CURRENT NEWS & EVENTS
Professional development opportunity: The Director and The Playwright – In the Rehearsal Hall
Dates: Saturday & Sunday, October 2 & 3
Time: Oct 2 afternoon & Oct 3 full day (exact time TBA)
Venue: The Living Room, 2353 Agricola Street, Halifax, NS
Cost:: $10 for PARC and TNS members; $15 for non-members
Registration & inquiries: Karen Chung at parcoffice@ns.sympatico.ca
This workshop will focus on the relationship between the Director and the Playwright in the rehearsal hall – the protocol, the pitfalls and the end product.
Workshop leaders include:
Director: Kim McCaw
Playwrights: Rex Deverell & Anne Chislett
Facilitators:
- PARC’s AD Jenny Munday
- PARC’s President Nate Crawford
- PARC’s Provincial Reps:
Kim Parkhill (Nova Scotia)
Lois Brown (Newfoundland & Labrador)
Marshall Button (New Brunswick)
Erskine Smith (PEI)
ARCHIVED NEWS & EVENTS
2010 PARC Playwrights’ Colony
PARC is hosting its annual Playwrights’ Colony from May 16 to May 29 on Mount Allison University’s campus in Sackville, NB. The Colony serves as a retreat for playwrights where they can get away from daily distractions and focus on writing new scripts. It also provides support for the playwrights to develop their work with a company of professional dramaturges and actors.
A highlight of the Colony that will be of interest to the public is an evening of readings of new works by some of the participating playwrights on Tuesday, May 25 at 7pm at Live Bait Theatre (87 Main Street, Sackville, NB). Please scroll down to the message "Public readings of new works, 2010 Playwright’s Colony" below for more information.
This year, ten playwrights are attending the Colony: Nate Crawford, Wanda Graham, Don Hannah, Michael McPhee, Breanna Moore, Melissa Mullen, Graham Percy, Kent Steton, Lenora Steele and Jennifer Wynne Webber.
Jennifer’s visit to Sackville from Saskatoon is made possible by an exchange between PARC and the Saskatchewan Playwrights’ Centre (SPC). The playwright representing PARC in this exchange is Governor General’s Award winner Catherine Banks of Nova Scotia, who is attending SPC’s Spring Festival of New Plays from May 16 to 22 on the University of Regina campus.
Working with the playwrights as dramaturges will be renowned published playwright Bryden MacDonald and Kim McCaw, Professor of Drama at the University of Alberta. Actors Rob MacLean, Charlie Mancini and Genevieve Steele will join the company in the second week of the Colony to do workshop readings of the scripts in progress. PARC’s Artistic Director, Jenny Munday, will be lending her expertise and talents as both a dramaturge and actor to the playwrights. She will be assisted by the Colony Coordinator Lisa Rose Snow, Crake Student Intern Emily Armstrong and the Artistic Associate for the Colony Karen Chung in organizing and running this year’s program.
PARC has hosted its annual Playwrights’ Colony on Mount Allison’s campus in Sackville, the cultural centre of Atlantic Canada, since 2007 when the University donated space to PARC for a Library of Atlantic Canadian Scripts and a New Brunswick base for the organization. The presence of PARC on campus has provided unique opportunities to Mt. A students to work with theatre professionals. This year, two recent graduates and one current student are attending/working for the Colony.
PARC is grateful for the support of Mount Allison University, The Town of Sackville, The JEA Crake Foundation, The Canada Council for the Arts, The New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat, The Craig Foundation, Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Live Bait Theatre and the Sackville Save Easy.
Public readings of new works, 2010 Playwright’s Colony
Date: Tuesday, May 25
Time: 7:00 p.m
Venue: Live Bait Theatre, 87 Main Street, Sackville, NB
Admission: By donation at the door
For information: Karen Chung at parcoffice@ns.sympatcio.ca or 506-364-2122
This evening of public readings, part of the 2010 PARC Playwrights’ Colony, is a perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of new Canadian plays being created by playwrights from a diverse background. In addition to this year’s Colony playwrights, PARC member and Mount Allison University’s new Director of Drama, Glen Nichols, will also join us to read from his new translation of Papier, which will soon be published in the Canadian Theatre Review.
Host: Lisa Rose Snow (Colony Coordinator)
Reading playwrights:
- Don Hannah
- Bryden MacDonald
- Michael McPhee
- Melissa Mullen
- Glen Nichols
- Graham Percy
- Kent Stetson
- Jennifer Wynne Webber (Guest playwright from Saskatchewan Playwrights’ Centre)
Merritt Awards Nominations
The 2010 Merritt Awards is taking place on Monday, March 29 at 8p.m. at the Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth, NS. It is an annual celebration of the theatre arts in Nova Scotia, and will be hosted by the dynamic duo of Christian Murray and Mary Colin Chisholm.
Date: Monday, March 29, 2010
Time: 8PM (Doors open at 7:30PM)
Venue: Alderney Landing Theatre, Dartmouth, NS
Admission: $15
Tickets: 902-425-3876 or at the door
Information: Theatre Nova Scotia at 902-425-3876 or theatrens@theatrens.ca
There will be a cash bar.
Director, actor and dramaturge Jean Morpurgo, who has been a long time member of PARC is this year’s recipient of the Merritt Legacy Award, which recognizes an individual who has made a substantial contribution to the landscape of theatre in Nova Scotia.
