young companies - The Citadel Theatre

PLAY DEVELOPMENT
2011/2012 PLAYWRIGHTS’ FORUM FEEDBACK
I cannot thank you enough for your support of
the Citadel Playwrights' Forum. This has
been the most rewarding play development
process that I have had the privilege to be
a part of. It has been extremely rigorous,
intimate and enlightening. Working with
Colleen, Brian and my fellow playwrights has
enriched my understanding of the craft. The
things that I have learned in the Forum
will aid me throughout my career and I
am excited to continue work on my play
into the next year. Again, thank you so
much.
— Jason Chinn
I would love to let the Citadel know that I
have found the Forum invaluable. To
meet with other playwrights to discuss
our process and work is rare indeed- but
to do so in such a generous and productive
environment is even more rare. Both
Colleen and Brian have been instrumental
in helping us define our own methods of
working and our own individual processes
- all while encouraging us to take risks
while remaining true to our own integrity
of vision. There is no other workshop or
circle like this in our theatre ecology here
in Alberta. I hope to see plays from this
forum produced on stages across the city,
province and country soon....
— Trevor Schmidt
The Citadel’s continued commitment to produce world premieres on our stages had led to many opportunities for Canadian playwrights and this year was no
exception. A noteworthy story of triumph from our Play Development department would be the success and recognition alumni member Collin Doyle has
received for his full-length play Let the Light of Day Through—which he developed while being a part of the 2010/2011 Playwrights’ Forum. Collin went on to
win the 46 th annual Alberta Playwriting Competition this year, and we couldn’t be more proud of his accomplishment.
The Playwrights' Forum proudly sponsored by the BMO Financial Group, is a vital part of play development at the Citadel and it provides a unique and cherished
opportunity for playwrights to create, nurture and develop their work for our stages and beyond.
Brian Dooley, Director, Play Development
Being part of the Citadel’s Playwrights’
Forum has been and continues to be a
tremendous opportunity and certainly a
highlight in my young career. There are
fewer and fewer new play development
programs in this country with the rise of
performance-based theatre. It is so
important for theatres like the Citadel to
invest in new work to ensure the future
of Canadian plays and text based
creation.
As an emerging playwright who has
studied at the National Theatre School
of Canada, I greatly appreciate the Forum
on many levels; the rigor, resources and
perspectives that are always present in
the room; in depth discovery and the
effective structure of the weekly sessions.
Colleen Murphy and Brian Dooley fearlessly
guide their playwrights and inspire that
same fearlessness in their work. I have
met some incredible peers, engaged in
important discussions about theatre,
new work, classics and craft, to name a
few.
I thank you a thousand times for this
opportunity and your investment in new
play development.
— Amy Lee Lavoie
Thank you so much for supporting the
Playwrights’ Forum. The Forum has been
such an important part of the last few
months of my life that I have a hard time
putting how I feel about it into words. I
am so fortunate to have been selected to
participate in its second year and to have
the guidance of Colleen and Brian in the
room and the support of the entire
Citadel staff surrounding us as we met
each day for our sessions.
The Forum has allowed me to stretch as a
dramatist and push my own writing in
directions that I may not have had the
courage to go to on my own. It has given
me a group of colleagues possessing
strong and unique voices with whom I can
share, debate, celebrate and critique our
work. It has given me a glimpse of what
play development in this country could
be, what my work could be, what the
future of Canadian theatre could be.
There is no other program like this in
Canada and what a gift it is.
— Elyne Quan
Want to share your feedback? Email your thoughts to Megan mwenger@citadeltheatre.com
Stamina, Strength and Agility of Body, Mind and Heart
Under the stewardship of Colleen and
Brian, our collected pages reflect our
passion for the power of theatre. Thank
you for these precious days. Your support
of this remarkable forum is a testament
to your vision and your role as the rare
arts leader who values original creation
and the time it takes to craft new work.
The Citadel Playwrights’ Forum has
offered me something that I have longed
for all my life: the time and space to write
with a collection of like-minded artists, all
of us so hungry to carve out a work of
profound truth that might both entertain
and enliven. The mentorship of Colleen
Murphy is laser-focused and clear, rigorous and
tough but with deep compassion, allowing me to
examine facets of my art that I had sought
after but felt too green and clumsy to
attain. My project has grown immeasurably
and the skills that I have learned will
enrich the rest of my career as a writer,
actor and educator.
— William Marchant
Thank you so much for your support of
the Playwrights' Forum and further to
that, your support of play development in
Canada. The Forum has played a pivotal
role in my development as a writer, and
couldn't have come at a better time. For
the past five years, I have been paving a
career for myself on my own, learning
only by doing. Under the guidance of
Colleen Murphy and Brian Dooley and by
sharing work and experiences with my
fellow writers, I have gained essential
knowledge about the craft of writing and
a vocabulary in which to express myself
when working with other artists. During
the Forum, I challenged myself to write a
style of play that I haven't attempted
before. I would not have taken a risk like
that without that support. The variety of
tools placed at my disposal has not only
made my play stronger, but has made me
stronger as a writer, giving me a confidence I
lacked eight months ago. Thank you again
for this invaluable opportunity.
— Nicole Moeller
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Next Stage • June 2012 • Page 4