The Citadel Theatre is excited to announce a call for Participants for our Playwrights Lab 2023 – 2024. This season long program has been in place since 2017- 2018 (with a hiatus in 2020-2021 due to COVID), focusing on Edmonton and Alberta playwrights writing Large Scale Productions suitable for the two Mainstage spaces at the Citadel: the Shoctor and the MacLab Theatres.
This year is unique, as we will solely focus on new theatrical Adaptation projects. These projects may include stories that are in the public domain, or could be based on source material like novels, short stories, non-fiction, graphic novels, albums, films and screenplays and other plays like Shakespeare.
The Lab forms part of the Citadel’s multi-faceted approach to new play development, which encourages largevision projects and dynamic collisions of different artistic mediums.
Our work is inclusive, reflecting the diversity of our communities and featuring a breadth of new stories, voices, and perspectives. We support innovative new plays that will excite both the artists that work on them and the audiences who take them in. Our vision is international, while retaining an emphasis on Edmonton and Albertabased artists and stories – placing them in the international spotlight.
THE PROGRAM
The Citadel Theatre offers a Lab-style program to support 4 playwrights, as they build a new full-length play or book for a musical project, suitable for production on one of the Citadel’s Mainstage spaces. Writers will meet regularly as a group, led by Associate Artistic Director Mieko Ouchi, culminating in readings of the four plays or portions of the four plays with professional actors. This year the readings will happen at the 2024 Collider Festival.
This program will take place from October 2023 to June 2024. We are anticipating a mix of both online and in person meetings throughout the year. We anticipate the readings of the four plays to happen in person.
Participants will be paid a $2750 honorarium.
APPLICATIONS
We invite applications from Edmonton and Alberta playwrights who have already completed at least two full length plays (1 hour long minimum each), and who would like to work on a new Large Scale play over the 2023/24 Season. While we encourage people of all ages to apply, this program is not built to support writers at the beginning of their writing journey. Applications should be a maximum of four pages, and should include:
- A biography or résumé
- A letter outlining the applicant’s specific interest in the Lab and why this program and our spaces feel like a good fit for the project you are proposing to work on. This letter must include a 300-500 word project description for your new play idea.
- If the work is not in the public domain, permission of the original creator or rights holder must accompany the application.
- A rough schedule/sense of the applicant’s availability throughout the upcoming theatre season and for the Collider 2024 Dates – April 26-28 2024
- Any access needs required for participation.
EQUITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
We wish to acknowledge that the land on which we live and work is Treaty No. 6 territory and a traditional meeting ground and home of the First Nations, including both the treaty signatories – Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Stony and Cree-Iroquois – as well as other Indigenous peoples, such as the Blackfoot and Métis, who occupied this land. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live, create and perform on this territory.
The Citadel Theatre is in the heart of amiskwaciwâskahikan ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Edmonton, AB), and we are proud to call Treaty 6 Territory home. As a regional theatre, it is integral that we ensure that the stories we tell, as well as the composition of our artists, board, staff, students and audience are reflective of the diverse lived experiences in this dynamic city. We strongly encourage submissions from artists who self-identify as members of under-represented communities. If there are barriers (language, disability, or any other consideration) about the process preventing you from submitting, please let us know and we will work with you to overcome them. For more on Citadel Theatre’s Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity commitments, please visit: https://bit.ly/CitadelEDIArtisticPostings
SAFE WORKPLACE CULTURE
Citadel Theatre commits to providing a welcoming and safe experience for all artists, including clear workplace harassment policies. In situations where cultural safety and knowledge is needed as part of facilitating conversation, Citadel commits to working with third-party affinity counsel.
SUBMISSION
Citadel Theatre is accepting applications for the Playwrights Lab until Friday September 29, 2023. Please submit up to four pages (PDF format) to: mouchi(at)citadeltheatre.com, Subject: Playwrights Lab.
The Citadel Theatre strongly encourage submissions from performers who self-identify as members from under-represented communities. If there are barriers (language, disability, or any other consideration) about the process preventing you from submitting, please let us know and we will work with you to overcome them.
SELECTION
Artists will be selected by a panel of Citadel Theatre staff, including:
- Daryl Cloran, Artistic Director
- Mieko Ouchi, Associate Artistic Director
- Kristi Hansen, Associate Artist
All applicants will be informed of results via email mid October 2023