In addition, many PARC members were nominated for awards in various categories:
- The late Bill Forbes, for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
- Bev Brett, for Outstanding New Play (Playwright) for Out The Meadow
- Sherry Smith, for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress
- Jackie Torrens, for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress
- Ann-Marie Kerr (also Vice President of the PARC Board), for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
- Mary Vingoe, for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
- 2b theatre company, for Outstanding Production for East of Berlin
- Eastern Front Theatre, for Outstanding Production for Extinction Song
Many of our company members also received nominations for their productions, including:
- 2b theatre company’s East of Berlin
- 2b theatre company’s Homage
- Eastern Front Theatre’s Extinction Song
- Forerunner Playwrights Theatre’s Out the Meadow
- Forerunner Playwrights Theatre’s The Sunnyside Cafe
- Onelight Theatre’s Return Ticket: Halifax-Abadan-Halifax
- Onelight Theatre’s The Toxic Bus Incident
- Ship’s Company Theatre’s Ivor Johnson’s Neighbours
Come out to celebrate the Nova Scotia theatre community and support your fellow PARC members!
Playwrights’ Cabaret
Date: Saturday, March 20th, 2010
Venue: The Living Room, 2353 Agricola Street, Halifax
Time: 8:00 p.m. (Doors open at 7:30 p.m.)
Admission: By donation
To celebrate the Atlantic playwriting community and to showcase some of the new works in progress, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) will host its annual Playwrights’ Cabaret in Halifax on March 20, 2010.
This year’s Cabaret will feature readings from playwrights representing all 4 Atlantic provinces:
- Marshall Button, NB Rep on the PARC Board
- Lois Brown, NL Rep
- Erskine Smith, PEI Rep
- Nate Crawford, NS Based President of PARC
- Special guest playwright, Rex Deverell, Canadian Authors Award winner
This is a great opportunity to mix and mingle with playwrights from across the region.
So, come out to find out what plays are being created, what’s going on in theatre in other provinces, what opportunities are in horizon and just have fun hanging out with each other!
Rex Deverell is an award-winning playwright and a founding member of the Saskatchewan Playwrights’ Centre. Deverell has also written for young audiences, radio, and opera. Boiler Room Suite, the play that won him the Canadian Authors Award, later became the libretto for an opera.
PARC President Nate Crawford is a long time member of PARC and the newly-appointed Executive Director of Writers Federation of Nova Scotia. He is also a published poet, produced playwright, and co-founder of the Forerunner Playwrights Co-op with PARC’s Past President Natasha MacLellan. He will be reading from That’s Happiness, which he worked on during PARC’s Playwrights’ Colony in 2009.
PARC NB Rep, Marshall Button is most well known for his comedic character Lucien, featured at PARC’s fundraiser Classic TV Gone Coastal at Neptune Theatre last year. He is a playwright, creator, actor and director, and has been the Artistic Director of The Comedy Asylum from Fredericton, The Capital Theatre in Moncton and Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg, ON.
PARC NL Rep Lois Brown is a playwright, director and dramaturge as well as a former Artistic Animateur for Resource Centre for the Arts Theatre Company. Brown was presented the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award by The Canada Council for the Arts in 2005 and was recognized for her contribution to the arts in Newfoundland with an Artist Achievement Award the same year.
PARC PEI Rep Erskine Smith, a renowned story teller is also a director and Artistic Director of the Victoria Playhouse. Smith performed at PARC’s Playwrights’ Cabaret last year where his unique and engaging story telling won him rounds of applause.
See you there!
Salon du PARC with guest Catherine Banks
Spend an intimate evening of readings and conversation with Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Catherine Banks. Hosted by PARC’s Vice President and theatre director Ann-Marie Kerr in her home in Halifax, the Salon will feature CBC personality and recent star of the hit play A Beautiful View Jackie Torrens, reading from four of Banks’s works, including a brand new, as-yet-unseen selection. This unique opportunity to engage with a playwright will be framed with live music by cellist Claire Gallant, and will feature hot and cold hors d’ouvres from caterer Pete Kennedy and a selection of Nova Scotian wines.
This exclusive event is taking place on February 26 at 7:30 p.m.and has a limited seating of 12 tickets, offered at $100 apiece, in support of Atlantic Canada’s premiere organization devoted to writing for the stage. Charitable Tax Receipts available. For more information or to purchase a ticket, contact Ann-Marie Kerr at am.kerr@ns.sympatico.ca or at (902) 453-4239.
Tickets are selling so get your tickets to this special exclusive event now!
Spread the word for PARC!
Robert Chafe visits Sackville, NB as PARC's Playwright in Residence
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2009
Sackville, NB –– Acclaimed Newfoundland playwright and actor Robert Chafe of St. John’s-based Artistic Fraud will be playwright in residence at the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) Library of Atlantic Canadian Scripts from October 29 to November 5, 2009. In addition to working with PARC’s Artistic Director Jenny Munday on his new script, Oil And Water, Chafe will also visit a Drama Program acting class at Mount Allison University and will present a public reading at Windsor Theatre on the Mount Allison University campus.
On Monday November 2, Chafe will speak to students at the DRAMA 3171 Acting Styles class. The course, taught by Dr. Cordula Quint, focuses on approaches to character creation and acting styles across a spectrum of theatrical forms from Greek tragedy to Shakespearean to Theatre of the Absurd. Chafe's unique style of writing and methods of developing new work in collaboration with director/designer Jillian Keiley will undoubtedly be of interests to the student as his plays often draw from diverse theatrical forms, fusing poetic text with choreographed movement, specific sound effects, and spectacular chorus.
