The Seedlings Project - Playwriting Unit
As part of our lead-up to our 20th anniversary in 2026, Women's Work Festival is thrilled to launch its inaugural playwriting unit, The Seedlings Project. This initiative aims to cultivate new voices and support the development of original plays by women and gender diverse artists. This year, we are particularly excited to offer opportunities to artists residing in and outside of St. John's in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a dedicated space for IBPOC artists.
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The Seedlings Project will provide a supportive environment for selected participants to develop their playwriting skills and craft new works. The unit will culminate in a public stage reading of the developed scripts in St. John's.

What Playwrights ReceiveD:

  • Dramaturgical Support;
  • Classes and workshops to learn and expand their skills in playwriting and dramaturgy;
  • Monthly meetings facilitated by the award-winning playwright Santiago Guzmán to share and develop their playwriting skills;
  • Opportunity to be part of the Play Book Club project, reading locally published plays and meeting with their authors; 
  • Constructive feedback on their work from peers and dramaturges;
  • A workshop with actors and dramaturge and the opportunity to have their play showcased in a public stage reading in December 2025;
  • Potential networking opportunities within the Newfoundland and Labrador theatre community;
  • Travel and accommodation support to attend the final reading in St. John's (within budgetary constraints);
  • An honorarium of $1000. The first half will be paid by signing the letter of agreement, and the final amount will be paid after the last meeting in December 2025.​
Learn more about the selected playwrights below!
"Women have certain experiences in theatre that men don't have. We need safe spaces to talk about those experiences."
- Lynne C. Martin​