Why Artistic Directors choose the plays they choose...

Tonight I will be attending and to some degree participating in the following event:

YEG Reading & Panel Discussion - July 4, 2015 - (7 pm)The Space - Casavant Productions - 6776 - 99th Street - Edmonton

Come and join us for our final event of the inaugural APN RBC Emerging Artist Mentorship Program.

The event features a panel discussion with Edmonton Artistic Directors entitled "What Was I Thinking?". Panelists John Hudson(AD - Shadow Theatre), Heather Inglis (AD - Theatre YES) & Bradley Moss (AD - Theatre Network) will be discussing what goes into the selection of works for presentation at their theatre.

Following the panel discussion there will be staged readings of excerpts from the plays that were created as part of the mentorship program. Readings from Sarah C. Louise, Alison Neuman, & Kristen M. Finlay.

This event is open to the public, but seating is limited. To RSVP please email: trevor@albertaplaywrights.com

Despite being incredibly busy (perhaps too busy) I participated in the APN RBC Emerging Artist Mentorship Program this spring.  I was mentored by Kim McCaw and we had terrific conversations that I've taken as jumping off points for two scripts and hopefully many more to come.  There were fabulous tips and suggestions that made me think differently about what I was writing.  I'm having a section from my script The Water Beneath Her Feet read, and although I have a long way to go on that script, it was good to get back into it. I have a feeling that this is one of those scripts that will take me many years to finish.  It was great to have someone else look at what I had and ask me the right questions to get me moving on it again. We also talked about The Easy Road and I am so excited about what I want to do with that script now.  I have worked a lot on that script and it is probably the closest to production, but it is amazing what having a different set of eyes look at it can do (someone outside the workshop experience). When you are knee deep in something it can be hard to see it in a different way.  Kim's questions have energized me on this and as soon as Fringe is done I will be jumping back into it with both feet! 

Anyhow, feel free to come by tonight.  I am looking forward to the panel and am a little nervous about the reading, but it would be good to see you there!

How to Write a Play - APN Playwriting Circles

I don't know about you, but one of the things that I find most challenging about playwriting is the solitude - the being alone in it.  You have to do that part when you are actually writing, but I have found in the past that there are a few things that help me write better (or even at all).  The first is a deadline.  I write to deadlines and they help me considerably.  There's an important one coming up in a week and that has me motivated to get to work on a couple of my scripts.  That's the APC (Alberta Playwriting Competition) which has a March 1st, 2013 deadline.

The second is what produced The Easy Road - a 24 hour Playwriting Competition.  I have written two plays this way.  Ideas that noodled around in my head for months suddenly took shape and made their way onto the page.  I am glad that there are plans to repeat last year's Play in a Day so that I might get another play out of that.

The third is a Playwriting Circle.  APN hosts these on a yearly basis with one starting in Edmonton on February 25th.  I got a great deal of work done on Little Monsters last year and if I had the time this year I would be back for more (the challenges of directing one show at the same time as producing another make this impossible). What is great about the Circles is that there are built in deadlines to motivate you, and you get to meet with a group of playwrights, who just like you, are struggling to complete their work. And the topper is that you get a fabulous facilitator (Conni Massing in Edmonton) to help you.  Finally, at the end of the circle, you pick a section of your play and 'real' actors come in and there is a public reading where you can share the work you have done.  There is nothing more thrilling than hearing your words read well!

EDMONTON Playwrights’ Circle

February 25 to April 22, 2013 (Reading: May 6)Workshop West, Third Space
Staff Contact: Tracy CarrollCost: $300.00

CALGARY Playwrights’ Circle

March 6, 2013 to April 24, 2013Currie Barracks, Evergreen Rehearsal Studio
Wednesdays, 7-930pm
Staff Contact: Michelle KnealeCost: $300.00

For more information or to register in an upcoming playwriting circle, contact Michelle (Calgary) or Tracy (Edmonton) or call (403) 269-8564 or toll-free 1-800-268-8564.

There are other things that I use to motivate me to write, but these are my top three! 

Recharging the Creative Battery - Playworks Ink

This past weekend I had the wonderful experience of partaking in Playworks Ink, a drama conference with a particular focus on playwrighting as well as other theatre related skills. There were sessions directly related to playwrighting as well as movement, breath control, directing, and (from what I heard) a phenomenal workshop where you could learn the Catalyst Theatre process from the inside. This conference is run by Theatre Alberta and Alberta Playwright's Network and they managed to bring in world-class instructors who worked with the many participants of backgrounds ranging from enthusiasts, to drama educators, to emerging professionals to full-fledged professionals. I cannot speak to anyone else's experience but mine was fantastic and everything I needed to get me recharged.

My first session was with Karen Hines and in a jam-packed session on Friday afternoon I discovered 2 major things that will help me with my in-process script Girls in White Dresses. The activities she taught us are also ones that I can take and use again with the same script and others. Very valuable.

I spent all of Saturday with Daniel MacIvor. His session, Play Finding, was individualized. He worked with the 11 of us to pull out the best of what we had and push us on to the next step and for me, the next 2 or 3 steps. I have a new play to work on now from that. This session has me desperately trying to figure out how I can do his 3 day workshop in Banff in February. I'll be talking more about MacIvor this week. I got to interview him for this Blog about his upcoming show, This is What Happens Next, that opens at the Citadel this weekend. He also delivered a Keynote that spoke to theatre in a way that was refreshing and enlightening. A generous instructor, a charismatic speaker, and a thoughtful thinker - I cannot wait to see his show.

Sunday was the last of my three sessions. I got the low-down on how to market my work from Ken Cameron. For me this was the most scary workshop and perhaps the most valuable. I am not scared to delve deep for my work, but have me talk about it to a potential producer and I freeze up. I have a plan now and hopefully this will help me face me fears.

A wonderful weekend. It's every 2 years - which is a financial necessity for the organization, but I could go twice a year if it was possible!