Chafe will also read from his work at Mount Allison’s Windsor Theatre on Wednesday November 4 at 4:30 p.m. This event is open to the public and admission is free.
Robert Chafe is a St. John’s based playwright whose work has been seen across Canada, the UK, and Australia. He is the author of fifteen stage scripts and co-author of another ten. He is Artistic Associate and playwright for Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, where he frequently collaborates with Siminovitch Prize winning director Jillian Keiley. Two of his plays (Tempting Providence and Butler’s Marsh), published in 2004 by Playwrights Canada Press, were shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Drama. Tempting Providence, directed by Keiley and produced by Theatre Newfoundland Labrador, is entering its eighth year of national and international touring. His newest work, Afterimage, (featuring Mary Colin Chisholm and Christian Murray), premiered at the Harbour Front Centre last spring as part of World Stage and will be on stage in St John’s in May of 2010. He has been a guest instructor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, and The National Theatre School of Canada.
Based on true events, Oil and Water tells the story of an African American naval officer in 1942 and how his life was transformed during a shipwreck and subsequent rescue at the hands of an isolated Newfoundland community. The play is the latest project by Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, and is set to premiere in early 2011.
For more information, contact Jenny Munday, Artistic Director at 506-364-2122 or parcdramaturge@ns.sympatico.ca.
The Ship’s Company Collection
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) is pleased to announce that the PARC Library of Atlantic Canadian plays recently grew by 46 scripts with the addition of "The Ship’s Company Collection" – a compilation of scripts from the theatre’s past twenty five year production history.
As part of its 25th Anniversary celebrations, Ship’s Company Theatre set out to collect all of the scripts it has produced since its foundation by Michael Fuller and Mary Vingoe in 1984. Carrie Goodwin, the Anniversary coordinator, located 46 of these scripts, about 80% of the plays that have been produced on the Ship’s Company stage. Three copies of the scripts were printed and bound, with one set of them contributed to the PARC Library of Atlantic Canadian scripts, another to the Parrsboro Library, with the last copy of each being kept by Ship’s Company.
The 46 scripts, written by almost as many playwrights, arrived at the PARC Library on the Mount Allison University campus last week, when out-going Ship’s Company Artistic Director Pam Halstead, stopped by with a brimming box full of scripts to hand over to PARC’s Artistic Director Jenny Munday. Student Library Assistant, Emmet Cameron, was thrilled with this new expansion of the PARC Library and immediately incorporated the Ship’s collection into the PARC collection.
The Ship’s Company Collection, now at the PARC Library along with the growing collection of scripts PARC currently houses, is available to potential producers, students, colleagues and professors by visiting the Library or by contacting: parclibrary@mta.ca
The PARC Library was established in 2007, when Mount Allison University donated space to PARC in order to develop a collection of Atlantic Canadian plays. The Library is a developing resource, as scripts come in from playwriting members of PARC, from supporters such as the Playwrights Guild of Canada and Playwrights Canada Press, as well as from producers. Plans call for the Library to expand and to become digitalized and accessible online in the near future. "It’s contributions like the Ship’s Company’s that will help us to grow this important cultural resource", says PARC AD, Jenny Munday. "We count on our playwrights and colleagues to help us to find, acquire, collect and make the works of Atlantic Canadian theatre available on an on-going basis."
The Mission of Ship’s Company Theatre, located in Parrsoboro, NS, is to be a prime centre for the production and development of Canadian and Atlantic theatre. Artistic Directors of the theatre since the time of co-founders Fuller and Vingoe, include Scott Burke, Ms Halstead and Michael Chiasson. Incoming Artistic Director, Matthew Tiffin, is already working with playwrights in the Region in planning his upcoming seasons.
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre’s many programs and services are designed to develop both plays and playwrights and the organization is committed to the promotion of Atlantic Canadian theatre.
For more information, contact Jenny Munday, Artistic Director at: 506-364-2122.
PARC Extraordinary General Meeting & Annual General Meeting
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre
Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting
There will be an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre on Saturday September 19, 2009 at 11:00am. Location: The Band Hall. 44 King Street, Parrsboro, NS (there will also be an opportunity to attend the meeting via conference call and the phone in instructions are provided below). The purpose of this meeting will be to pass a Special Resolution which will amend Clause 33 of the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre’s By-laws.
Clause 33 currently reads: "A quorum for all meetings of the General membership shall be twenty percent (20%) of members in good standing at the time of the meeting."
It will be proposed that Clause 33 be amended to read: "A quorum for all meetings of the General membership shall be ten percent (10%) of members in good standing at the time of the meeting."
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre
Notice of General Meeting
The regular General Meeting of the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre will be held on Saturday September 19 at 11:15am. Location: The Band Hall, 44 King Street, Parrsboro, NS (there will also be an opportunity to attend the meeting via conference call and the phone in instructions are provided below).
Phone in Instructions
Just after the start time for the meeting dial the Ready Access
Number: 1-800-747-5150
After you dial the Ready-Access Number then enter this 7-Digit
Access Code: 4235358
PARC at the Hall
Presented by The Parrsboro Band Hall Association and the Playwright’s Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC)
Location: The Band Hall – 44 King St, Parrsboro, NS
Date: Sept 18-20 2009
The conference, celebrating creative writing for the theatre, focuses on a few main themes: Regionality, Publishing and Playwrights & Directors.
