The Women’s Caucus of Playwrights Guild of Canada Announces
the Recipient of the 2020 Bra d’Or Award
Toronto, Ontario, October 27, 2020 – The Women’s Caucus of Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) is pleased to announce Marjorie Chan as the winner of the 2020 Bra d’Or Award! The award recognizes individuals for amplifying, promoting, and supporting the work of women playwrights in Canada.
PGC received nine nominations in all for the 2020 Bra d’Or Award: Avery Jean Brennan (Performer/Playwright/Composer); Marjorie Chan (Theatre Passe Muraille); Kara Flanagan (Carpe Diem Theatre); Heather Inglis (Workshop West Playwrights Theatre); Thomas Morgan Jones (Prairie Theatre Exchange); Anna Pappas (Ergo Arts Theatre); Caroline Russell-King (Dramaturgy on Demand); Bronwyn Steinberg (TACTICS); and Co-ADs, Susinn McFarlen, Lorraine Seto, and Lynna Goldhar Smith (Wet Ink Collective). All of the nominees boast impressive, multi-faceted careers! Read the nominations for these amazing folks HERE.
As the recipient of the 2020 Bra d’Or Award, Marjorie Chan was feted at PGC’s annual Tom Hendry Awards, which were held virtually this year and celebrated over the course of a week. The Bra d’Or Award festivities occurred Monday, October 26th, and can be watched after the fact on PGC’s YouTube Channel HERE. Ms. Chan will also be honoured at a local event in her own community in the near future.
Marjorie Chan was nominated by Julie Phan, who wrote this of her colleague and mentor:
“Aside from being a very accomplished theatre creator herself (as a writer, director, actor, and artistic leader), and being a writer who continually centers the diverse voices of Asian womxn within her own work, Marjorie is a champion for all womxn theatre creators. While Marjorie teaches playwriting workshops directly within the community and to students within an educational institution, her work for promoting womxn’s voices especially stands out as an artistic leader and director. As the new AD of Theatre Passe Muraille, the launch of the “Meet Marjorie” program invites and encourages new artists to introduce themselves directly to her. This opportunity attempts to break down barriers that have historically prevented marginalized artists from having a seat at the table, by bringing them directly into her field of view. With a larger platform now, Marjorie continues to create opportunities for different marginalized communities, and for all people who fall in between these groups. I have nothing but love and appreciation for Marjorie and the work she has done to uplift my own voice, and also the voices of other womxn in the community.”
Established in 2006, the Bra d’Or Award is as relevant today as it was fourteen years ago. While women form 54% of PGC’s membership, studies show that they are significantly underrepresented on our nation’s stages, and this is especially so for Indigenous and Black women, women of colour, non-binary, and trans creators. Voted on by the entirety of PGC’s membership, the Bra d’Or Award celebrates people like Marjorie Chan who defy the status quo to enact greater equity, diversity, and inclusion in Canadian theatre.
The Women’s Caucus extends its sincerest thanks to Playwrights Canada Press and Scirocco Drama for their ongoing support of the Bra d’Or Award. Ms. Chan will receive six plays of her choice from each of the Press’s respective catalogues, as well as a supporting membership from Playwrights Guild of Canada.
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Playwrights Guild of Canada is a registered national arts service association mandated to advance the creative rights and interests of Canadian playwrights; promote Canadian plays nationally and internationally; and foster an active, evolving community of writers for the stage.
Media Contact (available for interviews): Rebecca Burton, Membership and Contracts Manager, Playwrights Guild of Canada (www.playwrightsguild.ca)
St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave., Toronto, ON, M4K 2N1
Email: rebecca@playwrightsguild.ca; Phone: #416-703-0201
