NOVEMBER 22 E-NEWSLETTER

In Memoriam - John Murrell
 

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of theatre giant and Canadian theatre icon, Mr. John Murrell.
 
While I didn’t know John well, I did have the opportunity to meet him on a rare occasion and in every one of those meetings he wondered how he might be able to help Alberta Playwrights’ Network. About three years ago, John called the office and asked if he might be able to attend the annual general meeting. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed as he wasn’t sure of his membership status. I told him that his membership status was fine, as he was a lifetime member of the organization.  I had wondered why he was interested in attending, as he hadn’t in the past. At the end of the meeting I was walking him out and asked him that question. He stated: “I was just wondering if there was anything that I could do or help with. If I might be able to show my support in grant applications or if I could help grease the wheels if need be.” I told him that we would be honoured to accept any assistance that he might offer. As he was waiting for his ride, I took the opportunity to tell him the story of a high school kid, who because of John, was standing and having this conversation with him. In grade 10, at my first ever high school drama festival, I performed a piece from Waiting for the Parade. There is one male monologue that is an extra scene in the play: a young soldier on his bunk writing a letter home to his wife. I told him that playing those beautiful words made me decide to be an actor. His response? “So I guess I owe you an apology.” We both laughed and his ride pulled up. “Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot.”
 
We send our condolences to his family and to the Canadian theatre community. John was a gentleman, a scholar and above all else, a beautiful soul who will be missed.

- Trevor Rueger, Executive Director of Alberta Playwrights' Network

Memorial tributes/donations may be made directly to One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre or to Alberta Theatre Projects. 

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Stories Within Stories:
An Interview with Nicole Moeller
by Bevin Dooley

Edmonton playwright Nicole Moeller is an expert at diving into newsworthy narratives and probing the more elusive questions knotted up inside. Her 2015 play The Mothers has its origin in a news story about Lynndie England, a soldier who was captured on film  grinning during the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. It would be simpler to investigate what turns a person into a monster, but Moeller turned the play into an exploration of women whose own flesh and blood end up becoming perpetrators of pain and suffering, and how they contend with that cruelty. Similarly,  in her latest play The Ballad of Peachtree Rose, Moeller forgoes questions with black-and-white answers in favour of questions with answers in many shades of grey. I interviewed her recently about the writing of The Ballad of Peachtree Rose, as well as her practice as a playwright.
 

What was the seed of The Ballad of Peachtree Rose? 

I became quite interested in a high profile criminal case in the Edmonton courts several years ago. It involved a minor who was a ward of the province and accused of a violent offence. The deeper I looked into the case, the more complex it became. Real life is often a jumping off point for me. 

Having seen the play, I was intrigued by the character of Belle, who seems to exist between realities and timelines. What made you decide to include this facet, alongside the main thrust of the narrative? 
Belle’s mother was the victim of a violent crime. She adds another (essential) layer to the story. I wasn’t sure how to fit her in, and I still don’t think I totally solved it, but the play didn’t interest me without her. I also didn’t feel right about writing it if I didn’t include her story. The victim is so often forgotten in these cases. She’s the one who takes us through the story and replays the events. To me this represents how a victim can spend a lifetime searching for a sense of closure that may never come. 

How do you define justice for yourself? 
Justice (in my opinion) is an extremely difficult concept because a lot of people who end up committing crimes never felt a sense of justice in their own lives and were often victims first. However, I don’t want to minimize what the victims of their crimes endure. There has to be consequences for our actions, but I think the focus should be on rehabilitation and reintegration. And if we were to address things like poverty, for example, we would be able to prevent a huge number of crimes. So I suppose you could say that I define justice as prevention and rehabilitation. 

How do you think your background as a journalist has shaped the way you approach playwriting?
Journalism taught me to look for the story behind the story. This is key for me as a playwright. But for the record, I studied journalism, I didn’t practice it. A journalist has a few hours to write a story… this play took me a few years. Deadlines were never my thing. 
 

Your body of work often focuses on the stories of women. Is that a conscious decision, or has it emerged fairly naturally? Do you attribute it to something else entirely?
In the beginning it emerged naturally, as in the case of The Mothers, that was simply the story I wanted to tell. Now it is much more deliberate. If I think of a story that would most often be told by men, I imagine it with women and think about how that might change things or make it more exciting. This was the case with The Ballad of Peachtree Rose, and is also the case with the next play I’m interested in pursuing.  

Since becoming a parent, has your approach to playwriting/storytelling changed?
I don’t have time to obsess as much anymore. I have to trust my gut, or at the very least, I have to go with whatever spews out since there’s no time anymore to rewrite it a thousand times. 

Do you think your identity as an artist has evolved since becoming a parent?
I don’t think so. I’ve written quite dark plays for the past few years and lately I’ve found myself craving the light. But I’m not sure if that’s becoming a parent or just being human. 

Do you have a writing routine or writing rituals that you adhere to from play to play?
I read every draft out loud every time. Usually while sitting in the bath.  

If you had to contribute one piece of wisdom or advice to the collective consciousness of playwrights, what would it be?
Stay curious.

SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITY:
12TH WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE MONTRÉAL
JUNE 20-25, 2021
 
OPEN CALL FOR FEMALE, GENDER-FLUID, NON-BINARY AND GENDER NON-CONFORMING PLAYWRIGHTS!
 
Applications are open for participating in the 12th Women Playwrights International Conference in Montréal! Plays can be submitted from October 15, 2019 until December 15, 2019. We will notify those plays that are chosen for WPI Montreal by April 15, 2020.
 
We estimate that around 250 delegates will attend the conference from over 40 countries.
 
You may apply to participate in the following categories:
• Dramatic Readings (15-20 minutes)
• Staged Readings (full text)
• Full Productions (you must bring your own production/venue and tech support will be provided)
 
OUR THEME:
We invite the playwrights of the world to write about anything that explores the spectrum of identity, be it about racialization, sexualization, class, gender, age, dis/ability, language and so forth.
 
We invite you to think of these questions:
• What does racialization and sexualization mean now? What does gender mean? How do we accommodate our evolving ideas of gender and sexual identity in our writing? Is there a post-gendered future looming?
• What does it mean to be a woman playwright? What does it mean to be a feminist writer?
• What does the idea of class mean and imply now?
• What is the experience of dis/abled writers? How does the body we inhabit inform our writing?
• Do all stories have to be told through lived experience? Who gets to tell whose stories?
 
Women Playwrights International (WPI) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to facilitating communication, opportunities to meet, to build networks, to create genuine, lasting contacts among women playwrights and theatre professionals from all over the world. This is done mainly through holding International Women Playwrights Conferences every 3 years at different locations around the world.
 
For more information, please see submission guidelines.

For more information, please email: wpimontreal2021@gmail.com, or check our Facebook page or our soon to be up website! Thank you!

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APN annually provides support, development, resources, & technology for over 75 playwrights and provides employment opportunities for over 100 actors and directors. In the past 5 years, we have championed over 25 plays which have gone on to production at theatres of all sizes. As we do not produce the work, we do not see any return on the investment we have made. 

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