The weekend will be an intensive extravaganza of celebratory events surrounding Playwright’s Atlantic Resource Centre. Find out more about writing for the theatre, getting published, finding a director, with award winning playwrights reading from their works, special guests, PARC AGM, music, dancing and a beach themed barbecue. Everyone with an interest in Atlantic plays and playwriting is welcome.
Weekend Passes for All Events:
PARC members: $25.00
Non-members: $35.00
Saturday Passes:
FOR PARC MEMBERS ONLY: $10.00
Covers all of the events on Saturday, following the PARC AGM, incluing:
The Workshop on Publishing
The Panel Discussion on "Regionality"
The Readings
Event Tickets:
For non-members: $10.00 per event
Weekend Passes and event tickets are available at The Parrsboro Band Hall office or by calling the hall at 902-254-3674.
Schedule of events
Friday Evening, September 18th
6:30 pm to 8 pm: Opening night Barbecue under beach umbrellas and summer lanterns
9 pm: Concert with The Elastic Big Band at the Band Hall
Saturday, September 19th – At Band Hall
11 am to 11:15 am: Special Meeting of PARC Membership (We need all members to be there or call in – PARC members only)
11:15 am to 12:45 pm: PARC Annual General Meeting for membership
12:45 pm to 1pm: Break
1pm to 2 pm: First PARC Board meeting of 2009-2010
2pm to 3 pm: Break
3:00 pm to 5 pm: Workshop on Publishing with Annie Gibson of Playwrights Canada Press – information on: how to get published, why publish plays, who publishes plays, who reads published plays, what’s the "audience" for published plays, how to approach a publisher, how and where to find a publisher, what to expect as a result of being published and more.
5 pm to 6:30 pm: Break
6:30 pm to 8 pm: Panel Discussion on "Regionalism" with Florence Gibson (Toronto based PARC member and Chalmers Award Winner for her play, Belle, and Herman Voaden Award winner for Missing), Catherine Banks (Nova Scotian playwright and Governor General Award winner for Bone Cage) and Don Hannah (novelist and playwright, based in both Nova Scotia and Toronto, Thomas H. Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award winner for Ragged Islands and inaugural Lee Playwright in Residence at the University of Alberta). Moderated by actor and playwright Jennifer Overton (Theatre NS Merritt Award winner for God’s Middle Name), this panel will look at writing/producing in Toronto vs. the East Coast, how do we get our work produced across the country, how do we make bridges, do the regions support/suppress particular themes or topics at the expense of others, production values for new work, do we get support from our regional theatres, etc., etc.
8pm to 9:30 pm: Readings by Florence Gibson, Don Hannah, Catherine Banks, Mary Vingoe, Wendy Lill , Scott Burke (playwright – Chairmaker, Fall in Paris, Scavengers – director and Artistic Producer of Eastern Front Theatre), Jennifer Overton and Carol Sinclair (actor and playwright – Ferry Tales, Share, The Summer of The Handley-Page, Idyll Gossip and many others), hosted by Natasha MacLellan (actor, playwright, out going President of PARC and Artist in Residence at Mulgrave Road Theatre).
9:30 pm: Playwrights Canada Press reception
Sunday, September 20th
10 am to 12 noon: Finding your Director – PANEL Discussion with guest playwrights – Featuring nationally acclaimed playwright /director teams Jillian Keiley and Robert Chafe from Newfoundland (Tempting Providence, After Image) and Wendy Lill and Mary Vingoe (Glace Bay Miner’s Museum, Chimera) from Nova Scotia as well as the award winning writer/director Daniel MacIvor (Here Lies Henry, Marion Bridge, How It Works,Confession, Communion and many others), this panel is dedicated to finding out what makes a good director, playwright partnership work. How to find it, nurture it and when to move on. Featuring lively first hand accounts of what can go right and wrong, Finding your Director will be moderated by director/ actor (and PARC member) Ann Marie Kerr.
2 pm: Ship’s Company Sunday Matinée of One Light Theatre’s The Veil (special discount for PARC at the Hall weekend participants)
While in Parrsboro for the PARC in The Hall Weekend, Sept 18th to 20th, don’t forget to take the time to check out the Ship’s Company Theatre’s 25th Anniversary Celebration Photo Exhibit by Thaddeus Holownia at the Destination Gallery on the 2nd Floor of the Main Street Lazy Dog Cafe. It’s on till the end of September from Thursdays to Saturday.
It promises to be a great weekend. Stay tuned and plan to be there for the whole weekend as we celebrate Atlantic Canadian playwriting!
Watch the E-bulletin for updates and further information. For more information on scheduling, accommodations (including billeting for PARC members), and carpooling (whether you are looking for a drive or if you can provide a drive for someone), please contact Taylor at destinationtaylor@hotmail.com or 902-254-2658.
A Streetcar Named Bill – A Celebration of & Tribute to Bill Forbes
Please click on the link for an invitation to A Streetcar Named Bill – A Celebration of & Tribute to Bill Forbes, taking place on Monday, September 14, 2009 at Grafton Street Dinner Theatre in Halifax. The reception will start at 7pm and the tribute at 8pm.
Happy Hours at Live Bait
On the two Fridays in early June (June 5th and June 12th), Live Bait Theatre will host Happy Hours from 7-9pm. The Happy Hours have been planned for the two Fridays during the PARC Playwrights Colony to give the Playwrights and other Colony participants some time to relax and socialize. Members of the Live Bait board, friends and supporters will also be in attendance. During the Happy Hours the Live Bait bar will be selling drinks and light refreshments will be provided. Any PARC members who wish to attend are welcome.
