PLAYWRIGHTS

PROGRAMS FOR PLAYWRIGHTS

THE WRITER’S GYM

A fun and structured space to find and flex your writing muscles. Using bite-sized writing-then-hearing activities to tackle scripting challenges help playwrights immediately discover the consequences of their choices. Topics range from how to properly format a script to the essentials of story, character, theme, and action. Suitable for beginners and emerging playwrights.

THE SCRIPT LABS

For one-act plays that are mid-development, a Script Lab will provide dramaturgical feedback by experienced facilitators along with an actor-reading to help you get your writing to the next stage. The script must be a complete play or draft, not a scene or scenes. Other playwrights and guests of the playwright are encouraged to attend and contribute their feedback.

THE SCRIPT CIRCLE

The Script Circle is a supportive cohort of playwrights each with a play in mind or in progress and is offered for different levels of writing experience. The script circle is goal-focused, aiming for various submission deadlines and production opportunities beyond sharing for fun and feedback. This is not a writing course though guidance and incentive are provided by the facilitator. For additional dramaturgy help with a play please contact: Erin Vanderweg aaronvanderweg@gmail.com Or Trevor Rueger trevor@albertaplaywrights.com Also check out programs at:

Alberta Playwrights Network

https://www.albertaplaywrights.com

CALL FOR PLAY SUBMISSIONS

Sylvan Lake Theatre

The Sylvan Lake Theatre Trail call for site-specific plays occurs in April annually for a September production. 

Ten-Minute New Play Festival

  • Staged readings of plays ready for an audience. Deadline December 31, 2025.

Please Note: SLT playwright programs are for those writers that reside in central Alberta (between Edmonton and Calgary) and can attend dramaturgy sessions, rehearsals and performances to participate and support local theatre initiatives.

Red Deer Players Society

  • Red Deer Player’s publicly staged readings of full-length unproduced plays by Albertan playwrights.

https://www.reddeerplayers.com/ breaking-cover.html

Central Alberta Theatre (CAT)

Call for Submissions for the CATnips One Acts

Running April 17 & 18  https://centralalbertatheatre.ca/catnips-submissions Project deadline is January 31st, 2026. Does not need to be a new play. 

For more info contact Jeremy Robinson, Artistic Producer, at 403-309-0522 or email at artisticproducter@centralalbertatheatre.ca.

Heartland One-Act Play Festival - the zone level of the Alberta Drama Festival. Self-produced projects of existing scripts or new works are staged and adjudicated at Central Alberta Theatre in April. One show will advance to the provincial festival in May.

PLAYWRIGHT RESOURCES

Alberta Playwrights Network