Advocating, Supporting
& Building the Playwright
Community Since 1972
We’re a registered national arts service association mandated to advance the creative rights and interests of professional Canadian playwrights, promote Canadian plays nationally and internationally, and foster an active, evolving community of writers for the stage.
Our Lenses
Promotion
Bringing playwrights out from behind the curtain
We help playwrights build stronger connections with each other and the theatre community at large, by highlighting their work and creating more opportunities for them. We also design and facilitate networks where playwrights can come together to share their work.
Protection
Securing codes of practice for playwrights
We educate playwrights on their rights, and build capacities focused on strengthening political and cultural awareness across the community. We also create mechanisms to protect creative content and take action against infringement.
Pluralism
Giving 900+ playwrights voice and visibility
We work to create more visibility and representation for women, people of colour, people with disabilities, indigenous and LGBTQ+ playwrights in theatre, and provide them with a safe and supportive community. With this lens, we design our services for greater inclusion and accessibility.
“We need to stand up as writers for the stage–as playwrights–as artists who could not merely work within a nascent Canadian theatre, but as the creators of the theatre.” – Carol Bolt
Happenings
Featured Playwright of the Month
Rita Shelton Deverell
Rita Shelton Deverell’s career in journalism has been one of pioneering innovation and creativity. With an unceasing drive for social justice, she is one of the first Black women in Canada to be a television host and a network executive.
A founder of Vision TV, former head of News and Current Affairs at the Aboriginal Peoples Television, inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame, appointed to the Order of Canada, and became the first CanWest Global Fellow at the University of Western Ontario. She has written and performed two one-woman plays, Smoked Glass Ceiling (2005) and McCarthy and the Old Woman (2006).
Upcoming Events & Webinars
News & Announcements
Subscribe to our newsletter