Please scroll down to find out more about the Playwrights’ Colony.
An Evening of Readings from New Atlantic Canadian Plays
At Live Bait Theatre at 8pm on June 8th, PARC will be presenting an evening of readings from new Atlantic Canadian plays, as part of the two-week playwright’s colony (held annually on the Mount Allison campus) which gives writers the opportunity to develop new scripts, working with a team of actors and dramaturges. This public reading is a unique opportunity for an audience to get a glimpse at what happens to a story between the first scribbles of a playwright’s idea and a fully staged production.
Attendees will hear readings from a number of PARC members, including:
- Marshall Button, a writer and actor from Moncton, is probably best known for his portrayal of a character called Lucien, who has found his way into four full-length plays over the past two decades. He will be reading from his new play Petcudiàc.
- Mary Ellen McLean has made recent appearances in Sackville as the PARC Playwright in Residence, as well as teaching workshops and classes in physical theatre for Mount Allison students, and directing The Heart That Knows at Live Bait last summer. She is also a founding member of Jest In Time Theatre.
- Sherry Lee Hunter, another founding member of Jest In Time, is now a faculty member at Neptune Theatre’s Pre Professional Training Program. She also creates "Ed’s Silly Shorts" for children’s television.
- Don Hannah will be a familiar name to many Sackville theatre enthusiasts. Don served as the Crake Graduate in Residence at Mount Allison in 2008 (delivering a rousing lecture entitled "Dramaturgy: Threat or Menace?"). That same year his play There Is A Land of Pure Delight premiered at Live Bait.
- Jason Swan is a recent graduate of Mount Allison, and his words have hit the Windsor Theatre stage on several occasions. Whether he’s writing the book for a new musical or radically re-inventing fairy tales in 24 hours, Jason has developed a local reputation for entertaining audiences in unexpected ways.
- Charlie Rhindress is the former Artistic Director of Live Bait, outgoing director of Neptune theatre school, and will soon direct Mark Blagrave’s Nomentacke at NotaBle Acts Theatre Festival in Fredericton. He will be reading from his new play Ivor Johnson’s Neighbours, which will premiere at Ship’s Company Theatre in July.
- Joan Cleather, once an editor and now an emerging playwright, can never resist the opportunity for yet another re-write. She is participating in the Playwrights Colony for the first time this year, and says she has been re-writing different versions of the same play for what seems like forever.
Additionally, we’ll hear from Jenny Munday, PARC’s Artistic Director. Jenny also served as the Crake Fellow at Mount Allison for two years, and as playwright-in-residence at Live Bait, where her now-published play, Relatively Harmless, premiered in 2005.
PARC is grateful for the support of Mount Allison University, Renaissance Sackville, The Crake Foundation, The Canada Council for the Arts, The New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat , Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture and Heritage, the Sackville SaveEasy, The Craig Foundation and Live Bait Theatre for making this event possible.
For more information, contact Emmet Cameron, PARC Library Student Assistant, at 506-364-2122 or parclibrary@mta.ca .
Playwrights’ Colony May 31st – June 13th
From May 31st to June 13th Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre will be holding its annual Playwrights’ Colony on the lovely Mount Allison University campus. The Colony provides playwrights from across the Atlantic region with an opportunity to get away from daily distractions and focus on developing a new script.
There will be eleven playwrights involved in this year’s Colony over the course of two weeks. The Playwrights are Mary Ellen MacLean, Sam Jopling, Nate Crawford, Don Hannah, Jason Swan, Sherry Smith, Michael McPhee, Pam Calabrese MacLean, Beth McLoughlin, Joan Cleather and Sherry Lee Hunter.
Working with the playwrights as dramaturges will be current Crake fellow in Drama at Mount Allison University, Linda Moore, and Kim McCaw, Professor of Drama at the University of Alberta. Actors Lee J. Campbell, Kim Parkhill and Garry Williams will join the company for the second week of the Colony to do workshop readings of the scripts in progress. PARC’s Artistic Director, Jenny Munday, will be lending her talents as both a dramaturge and an actor to this year’s playwrights. Kay Robertson will be Coordinating this year’s Colony. The Colony will also provide opportunities for Mount Allison students and recent graduates – this year there will be two student assistants and three student readers.
A taste of the newest in Atlantic Canadian Theatre will be offered to the public on the evening of Monday June the 8th at 8pm. Live Bait Theatre will host the Evening of Readings by both playwrights visiting Sackville for the Colony and local favourites, including Moncton’s Marshall Button. The Evening, which will include light refreshment, will be free of charge but donations to PARC will be most welcome.
This is PARC’s third year hosting their annual Playwrights Colony on the Mount Allison University campus. In 2007 Mount Allison donated space to PARC, which now houses the PARC Library of Atlantic Canadian scripts and serves as a New Brunswick base for the organization. To find out more about PARC, visit the website at www.playwrightsatlantic.ca
PARC is grateful for the support of Mount Allison University, Renaissance Sackville, The Crake Foundation, The Canada Council for the Arts, The New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat, The Craig Foundation, Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture and Heritage and Live Bait Theatre.
For more information, please contact:
Samantha Vaillancourt, PARC Library Student Assistant
Telephone: 506-364-2122
E-Mail: parclibrary@mta.ca
TV CLASSICS GONE COASTAL!
On April 25th, 2009 PARC presents the 3rd annual comedy classic fundraiser at the Neptune Studio in Halifax.
