The Playwrights Guild of Canada presents the Playwrights Resiliency Program. This program is made possible by the Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund from the Government of Canada. From October 2022 to March 2023, we’re offering free, comprehensive programming in four dynamic streams to help professional playwrights enhance their career resiliency skills. Each stream has something unique to offer including workshops, panels, webinars, pitch showcases, paid mentorships, legal support, specialized training, and more! Discover what the Playwrights Resiliency Program can do for you and join a community of playwrights building resiliency together.

Who is eligible? 

This program is FREE for all professional playwrights, theatre creators, and dramatic storytellers working in Canada. No affiliation or membership with PGC is required. We define a ‘professional’ artist as any of the following:

• someone with specialized training in their artistic field
• a person recognized by their peers as a professional
• someone actively committed to devoting more time to their artistic practice
• a person with a history of public presentation or publication

Where and when? 

The Playwrights Resiliency Program will be offered exclusively online. Our virtual community space will be hosted on the platform Circle where participants will receive access to event links, updates, resources, and group forums for all four streams.  All events will be presented in English with ASL.

The first two streams (Agency, Effective Workplaces) will take place from October to December 2022 and the remaining two streams (Legal, Mentorship) will take place from January to March 2023. Program events will take place live at specific dates and times, but most events will also be made available afterwards through archived recordings, up until June 30th, 2023.

How do I join?

Learn more about each stream below and sign up to join our community for FREE by clicking the REGISTER NOW button.

Any questions about the program can be directed to Program Director, Brandon Crone (they/them) at communications@playwrightsguild.ca

A note on resiliency: 

We acknowledge that participants may have a complex relationship with the word ‘resiliency.’ Our use of the word does not mean we expect artists to be overly tolerant of adversities and injustices present in structures and social systems. All our programming is available on a ‘challenge by choice’ basis. We aim to help build resilience as a community and support all artists as they navigate barriers to advocacy and fair treatment.

Program Streams

The Playwrights Resiliency Program will be delivered in four streams: Agency, Effective Workplaces, Legal, and Mentorship.
The Agency and Effective Workplaces streams are currently offering programming. Details on the Legal and Mentorship streams will become available in November.

The Agency stream helps playwrights learn how to promote their written work to publishers, producers, and presenters. Participants will interact with literary agents, festival organizers, artists, and administrators. This stream culminates with the Pitch It! program, where participants will have the opportunity to showcase a project or personal pitch for producers online. Live events for the Agency stream will take place from October to December 2022. Join anytime by registering at the link below.

The Effective Workplaces stream helps playwrights learn when and how to advocate for the artistic treatment of their work and their own voice in the process. Participants will interact with arts advocates and specialists in community organizing. Part of this stream features an exclusive course offered by The University of New Brunswick Continuing Education Department. Live events for the Effective Workplaces stream will take place from October to December 2022. Join anytime by registering at the link below.

The Legal stream helps playwrights learn how to protect their work through copyright and literary estate planning. As part of this stream, participants will be able to apply to a new fund created by PGC that subsidizes legal costs, ensuring that playwrights get the help they need now. Live events for the Legal stream will take place from January to March 2023. Stay tuned for more information. 

The Mentorship stream is where playwrights will gain personalized learning experiences by being paired up with a chosen mentor or mentee. Selected applicants will be offered an honorarium and the opportunity to develop supportive, meaningful relationships. The Mentorship stream will take place from January to March 2023. Stay tuned for more information. 

Join the Playwrights Resiliency Program for FREE by clicking the button below: