If you are aware of other funding sources which may be available to
assist Canadian playwrights to attend the Cape Town WPI Conference, please be in touch
and I’ll put the word out. Are there more of you out there who are invited or contemplating attending? If so,
please do be in touch. As I noted in the September newsletter, Canadian participants have
been a strong and unified presence at the WPI Conferences I attended: Mumbai (2009) and
Stockholm (2012). We supported one another in a variety of ways, some of us shared
accommodation, and a few went on tours together after the Conferences. I hope we’ll see
some variation on that happen again in Cape Town. *
Messages from Lene Therese Teigen of Norway, and President of Women
Playwrights International (WPI)
Recently, Lene Therese Teigen, the President of WPI (Women Playwrights International),
sent out a passionate call for help to members and friends of WPI as Marili Fernandez
Ilagin, a long term colleague and friend to many and a member of the WPI Management
Committee, was battling Stage 4 breast cancer with bone metastases. We were asked to
put the message out to those who knew Marili and/or who might wish to help with
donations to support her medical care. I had that message in this month’s newsletter, but
removed it this morning upon receiving another email from Lene informing us that Marili
died. For those of you who knew Marili:
Hello All,
11/14
3/31/2015
Sadly Marili Fernandez Ilagan died on Wednesday morning. Thank you to all who have given
money for medical costs. If you want to give your condolences to the family the email
address to her husband is [email protected], his name is Boni Ilagan.
I will send a letter on behalf of WPI internationally.
All the best, Lene Therese Teigen
WPI President
***
News and Opportunities
Jewish Women’s Theatre Culture Klatch (2015 Season, Los Angeles, CA) – Gathers
women in homes to listen to new stories and share thoughts, while enjoying coffee and
dessert! Seeking submissions of plays, monologues, poems, essays, stories, songs, etc.
that have an element of Jewish resonance and feature women or a woman’s point of view.
Works may be of any length, but short oneacts (10 minutes maximum) and monologues (7
minutes maximum) are preferred. Plays should be topical for the 21st century and have
small casts. Previously produced or published work is welcome (include production and/or
publication history). Submissions should address the season’s themes: March salon
“Uncuffed:” This funny, poignant, perfect for Passover show explores how Jewish women
break the ties that bind.; May Salon “Reckoning with Dad:” Whether we love or hate the
father figures in our lives, there comes a time when we must make war or peace with
them. Be prepared for an evening that is as often brutal as it is amusing. Any
preconceptions are sure to be upended with this hilarious and provocative show of newly
commissioned pieces. Submissions should be in Word, PDF, or Final Draft format; include
cover letter with brief bio and history of the material (if applicable). NO FEE. Jewish
Women’s Theatre, 521 Latimer Rd., Santa Monica, CA 90402,
[email protected], www.jewishwomenstheatre.org. Deadline: November 1, 2014 (evening 2), December 1, 2014 (evening 3)
*
Artemisia’s Fall Festival (Fall 2015, Chicago), submitted by Rebecca Burton – Seeking
plays that are full length and must be carried by a woman. We require a leading, female
protagonist. Artemisia produces plays that empower women. Due to the number of
submissions we receive, submission is limited to ONE play per writer. If you submit more
than one play, your submissions will NOT be considered. Fulllength is defined by a playing
time of 90 minutes or more. Published plays and oneacts DO NOT meet Artemisia’s
guidelines and will NOT be accepted. We are unable to accept snail mail submissions.
Please submit your play as a single file PDF attachment (no other format will be accepted)
to [email protected]. $10 FEE.
Deadline: January 15, 2015
*
Canadian Woman in the Literary Arts Call for Essays Any topic pertaining to the
literary arts by Canadian female writers of any genre. Accepted essays will be published on
the CWILA website and receive a $150 honorarium. Submissions should include a bio (50
words) and either the complete essay or a short description (250 words) of the proposed
work, all in PDF format.
12/14
3/31/2015
Deadline: ongoing www.cwila.com/wordpress/call–for–essays<http://playwrightsatlantic.us1.list
manage.com/track/click?
u=0206645a5d345bf62e58a6f00&amp;id=786443c67f&amp;e=1a1456a32f>
***
Member News
AWARDS, PRODUCTIONS, READINGS, AND WORKSHOPS
If you have received an award, have been shortlisted for an award, have published a play
or scenes from a play and/or have a production, reading or workshop coming up, please let
me know at [email protected] and I’ll be sure to include it in the next newsletter. Reminder: next deadline for submission is Wednesday, November 26, 2014. Please
limit your news to the details, i.e., a brief description of your project with websites or
contact numbers for additional information. See below for examples. Please note that I
can no longer publish member news that is forwarded in long press releases or
posters. I simply don’t have the time to rewrite submissions. Thanks. OCTOBER At the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Awards ceremony on the evening of
the 27th of October, Colleen Murphy received the Carol Bolt Award for her play Pig Girl. Congratulations Colleen!
Janet Munsil is one of four playwrights nominated for the Governor General’s Literary
Award for Drama. Her nominated play: That Elusive Spark. Congratulations Janet!
Rita Shelton Deverell’s chapter Vocal Scholaristry: Giving Voice to the Art, Craft,
Effectiveness, and Excitement of Speechmaking is included in the October 2014 published
book, Performing Scholaristry, $39.95, www.backalongbooks.com. Twenty authors reflect
on issues, dilemmas, provocations and inspirations associated with imagining, designing,
creating and performing nontraditional, innovative research projects.
Penn Kemp has been appointed 201415 WriterinResidence for Creative Age Festival,
London, ON. NOVEMBERDECEMBER
Urban Stages presents the U.S. and OffBroadway premiere of Trina Davies’ Shatter. October 18 through November 16, 2014 Limited engagement. More info: http://urbanstages.org/. Before Hiroshima: Halifax. A World, a town, a romance can
shatter in an instant.
Catherine Frid's new play Burying Toni will premiere at Toronto's Alumnae Theatre as part
of Alumnae's Fireworks Festival, running from November 13 29 (in rep).
Sandra Dempsey has been invited to read from her published drama Flying To Glory at
the Mimico Library during Remembrance Week. Details are: Flying to Glory ©
performancereading, Mimico Centennial Branch Public Library, 47 Station Rd., Toronto,
Wednesday, November 5, 7:00pm Free Admission! #4163945330.
13/14
3/31/2015
Sally Stubbs’ play Centurions receives a workshop and public reading at Nanaimo’s
Theatre One as part of Theatre One’s Emerging Voices program at Harbour City Stage on
Tuesday, November 18, 8 pm. Director: Nicolle Nattrass. Leanna Brodie was chosen as one of five playwrights for the Playwrights Theatre Centre’s
2014 Playwrights Colony. During a ten day residency in December, Leanna will be working
on Turbulence, a verbatim documentary on the subject of wind turbines. Happy writing!
Sally & Rosie
Sally Stubbs, Chair
Rosie Fernandez, Deputy Chair
[email protected]
(back to top)
Playwrights Guild of Canada uses this email list to distribute messages to its members, including CanScene,
member news and calls for submissions, messages from the President, and special notices and
announcements.
Our mailing address is:
Playwrights Guild of Canada
401 Richmond St. W
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Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
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Copyright (C) 2013 Playwrights Guild of Canada All rights reserved.
14/14

Women`s Caucus - November 2014

Transcription

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