20th women's work festival

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: 
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​PLAYWRITING LAB

Cast of "Tomilola: The Musical" by Helena Elueme with dramaturgy by Leahdawn Helena, 2025.

OVERVIEW

This NEW program, led by PARC (Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre) Artistic Director Santiago Guzmán, is specifically for playwrights with plays in their early stages of development, including those with a complete first draft that still requires significant development. It offers a structured environment for a cohort of playwrights to develop their drafts.

Submissions are open from August 1 to September 29, 2025, via the link below.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  • Gender Identity: Open to women and other marginalized genders.
  • Residency: Open to playwrights residing in Newfoundland and Labrador.
  • Play Development Stage: Plays should be in the early stages of development, or in their very first draft.
  • Participants: This program is for a cohort of 4 emerging or experienced playwrights.
  • Commitment: Selected playwrights must be available to meet weekly with dramaturge Santiago Guzmán during February 2026. Online participation is an option for playwrights outside St. John's and the surrounding area.
  • Submission Requirement: A complete first draft, or at least 10 pages, of the play.

IF SELECTED, PLAYWRIGHTS WILL RECEIVE

  • Online weekly development meetings with dramaturge Santiago Guzmán (to develop the first drafts of your play) from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm on the following dates:
    • January 31
    • February 7
    • February 14
    • February 21
  • Opportunity to have a public reading of an excerpt or the entire play at the end of the lab during the 20th Annual Women's Work Festival (between February 28 and March 4, 2026).
  • While travel is not covered, we explore options for accommodations and per diems support for playwrights outside St. John's and surrounding areas to attend the public reading.

SELECTION POLICY

  • A cohort of four (4) playwrights will be selected.
  • We aim to have at least one (1) playwright from Newfoundland and Labrador (outside St. John's and the surrounding area).
  • We aim for 50% of the selected participants to be IBPOC or equity-owed artists.
  • If the selection pool does not allow us to fully meet these criteria, other playwrights will be selected
Before submitting, please review both programs to evaluate which is more appropriate for your work at this time.
Need some guidance? Let us know!

Contact us at [email protected].
Submissions close September 29, 2025, at 11:59pm NST.