TV Classics Gone Coastal will feature three original satirical Atlantic Canadian takes on some of your favourite shows from the golden age of TV.
Locally based, internationally celebrated, award winning playwrights Bill Forbes, Charlie Rhindress and Geoff McBride will be channelling the comedic genius of the likes of Jackie Gleason, Carroll O´Connor and Art Carney in a Maritime take on the hits of the 50´s, 60´s and 70´s.
Special guests include three of Atlantic Canada’s favourite personalities from TV, radio, stage and film.
Guess who?
Think about it for 22minutes while enjoying your favourite noon time voice and dreaming of a good will ambassador from NB who is cute as a button...
Scroll down to the poster to find out the answers – and details for this event that you can’t miss!
Cathy Jones headlines Classic TV Gone Costal!
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre is pleased to announce its 3rd annual fundraiser is set to take place Saturday April 25 at Neptune Studio Theatre at 8 pm.
This Saturday marks the third year in a row local celebrities, playwrights, actors and directors have banded together to spoof classic shows – and this year’s incredible line-up of stars: Cathy Jones, Costas Halavrezos and Marshall Button! Also joining the line up are local favourites: Charlie Rhindress, Jamie Bradley, Garry Williams, Catherine Banks, Lisa Rose Snow, Michael McPhee, Jennifer Overton, Tara Doyle and Natasha MacLellan.
Geoff McBride spoofs the classic TV show The Honeymooners! Bill Forbes tries his hand on Father Knows Best. And Charlie Rhindress and Cathy Jones will spoof that old Canadian Classic- Codco!!
The evening’s host is local funny gal and former Improv Knight – Karen Bassett. In addition to reprising his role as Ed Norton from The HoneyMooners, Marshall Button will be regaling the crowd with some hilarious wisdom from Lucien, the mill worker/philosopher from New Brunswick’s North Shore. This year’s classic comedy fundraiser will also feature the unique comic genius of Cathy Jones, performing stand up as only she can do.
The evening will also feature a silent auction and will launch PARC’s next fundraising campaign – The PARC Your Butt Here Chair auction – featuring a beautifully painted chair by artist Lynn Rotin.
Do not miss this opportunity to celebrate the arrival of Spring with some of Atlantic Canada’s funniest and friendliest people.
Come out and enjoy an evening of laughter that combines some of your favourite TV moments with a completely Atlantic Canadian perspective. It’s a great way to have fun while supporting the work that Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre does to make it possible for our playwrights to tell our stories.
Tickets are $25.00 and are available at the Neptune Theatre Box Office. Call 429-7070 to reserve.
Please spread the word for us!
Look - just in time for Mothers Day - a Perfect Gift Idea!!!
Bette Does the Classics
Starring one of Nova Scotia's best loved comedians, Bette MacDonald!
Saturday May 10, 2008
Show starts at 8pm
Neptune Studio Theatre
Three twisted takes on theatre classics... plus a whole lot of classic Bette!
Featuring:
O'Neill's Long Journey Into Woolf by Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison
Lady MacBette by Charlie Rhindress and Natasha MacLellan
Tin Cat On A Hot Glass Streetcar by Bill Forbes
Also Starring Maynard Morrison and a host of the East Coast’s finest actors.
Don't go home empty handed, bid on our silent auction with all funds going toward the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre!
Tickets are only $26.50
For Tickets please call the Neptune Theatre Box Office at 490-7070
-Bette Does the Classics is sponsored by Neptune Theatre -
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The Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre has contracted Bruce Klinger Arts Management and Consulting to provide General Management Services.
The new contact information for PARC administration will be:
PARC Phone number if you are in Halifax (902) 423-5358.
PARC Phone Number if you are outside of Halifax (toll free): 1-877-845-1341
New PARC Mailing address is:
PO Box 33038
Quinpool RPO
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3L 4T6
Other PARC contact information is:
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre Hosts National Play Development Centres
Nov 2nd and 3rd, 2007
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) will host the Playwrights Development Centre’s of Canada (PDCCs) when they meet in Halifax November 2nd and 3rd for their annual meetings.
Playwrights’ Development Centres from across the Country will be meeting to discuss common issues that face non-producing theatre organizations. Play and playwright development centres exists to serve the playwrights; they provide playwrights with the creative freedom they need to explore and imagine without limitations.
PARC was formed in 1991 to address the needs of Atlantic Canadian playwrights and playwriting. Its mandate is to assist in the professional development of Atlantic Canadian playwrights, to support the development of new Atlantic Canadian scripts and to promote and document our works for the stage. PARC is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture, the New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat and Mount Allison University.
An annual public event held in conjunction with the meetings is Readings from the Centres. On Friday Nov 2nd at 8 pm in the atrium lobby of the Cultural Federations, located at 1113 Marginal Road, PARC will present the first evening of readings featuring host Jackie Torrens with readings from Atlantic Canadian playwrights Charlie Rhindress, Bill Forbes, Bev Brett, Karen Bassett and Anne Chislett. Visiting playwrights include Muriel Hogue and Will Brooks.
On Saturday Nov 3rd at the Cultural Federations lobby, host Scott Burke will be the MC, with readings from local playwrights Geoff McBride, Catherine Banks, Andrea Dymond and Scott Burke. Guest playwrights include Brian Drader and Gordon Pengilly. The evening gets underway at 8 pm.
For more information contact Jenny Munday at 506-364-2122.
