The Citadel Theatre is excited to announce a call for Participants for our Playwrights Lab 2022 – 2023. 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 professional development program is a cornerstone of the Citadel’s commitment to helping to support professional development opportunities in Edmonton’s theatre community and our commitment to New Play Development.
The Lab forms part of the Citadel’s approach to new play development, Accelerator. Accelerator encourages large-vision projects, work that challenges the traditional actor-audience relationship, 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 Alberta-based 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 with professional actors.
This program will take place from October 2022 to June 2023. 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 2022- 2023 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 should also include a 300-500 word project description for your new play idea.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Citadel Theatre commits to providing a welcoming and safe experience for all artists, including a clear workplace harassment policy. In situations where cultural safety and knowledge is needed as part of facilitating conversation, Citadel commits to working with third-party affinity counsel. Citadel Theatre understands the unique situation that our community is in with COVID-19 and public health orders such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, masking, and gathering limits. We commit to working with artists to ensure a safe workspace when meeting and working at the Citadel, as well as seeking alternative or online/distanced options whenever possible.
SUBMISSION
Citadel Theatre is accepting applications for the Playwrights Lab until October 5, 2022. Please submit up to four pages (PDF format) to: mouchi(at)citadeltheatre.com, Subject: Playwrights Lab.
The Citadel Theatre strongly encourage submissions from artists 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. Please email Producer Jessie van Rijn, jvanrijn@citadeltheatre.com, with any questions.
SELECTION
Artists will be selected by a panel of Citadel Theatre staff, including:
Daryl Cloran, Artistic Director
Mieko Ouchi, TD Associate Artistic Director
Kristi Hansen, Associate Artist
All applicants will be informed of results via email mid October 2022