In Collaboration with 
Announces the
2012 New Works for Young Audiences Playwright’s Circle
Appropriate playwrights: This circle is for playwrights (emerging or established) who are interested in developing work suitable for young audiences and/or families. The play can be at any stage of development – a full draft, a few scenes or even just an idea. A small group of no more than six playwrights will be selected to participate in this workshop based upon the suitability of their proposed work, their goals around developing their work and their desire to share the development process with others.
Playwright Circle elements: Over the course of the full circle playwrights can expect to develop their plays under the guidance of established playwright, educator, director and dramaturge, Kim McCaw, as well as through feedback from other participants, readings by professional actors and reaction and feedback from your intended audience. Acceptance & participation in the Playwright’s Workshop will include.
Six ‘playwright’s circle style’ sessions lead by Kim McCaw (Canadian Centre for Theatre Creation) on Wednesdays from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. from January 18 to February 22, 2011 (Edmonton).
Workshop readings of your play (or scenes) in development by professional actors for a school and/or family audience. You will be given an honorarium for the use of your piece in this part of the process.
Consideration for future development and/or production by Kompany Family Theatre.
Application Process: Interested playwrights are invited to respond to the Artistic Director of Kompany Family Theatre (kompany@telus.net) by January 4th 2012 with a short description of your play/idea, what you would like to accomplish over the course of the workshop as well as relevant background information about yourself. Chosen participants will be required to pay a fee of $150.00 for the workshop process and will be eligible for an honorarium for the use of their work with a school and/or family audience.
Bios & Further information:
KIM McCAW
Director, Canadian Centre for Theatre Creation and New Works Workshop leader
A professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Drama at the University of Alberta, McCaw brings over thirty years of experience in the field of Canadian new play development and Production. He has previously been Artistic Director of Winnipeg’s Prairie Theatre Exchange and Program Director of the Banff Playwrights’ Colony, both leaders in developing new work for the theatre. Kim is well-known for his contribution and dedication to theatre for young audiences – his Robert Munsch stage adaptations were the first ever created of these beloved stories and are still being produced to this day and the legacy of his artistic direction at Prairie Theatre Exchange includes many successful seasons of educational touring shows for young audiences.
KOMPANY FAMILY THEATRE Kompany Family Theatre (of Kompany Dance and Affiliated Artist’s Society) is an Edmonton-based professional theatre company dedicated to producing quality theatre for young audiences and families, as well as to the creation and development of new works. Past productions, under the Artistic Direction of Jan Taylor, have included: Alberto the Dancing Alligator, In True Pirate Fashion, Zachary and the Storytelling Stones, The Missadventurous Perils of Pauline, Fairly Scary Fairy Tales, The Pumpkin Patch Mystery, The Wizard that Was… or Was Not and From Zero to Hero.
This is the second year of The New Works Playwrights’ Circle which replaced the former New Works for Young Audiences Play Development Programme. This collaborative venture between Kompany Family Theatre and the Canadian Centre for Theatre Creation saw a very successful inaugural year in 2011 resulting in the creation and production of the family musical The Wizard that Was, or Was Not…, and the beginnings of three other plays by emerging Edmonton Playwrights.
Questions can be directed to Jan Taylor, Artistic Director, Kompany Family Theatre (kompany@telus.net ).
