Dramaturgy in Sackville

CCTC director Kim McCaw travelled to Sackville, New Brunswick last month
to serve as dramatrug for a Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) script development workshop of John Spurway's Help Desk.

The CCTC and PARC have dynamic history of collaboration. The above photo is actually from the 2010 PARC Playwright's Colony - the rugged ambiance is due to the event's setting in Hessler Hall, a rehearsal space/prop storage room on the Mount Allison campus. Kim is sitting with Saskatoon-based playwright  Jennifer Wynne Webber, who was in Sackville as part of an exchange between PARC and the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre.

CCTC Director Kim McCaw has been a guest dramaturg at the PARC Colony for the past four years. Two of the plays he's worked on there, The Woodcutter, and The Cave Painter, both by Don Hannah, have been produced by CCTC as part of our annual Working Title Festival. The Cave Painter featured PARC Artistic Director Jenny Munday.

TYA Playwrights Circle 2012

The CCTC and Kompany Family Theatre are presenting a playwright's circle in the new year, open to those interested in writing theatre for young audiences:

2012 New Works for Young Audiences Playwright’s Circle 

Appropriate playwrights:
This circle is for playwrights (emerging or established) who are interested in developing work suitable for young audiences and/or families. The play can be at any stage of development – a full draft, a few scenes or even just an idea. A small group of no more than six playwrights will be selected to participate in this workshop based upon the suitability of their proposed work, their goals around developing their work and their desire to share the development process with others.

Playwright Circle elements:
Over the course of the full circle playwrights can expect to develop their plays under the guidance of established playwright, educator, director and dramaturg, Kim McCaw, as well as through feedback from other participants, readings by professional actors and reaction and feedback from your intended audience.

Acceptance & participation in the Playwright’s Workshop will include:

• Six ‘playwright’s circle style’ sessions lead by Kim McCaw (Canadian Centre for Theatre Creation) on Wednesdays from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. from January 18 to February 22, 2011 (Edmonton). 
• Workshop readings of your play (or scenes) in development by professional actors for a school and/or family audience. You will be given an honorarium for the use of your piece in this part of the process. 
• Consideration for future development and/or production by Kompany Family Theatre. 

Application Process:
Interested playwrights are invited to respond to the Artistic Director of Kompany Family Theatre (kompany AT telus.net) by January 4th 2012 with a short description of your play/idea, what you would like to accomplish over the course of the workshop as well as relevant background information about yourself. Chosen participants will be required to pay a fee of $150.00 for the workshop process and will be eligible for an honorarium for the use of their work with a school and/or family audience.

A Morning with PGC President Elyne Quan

The CCTC is excited to help welcome celebrated Canadian theatre maker Elyne Quan back to Edmonton, her hometown. Elyne, president of Playwrights Guild Canada, is in the area for the upcoming Playworks Ink conference, and our friends at Theatre Alberta have organized a session where theatre enthusiasts can gather to hear Elyne read some of her work and then ask questions. The event is free and open to the general public.

A Morning with PGC President Elyne Quan

Thursday, October 27^th

10:30am-11:30am

Board Room, Timms Centre for the Arts

87th Ave & 112th St, Edmonton

A bit more about Elyne from Playwrights Guild of Canada:

Elyne is a writer, actor, director and dramaturg. Originally from Edmonton, she now resides in Toronto.  She holds a MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University and a BA Honors degree in Drama from the University of Alberta. Writing credits include the Sterling Award winning Lig & Bittle (with Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull), Stray, Look Both Ways, Souvenirs of Home, Trust, What (Part III of Rice, Concrete Theatre), One Block Radius and a radio play, Direct Dial (CBC Radio). She was a KCACTF Region II New Play Winner and David Mark Cohen award - runner-up for Souvenirs of Home. Her latest play, Retrospective, was commissioned by the Canadian Centre for Theatre Creation (CCTC) in Edmonton and received workshop assistance from the Playwrights Theatre Centre in Vancouver. She is currently working on three new full-length plays, a TYA play, a TV series, and a graphic novel.

In addition to being a proud member of PGC, Elyne is also an alumna of the Prime Time TV program at the Canadian Film Centre and a member of CAEA.