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APN eNEWS
FEBRUARY 25

COMING MARCH 2019:
SLIGHT OF MIND by Beth Graham

APN Member and Governor General award-nominated playwright Beth Graham has been concocting a project of epic proportions with APN dramaturg and Theatre Yes' Artistic Director/Producer, Heather Inglis...

Slight of Mind premieres this spring at the Citadel Theatre, exploring our long-term obsession with human flight. The play invites audience to step aboard Icarus Airlines for an adventure that defies the rules of space and time. From sky to sea, from opulent lobbies to hidden caverns, this roving production promises to take you on an intimate and unparalleled journey to the truth at the core of every myth.

Beth and Heather were both recently interviewed by APN's Artistic Associate, Bevin Dooley, about the origin of the piece and the process of creating such mammoth work. The interview has been shared below for your reading pleasure.

Flights of Fancy:
Director Heather Inglis and playwright Beth Graham discuss Slight of Mind
Bevin Dooley - originally published January 29, 2018

It began with a window.

More specifically, it began with the window of the Citadel Theatre’s boardroom, whereTheatre Yes’ Artistic Director and Producer, Heather Inglis, teaches the Young Playwrights Company. From the boardroom on the third floor of the Citadel’s administrative spaces, a person can see into the windows of the Sun Life Building with astonishing clarity.

But where most people would just see cubicles, Inglis saw an opportunity: “I had imagined it would be great if we could have an audience in the board room, who watched actors in Sun Life across the way, and listened to the story on headset – I was interested in that tension.”

It was in the same boardroom where Inglis met the Citadel Theatre’s Artistic Director Daryl Cloran at the beginning of his tenure. Standing in front of that window, she explained the performance she had envisioned. Shortly after, Cloran got a taste of what Theatre Yes is all about with ANXIETY, an epic immersive collaboration by seven Canadian theatre companies. Shortly after, he approached Inglis with a proposal: create a piece for the Citadel Theatre that uses its many spaces in a variety of ways.

Anyone who has set foot inside the Citadel knows this is no small feat.

What has grown out of the possibilities presented by a single window is now a theatrical experiment of mythic proportions. Slight of Mind, penned by Governor General Award- nominated playwright Beth Graham, is a sprawling immersive performance that takes audiences into every nook and cranny of the Citadel space, from hallways and stairwells, to lobbies and boardrooms – everywhere except for the theatres themselves. “The architecture of the Citadel is so interesting and expansive,” muses Graham, “The Shoctor lobby is a big expanse of space, and what does it feel like to have someone walk away from you in that lobby, or walk towards you? What’s it like being in a small, dark room?”

I met with Heather Inglis and Beth Graham over breakfast on a brisk January morning to discuss the origins and evolution of this unique piece of theatre, which will be touching down in Edmonton from March 27 until April 7, 2019. For both artists, the parameters of space, their protracted timeline, and good old-fashioned nerves catalyzed them into action.

“We were both sort of scared at a particular time,” admits Inglis. “I think part of that was, as opposed to having an idea and deciding to carry through with it, we were asked to create something, and then asked what it was going to be about very early on. So then we had to figure out how to find our way in creatively.”

“I think that was the big challenge at first. Because I come from a text-based place, I had to think in terms of space and ideas and images, and then I had to marry that with my own process of story, character, and let it emerge from that and have it all still make sense,” explains Graham, between sips of coffee. “I was feeling intimidated by the scale. I had to find my leaping-off point from the theme of truth, and so I went to myth, and then things kind of took off from there.”

It was near-literal takeoff as well; ruminating on myth led Graham to the concept of flight, and finally to the well-known Greek tale of Icarus. The myth of the young man who flew too close to the sun led Graham to the stories of other people lost or nearly-lost in flight, and has since become the frame for Slight of Mind.

Audiences will arrive in the departure lounge of the dubiously-named Icarus Air at the beginning of the piece and be guided by a group of flight attendants through the world of the play. They will traverse time and space to 1938, meeting Amelia Earhart right before her disappearance, to 1958 when Valentina Tereshkova became to first woman sent into space, and make many more stops to gather stories along the way.