An Evening of Readings
On Monday July 30th Playwrights Atlantic Resource Center, in conjunction with Live Bait Theatre, will be presenting an evening of readings from new Atlantic Canadian plays. Playwrights who will read short selections from their latest works include: Geoff McBride, Mark Blagrave, Pam Calabrese MacLean, Don Hannah, Charlie Rhindress, Ron Kelly Spurles, Andrea Dymond and Marshall Button.
Many of these playwrights will be participating in PARC’s 2007 Playwright’s Colony taking place between July 29th and August 4th. The Playwrights' Colony is a unique retreat where playwrights from across the region have an opportunity to develop a new script, working with a team of professional dramaturges. The colony gives playwrights time away from home, in an atmosphere that is not only functional but also inspiring.
The Colony is being held for the first time on the Mount Allison University Campus. PARC and Mount Allison have recently embarked on a new partnership which has provided PARC with script workshopping space and space for a new library of Atlantic Canadian plays.
The readings will take place at Live Bait Theatre at 7pm. Admission will be by donation.
PARC is grateful for the support of Mount Allison University, Renaissance Sackville, The Craig Foundation, The Canada Council for the Arts, The Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture, Province of New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and The Marjorie Young Bell Fine Arts and Music Fund.
New PARC Library opens at Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University has generously provided Playwrights Atlantic Resource Center (PARC) with space in which to establish a library of Atlantic Canadian scripts. The new library and workshopping space, will be located in Crabtree B10 and B11.
PARC Artistic Director Jenny Munday and Mount Allison student Samantha Vaillancourt hosted the official opening of the space on Tuesday May 15.
PARC is now issuing a call for scripts for the new PARC library. Members of Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre are urged to donate copies of their scripts – either published or unpublished, to the library. For more information they can contact Samantha at: _parclibrary@ns.sympatico.ca Donations of programs, posters or reviews from productions of members’ work will also be on file at the library. Members scripts and programs etc. can be sent to Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre Library, c/o Mount Allison University, 49A York St, Sackville, NB, E4L 1C7
The summer library hours are 10 am to 3 pm Monday and Tuesday and 10 am to 2 pm Wednesday and Thursday. Anyone interested in Atlantic Canadian plays will be welcome to visit the library and look through the scripts which will be housed there.
A charitable organization, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre was formed in 1991 to address the needs of Atlantic Canadian plays and playwriting. Membership in PARC is open to anyone interested in playwriting in Atlantic Canada. Members receive support through a variety of play development programs, play and playwright promotion services and playwright development opportunities. For more information on membership contact the office at 1-877-845-1341.
PARC is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage and the New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat.
The PARC library is supported by Mount Allison University, the Marjorie Young Bell Music and Fine Arts Award Committee, Renaissance Sackville and the Canada Council.
For more information on PARC or to download a membership form visit the web site at www.playwrightsatlantic.ca.
For The Second Time This Year, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre’s Artistic Director Is Honoured
The Board of PARC is immensely proud to announce that the PACT Communications Centre (PCC) and Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre have presented the first Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award to Jenny Munday, Artistic Director of Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre and protégé Natasha MacLellan.
A playwright, dramaturge, arts administrator, actor and director, Jenny has been based in Dorts Cove, Guysborough County since 1997. Munday now divides her time between Guysborough and Sackville, New Brunswick where she is the Crake Fellow in Drama at Mount Allison University. Her 25-year career has been dedicated to the development of new Canadian work for the stage. This is the second major award for Munday who was also presented with a Theatre Nova Scotia Achievement Award at the Merritt Awards in March of this year.
Named in honour of Mallory Gilbert, who was Tarragon Theatre’s General Manager for 34 years and one of the founders and Past President of PACT, this new national annual award celebrates and recognizes significant and valuable leadership within the Canadian Theatre community.
In nominating Jenny for this award, Catherine Banks wrote that Jenny is a feisty champion of, and the FORCE behind, Atlantic Canadian playwrights and their work. Daniel MacIvor wrote that, like Mallory Gilbert, Jenny Munday has been a true leader in Canadian theatre. “Both have with grace, devotion and steely determination given many artists a chance to find their voice.”
The $5,000 award includes a $1,000 portion presented to a protégé chosen by the Award winner, underlining the importance of skills and knowledge transmission in leadership-building. The happy protégé selected by Jenny is Natasha MacLellan a native of Cape Breton Island, an active playwright, actor and youth theatre educator operating in Nova Scotia.
The award ceremony took place on June 1 in Halifax during the PACT annual conference, a highly regarded event gathering theatre professionals from across the country.
Mallory Gilbert is an esteemed leader in the Canadian theatre community. In addition to her tenure at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre she has served on numerous boards of directors and advisory boards. By mentoring countless aspiring arts administrators during the course of her career, she has shaped the careers of many of Canada’s theatre leaders.
In an exceptional collaboration based on their deep appreciation for Mallory’s contribution to both organizations and their shared commitment to leadership in the theatre community, Tarragon Theatre and PACT Communications Centre have initiated the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award. Tarragon Theatre is sponsoring and helping to promote the award.
PARC is grateful for the support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat and Mount Allison University.
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre Annual Fundraiser
Mark April 28th on your calendar!
Shakespeare's Wake
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax NS
8 pm
Tickets are $25.00
Alas poor William Shakespeare has shuffled off this mortal coil. Many claim him and his work, but as all of us know he was a good Atlantic Canadian boy. Come on down to Willy Shakespeare's funeral for a celebration of the old scribbler's life with enough fun to Wake the dead. Hear the tear stained eulogies, readings from his works in their original Atlantic Canadian, tap your feet to some tunes and maybe, just maybe pick up some fantastic bequests in Will's Will.
