Playwrights' Testimonials

The playwrights from our previous editions shared why the Festival was so important for their plays and careers.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process of having my play workshopped during the WWF. I had been struggling with seeing it as one cohesive thing and being able to do a table read of it, plus getting all the feedback from my cast and dramaturge, was immensely helpful. I can really see it becoming something now."
- August Carrigan - 2024 WWF Playwright
"I am a playwright based in Toronto and was fortunate to participate in the Women's Work Festival (WWF) in 2023. As an emerging playwright, the opportunity to workshop and hear a live reading of a new play is immensely helpful and not commonly afforded to us. Despite my play requiring specific casting (at least 2 East Asian women of Chinese descent in St. John's), the WWF team didn't shy away from it and invited me on board. Getting to hear my script and receive feedback from folks who may not often encounter a script based around Chinese characters and subject matter was incredibly helpful in allowing me to figure out what may or may not be clear to audiences. It was clear at the festival that the community Women's Work Festival has built is incredibly supportive, even of writers and folks they may not be familiar with. Thank you so much, WWF team - it was such a pleasure and joy to be a part of your festival."
- April Leung - 2023 WWF Playwright
"As a new playwright, participation in the 2023 Women's Work Festival was an important milestone in the development of my very first play, Braiding Peonies. This was my very first experience of participating in a workshop and it was a tremendous learning experience. With the support of dramaturg Santiago Guzman and the amazing actors, I was able to 'meet' my characters. On the evening of the public reading, I experienced the story arc of my play for the first time, alongside talented playwright Karen Monie, and an enthusiastic and engaged audience. Both the workshop and public reading at the festival gave me the confidence and insights to finish a full first draft of my play."
- Sobia Shaheen Shaikh - 2023 WWF Playwright
"In 2022, I was selected to present my play at the Women's Work Festival. I have been a writer for many years, mostly doing freelance journalism and sketch comedy, but this was the first full length play I had written. The Women's Work Festival not only gave me the confidence to present my work, but they gave me the tools and the resources to grow as a playwright and to nourish my work. Since my participation in the Women's Work Festival, I have had another workshop (through help of ArtsNL) for my play with some top players in the community, such as Petrina Bromley, Evan Mercer, and Allison Moira Kelly, and I have begun sending out my play to companies in the city to aid in producing my work. Without my involvement in the Women's Work Festival, I don't know if I would have had the confidence to show others my work. I think that opportunities like the Women's Work Festival stimulate growth for artists, playwrights, actors, and more. It is a low barrier, accessible place to feel supported and for your work to be respected."
- Stef Curran - 2022 WWF Playwright
"The Women’s Work Festival provided a wonderful, welcoming environment to create in. I was able to take a huge leap forward with my play, “Waiting for Her,” and I was so grateful to get to do so in the company of an incredible, supportive group of artists. I would highly recommend the Festival to anyone!"​
- Brynn Cutcliffe - 2024 WWF Playwright
"My first full length script, "The Heart Play", was accepted into the 2023 Women's Work Festival in March and from there, it gained community support and the momentum necessary to be produced not just once, but twice in one year. As a playwright in the festival, I was paired up with celebrated NL writer Megan Gail Coles who provided elevated dramaturgical support for the work. With the help of Megan and the Festival, my script was production-ready by June 2023. The Women's Work Festival provided me with the platform and contacts necessary to progress from emerging to established artist. Thank you WWF!"
- Marie Pike - 2023 WWF Playwright
"When I graduated university at the height of 2020 lockdowns, my future as a playwright felt painfully uncertain. Creating new work, making connections and navigating the theatre industry is difficult for recent graduated in general, and the added barrier of COVID restrictions made it feel impossible. Participating in the 2023 Women's Work Festival was a true turning point in my career. It was the first time my work was able to be presented in front of a live audience, which was more valuable than words can summarize. As a Montreal-based writer, I couldn't join in person, but being able to take in the audience reactions and feedback over Zoom still left me with a stronger roadmap to future versions of my play than any amount of digital mentorship possibly could. Pamela was also such a richly invested, knowledgeable dramaturge, and her guidance has helped me a lot as I work to revise this show. In recent months, I have received the first creation grant of my career from the Conseil des Arts de Montreal, and was the only playwright accepted into the 2024 Quebec Writers' Federation Artist Mentorship Program. I truly believe that neither of these accomplishments would have been possible without the Women's Work Festival, which not only provided me clarity in what I want to do with my play, but also a level of legitimacy that's hard to achieve for an emerging playwright who has previously only worked under the restraints of the pandemic. Overall, I think this festival is a wonderful resource for emerging female writers across the country, and is more important now than ever before."
- Megan Hunt - 2023 WWF Playwright