Slight of Mind’s other significant point of origin is the model of collective creation in the style of European companies such as Complicité and Frantic Assembly. In the spring of 2017, Theatre Yes partnered with Theatre Alberta to host a workshop in Banff with long-time Complicité company member Joyce Henderson. Inglis’ thought was: “Maybe I can try to experiment with the notion of ensemble feeding the literary creation of work on a small-scale basis.” Following and adapting the Complicité model, Theatre Yes assembled a group of six performers who met monthly, and then bi-weekly, from March through July to explore the themes of the piece they were most interested in, helping to fuel Graham's writing through the process.

In line with the approach of British company Frantic Assembly, Inglis’ team also involved the designers very early on. The result is densely-integrated, multi-disciplinary artistry at its finest. The design for Slight of Mind boasts a variety of installations and lighting designs by Daniela Masellis and Tessa Stamp, costumes by Brian Bast, video and visuals by Ian Jackson, and sound design – including a full sound installation –by renowned sound artist Gary James Joynes.

It's intriguing - heartening, even - that a piece of theatre as expansive as Slight of Mind bloomed from something as quotidian as the view from a particular window. “It’s interesting where ideas come from,” Inglis agrees. “In this case, it came from contemplating what was right before my eyes.” And how much of that source material made the final cut? Inglis hinted that a component of it remains in the project. She won’t reveal what it is, so the curious among you will have to board this flight of fancy in order to find out.

SLIGHT OF MIND plays March 27 to April 7, 2019 at the Citadel Theatre.
For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit The Citadel Theatre's website.

SUBMISSIONS CALL FOR
VERTIGO THEATRE

CALLING ALL PLAYWRIGHTS!
Vertigo Theatre invites proposals from playwrights residing in Canada for new plays from the mystery genre. We are dedicated to the revitalization, diversification, and expansion of the mystery theatre genre, and we are searching for writers and theatre makers who are excited by the genre’s potential. Proposals will be chosen based on how closely they align with Vertigo’s core values which include excellence, collaboration and accessibility. This year, we are specifically prioritizing the development of scripts that:
- Are written by women, non-binary people, Indigenous people or people of colour
- Have been written for casts of 6 and under

We believe that the mystery genre is wide-ranging, and may be dramatic or comedic (or both) in nature. Acceptable sub-genres include (but are not limited to) whodunnits, police procedurals, suspense, capers, thrillers, crime fiction, detective stories, true crime, noir, ghost stories, court room dramas, spy thrillers, horror, period mysteries and more. Vertigo is committed to investing in high calibre artistic creation; to developing vital artistic partnerships with a wide range of people, organizations, and disciplines; to engaging artists who prioritize and promote the value of art in our community; and to providing opportunities to folks who have been historically underrepresented in the mystery genre, in order to expand our community impact and artistic reach.

We are asking playwrights to submit a pitch for their play idea (1 page max). From this pool, five writers will be selected to write a treatment and will receive a payment of $500. From the five treatments, we will select at least one playwright to receive a full commission towards a production in a future season.

Applicants are welcome to reach out to Vertigo to discuss their proposal before submission.
Proposals should include the following:
*A pitch/project description (1 page max)
*A letter of intent addressing your interest in Vertigo Theatre
*Any ideas you might have for collaborators
*Your bio/CV

What we will provide to the writer selected for a full commission:

*A commissioning fee (to be negotiated)

*Dramaturgical support

*A minimum of two script workshops with actors

*Other developmental support as required (tied to the needs of your play, this may be in the form of design workshops, other types of research, or access to collaborators)

*Tickets to Vertigo productions while you are in residence, and access to our facilities as needed

Please consider Vertigo Theatre’s mission when developing your application:
Our mission is to thrill, entertain and challenge by creating theatrical works of the highest calibre, that ignite the curiosity and imagination of our community. We are dedicated to the revitalization and evolution of the Mystery Theatre genre and to training and mentoring the next generation of arts leaders.