Featuring Bill Wood, Marty Burt, Emily Shute with Nate Crawford, Bill Forbes and Carol Sinclair
We appreciate the following for their condolences and support: Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Glenora Distillery, Soho, Mill's Brothers, Eastern Front Theatre, Aveda, Five Fishermen, Garrison Brewing Company, Jost Vineyards Limited, Neptune Theatre
Jenny Munday presented with Theatre Nova Scotia Achievement Award
Jenny Munday, Artistic Director of Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre and Mount Allison Crake Fellow of Drama was given a standing ovation when she received the Theatre Nova Scotia Achievement Award at the Merritt Awards on Monday March 19th in Halifax.
“The Board and membership of PARC owe a lot to Jenny. She works her magic for us a lot like the woman making stone soup. She calls us all together, tells us of the program she is creating, and says there is no funding---the stone in the boiling water. But because she is making the soup, playwrights gather around, and she says If I only I had a carrot and someone quite naturally steps forward with a carrot/a guest reading, and on it goes until our work is being nourished by a splendid soup. An example of this is how with Rory Runnels at MAP, Jenny initiated the National Network of Playwright Development Centres. Out of this connection have come exciting opportunities for our playwrights to travel across Canada taking part in development programs offered by other centres; getting their work known outside of the Maritimes. Jenny continues to create very nourishing soups daily, sustaining our organisation and our playwrights.
A treasure, a force, a champion and ally. Jenny Munday has given her all to the local and national theatre scene, through her tireless work, fierce determination and industrious capability. She makes her home here and it is high time we gave her something back.” Said PARC Board member Natasha MacLellan in her speech to present the award on Monday night.
The Merritt Awards are conducted by Theatre Nova Scotia and sponsored by Canadian Actor’s Equity Association, ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Television & Radio Artists), Filmworks, IATSE 680, and the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture, and Heritage.
Theatre Nova Scotia’s mandate is to provide a unified voice for theatre in Nova Scotia, and to encourage and support all aspects of live theatre through its many programs and services. Its membership is comprised of the 18 professional theatre companies in Nova Scotia, 25 community theatre groups, as well as many individual artists, students and interested audience members.
Other PARC members who won awards include: Mary Vingoe who was presented with the Mayor’s Award for Achievement, Jennifer Overton who won awards for outstanding new play by a Nova Scotian playwright and outstanding production for God’s Middle Name.
PARC is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage and the New Brunswick Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport.
Playwrights Meet
Playwrights in Atlantic Canada, as well as those with an interest in regional theatre, are looking forward to two exciting events to take place in Halifax next weekend. Studio TNS at 2353 Agricola St in Halifax will be the place to be as the region’s playwrights come together to celebrate another successful year in Atlantic Canadian playwriting at the Playwrights’ Cabaret the evening of Feb. 10. The event is to be preceded by a Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) workshop on the business-end of playwriting, to be led by Manitoba playwright Hope McIntyre.
The Playwrights Cabaret begins at 8 p.m., and will feature readings of new works by McIntyre, as well as Nova Scotian playwrights Josh MacDonald, Michael Melski, Nate Crawford, Bill Forbes, Scott Burke, Jackie Torrens, Natasha MacLellan, Bev Brett, Karen Bassett, Andrea Dymond, Carol Sinclair and Catherine Banks. There will be a cash bar.
The workshop begins at 2 p.m., and will cover a range of areas relating to the business end of playwriting, including contracts, copyright law, publishing and commissions. McIntyre, who will lead the workshop, is President of the Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC). Now teaching at the University of Winnipeg, McIntyre was the first Crake Fellow in Drama at Mount Allison University from 2001 to 2003. She is also the Artistic Director of Sarasvati Productions in Winnipeg.
The workshop will be free for PGC members, $6 for PARC members, and $12 for non-members. Admission to the Cabaret is free, but donations will be accepted at the door
Both the Playwrights’ Cabaret and the workshop are supported by the Nova Scotia government’s Cultural Affairs Department, as well as the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC) presents Life Time Membership Awards
At the annual Merrit Awards that celebrate achievement in Theatre, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre presented life-time memberships to five of its members. The Life Time Memberships were awarded to PARC members who have contributed significantly to the Canadian and Atlantic Canadian canon of work, and to Canadian theatre in general. The recipients include two playwrights from Nova Scotia: Wanda Graham and Wendy Lill, Charlie Rhindress from New Brunswick, Kent Stetson from Prince Edward Island and Anne Chislett from Newfoundland.
PARC was formed in 1991 to address the needs of Atlantic Canadian Playwrights and playwriting. Its mandate is to assist in the professional development of Atlantic Canadian playwrights, to support the development of new Atlantic Canadian scripts and to promote and document Atlantic Canadian works for the stage. The Life Time Membership awards are part of PARC’s 15th Anniversary Celebrations which are supported by Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage’s Cultural Activities Program.
PARC Receives Charitable Status!
PARRSBORO, NS: Following several years of working on re-organization, strategic planning and the establishment of new directions, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre has been designated a registered charity
Atlantic Playwrights Guideline: Ready for Sale!
Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre is pleased to announce that the newly revised and updated Guideline for Atlantic Playwrights is now available. The Guideline was originally written by Carol Sinclair in 1999 and has been has been updated by PARC President, Bev Brett and member Andrea Dymond and edited by PARC's Director of Dramaturgy Jenny Munday