Please direct all enquiries and proposals to Jenna Rodgers, Artistic Associate (artisticassociate@vertigotheatre.com)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 15, 2019

SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR
THE 2019 NEW WORKS FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES PLAYWRIGHT'S CIRCLE

This circle is for emerging and established writers interested in creating theatrical work suitable for young audiences and/or families. Past participants have included playwrights and other theatre professionals as well as writers from a variety of genres. Over the course of the full circle, playwrights can expect to create a short, yet complete, play suitable for young audiences and/or families under the guidance of accomplished playwright, Conni Massing and director/dramaturg, Tracy Carroll.

The elements of Kompany’s New Works for Young Audiences Playwrights Circle include:

Playwright Circle Sessions: You will participate in seven sessions with a limited-sized group of fellow playwrights led by Conni and Tracy in order to develop your play.
Tuesdays 6 to 9 p.m.: March 19, 26, April 9, 16, 30, May 7 & 21

Professional Actor Read Through: Your play will be read through by professional actors led by a professional director. You will have an opportunity to revise your play in preparation for the reading/workshop with your intended audience. (Note: you must participate in this read through for your play to be considered eligible for the Intended Audience Readings.)
May 28, 6 to 9 p.m.

Intended Audience Readings: Your play may be chosen to be actively workshopped with its intended audience (usually in schools), led by professional actors and a director. You will be given an honorarium for the use of your piece in this part of the process.
June 3 to 6 – exact scheduling TBD, however will likely be during the daytime

Script Salon Reading: You may be invited to submit a portion of your play (along with other playwright circle playwrights) at this popular Reading Series co-sponsored by the Playwrights Guild of Canada, Alberta Playwrights Network & Holy Trinity Anglican Church. You will also receive an honorarium for this.
June 9 – 7:30 p.m.

Interested playwrights are invited to respond to Jan Taylor, Artistic Director of Kompany Family Theatre (kompanyfamilytheatre@gmail.com) by March 18, 2019.

Workshop fee: $300.00 (Note: Playwrights will be eligible for an honorarium for use of their work during the target audience workshops.)
APN members, Students & TYA Boot Camp participants discount: $20.00
Fee Waiver/Reduction: Please contact us if the fee is prohibitive to your participation.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 18, 2019

SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN FOR
THE WILDFIRE NATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION

The Major Matt Mason Collective, in association with Sage Theatre, presents The Wildfire National Playwriting Competition!

What is Wildfire?
We want to read awesome plays by young Canadian playwrights and we are willing to offer cash money! We are looking for playwrights 30 years of age or under to submit fresh, young scripts that embrace risk, grit and evocation. The two winning scripts selected by our jury will receive a cash prize and a staged reading at Sage Theatre's IGNITE! Festival.

What kind of cash prize?
This year, if we make our fundraising goal, we will be awarding our grand prize will be $750 with a runner up prize of $350.

Okay! How do I apply?
To download our submission guidelines and form go to www.mmmtheatrecollective.com/wildfire.
Deadline for submissions is April 1, 2019

Any questions?
Shoot us a line at mmmtheatrecollective@gmail.com. Good luck and lots of love!

It is super important to us that we keep this competition free for all applicants. If you would like to support this competition and help keep it accessible, donate at this link.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 1, 2019

Support Our Work

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.

If you like what we do, please think about supporting us with a donation through ATB Cares (click the link below). We can turn every dollar into three dollars of support for the writers and creators in our great province.

APN eNEWS FEBRUARY 25

Flights of Fancy: Director Heather Inglis and playwright Beth Graham discuss Slight of Mind Bevin Dooley - originally published January 29, 2018

SLIGHT OF MIND plays March 27 to April 7, 2019 at the Citadel Theatre. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit The Citadel Theatre's website.

APN eNEWS
FEBRUARY 25

Flights of Fancy:
Director Heather Inglis and playwright Beth Graham discuss Slight of Mind
Bevin Dooley - originally published January 29, 2018

SLIGHT OF MIND plays March 27 to April 7, 2019 at the Citadel Theatre.
For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit The Citadel Theatre's website.