Pat the Dog Playwright Centre
Have a script? Have a seat. Live in Ontario? Passionate about plays? We’d love to have you at our table. Contact Us Two desks, 1,897 books, one tiny office and lots of scripts. We’re open for business.
Piece/Meal: Neighbours
This month, Cheeses Murphy brings his fabulous flying panini press to Piece/Meal. Munch on hot grilled cheese while you enjoy an intriguing reading from the script that won our 2011 24-Hour Playwriting Contest. Neighbours by Allie Bell is a thought-provoking absurdist comic-drama. Plucking stories from the headline, it explores contemporary issues of sedition, homeland security and [...]
In Conversation with: Erin Shields
What inspires you as a playwright? Where does your motivation come from? I’m inspired by what’s around me – people, stories, news, politics, art, my family. I also take great inspiration from other works of literature and art. I love to interact with other texts – usually older texts – working to figure out how [...]
Vern Thiessen: Live and Up Close
In January, award-winning playwright Vern Thiessen will be making a special appearance in Waterloo. He’ll be reading from his play Lenin’s Embalmers in the intimate setting of The Button Factory. This is an unique opportunity to meet one of Canada’s most successful and widely-produced playwrights and hear him read from his own work. Theatre lovers, playwrights [...]
Piece/Meal Reading Series: Fresh, New Plays Served HOT
Pat the Dog Playwright Centre continues its popular piece/meal reading series with an exciting, expanded version. We’ll be serving up a light meal and four new, full-length theatre pieces — all of which originated from our playwright centre. The smorgasbord of plays includes a mix of works from playwrights across the province and is [...]
How to survive a 24-hour playwriting contest
Writing a play in 24 hours sounds like an impossible task that would appeal to only a few people. Yet this year we had as many people on the waiting list as taking part in the contest itself. Why would any one do it? How do you get through the process? Is it really worth [...]
Artistic Director Q&A: David Savoy
David Savoy is beginning his third season as Artistic Director of Sudbury Theatre Centre (STC). Previously he was the AD of Showboat Festival Theatre in Port Colborne, ON, and the St. Lawrence Stage Company in Brockville, ON. He was at the Shaw Festival for three seasons, as an Intern Director, Assistant Director, and Director. He [...]
2011 24-Hour Playwriting Contest Results
Armed with only a page of notes, a computer and their imaginations, playwrights from across Ontario spent 24 non-stop hours this past weekend fighting off sleep and pounding out an original play. The third annual competition proved to be the most challenging yet. “The breadth of submissions was impressive, which made our job very difficult,” [...]
Workshop: Matthew Heiti on Receiver of Wreck
In October 2010, Matthew Heiti took part in Pat the Dog Playwright Centre’s 24-Hour Playwriting Contest. Along with a strict deadline, all participants were challenged to include the words, “button”, “peach” and “skin”. Heiti must work well under pressure. Not only did his 24-hour script, Receiver of Wreck, win our contest, his play, I Drag My Coffin Through [...]
Artistic Director Q&A: Bob White
Bob White has been active as a dramaturg and director in the Canadian theatre for almost forty years. Based in Calgary, he curated the Enbridge playRites Festival at Alberta Theatre Projects for 22 years. Previously, he was artistic director at Factory Theatre in Toronto and Playwrights Workshop Montreal. He is currently Consulting Director, New Plays [...]
Predella Open Studio – April 18
Monday, April 18, 2011 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM The Button Factory Admission: Free. Everyone is welcome. The week at Predella Open Studio, we’re focusing on individual projects in progress. If you have a project you’re working on, or would like to start bring it along. From strategies to bust through blocks or build specific [...]
Workshop: Nine Rooms and The 10-Minute Play
The Nine Rooms Workshop Friday, November 26, 2010 (Note new date) 9:30 am – 3:30 pm The Button Factory 25 Regina St S Waterloo, ON N2J 1R8 A lot can happen in 10 minutes. Join Dominik Loncar, Artistic Director of the InspiraTO Festival, as he takes you through The Nine Rooms, a workshop designed to [...]
24-Hour Playwriting Contest Winner
After 24 non-top hours of typing, pacing, deleting and caffeinating, our participants are tired. But we have a winner. Congratulations to Matthew Heiti of Sudbury for Receiver of Wreck. Second place goes to Evan Tsitsias of Mississauga for Back, while J.E. Anderson of Ottawa placed third for The Gods and Calvin Brewer. Wendy Philpott, one [...]
15/60: Play in an Hour for Kids
How Pat the Dog Playwright Centre Spent Our Summer Non-Vacation The legacy from Spotlight 2009 lives on. Pat the Dog Playwright Centre’s 15/60 Play-in-an-Hour Workshop for kids was such a success we took it on the road. The year, as part of the International Windsor Fringe Festival, facilitators Kevin White and Molly Reisman had kids [...]
Evan Tsitsias on Aftershock
Pat the Dog Playwright Centre speaks with playwright Evan Tsitsias about his recent production, Aftershock. Evan says: Aftershock was originally written in 2009 as part of Pat the Dog’s 24 hour Playwriting Contest with the IMPACT festival. It placed 3rd. I then worked with Lisa O’Connell on developing the script with the hopes of entering [...]
24-Hour Playwriting Contest 2010
We’re doing it again. Pat the Dog Playwright Centre will be hosting our second annual 24-Hour Playwriting Contest from 4:00 PM Friday, October 1st to 4:00 PM October 2nd, 2010. Fire up the computer, grab your lucky mug and jump into your pjs because this year all contestants write offsite. Hit the keys at home, [...]
Artistic Director Q&A: Douglas Beattie
Best known as director and producer of the Wingfield series of solo comedies written by Dan Needles, performed by Rod Beattie, Douglas Beattie writes here as founding and current Artistic Director of Touchmark Theatre in Guelph. What do you look for in a script? For Touchmark I look for a well-crafted dramatic action and characters [...]
piece/meal follow-up
Pat the Dog Playwright Centre’s piece/meal sessions played to full houses during the recent Magnetic North Theatre Festival. Our audience members aren’t the only ones to take notice. Four piece/meal scripts have made their way to theatre festivals in Toronto, Hamilton and Winnipeg. Aftershock by Evan Tsitsias is playing at Summerworks in Toronto from August [...]
K-W Arts Award – Gowlings Literary Award Winner
There’s lots to celebrate. Last week, not only did Pat the Dog Playwright Center sign on our 100th member, we won the Gowlings Literary Award at the 22nd Annual K-W Arts Awards on June 6th. Being first-time nominees, we were taken by surprise. Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes and had their fingers crossed [...]
June Poetry SLAM!
You asked for it. You got it. Pat the Dog Playwright Centre is hosting another Poetry SLAM. Our April event brought more than 50 people to the top floor of the Button Factory, where they took to the stage, listened to original creations and munched on popcorn. [showtime] Eager to hear more? Got a poem [...]
Artistic Director Q&A: Daryl Cloran
Daryl Cloran is the founder and Artistic Director of Theatrefront, a Toronto-based independent theatre company. His work as a director at Theatrefront has earned him numerous Dora Award nominations. Recent directing credits also include: And All For Love (National Arts Centre), Generous (Tarragon), Afterplay (Shaw Festival), The Last Five Years (CanStage and MTC), This is [...]
Magnetic North Theatre Festival
Pat the Dog Playwright Centre is pleased to announce we’ve been chosen to present the playwright reading series for this year’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival. piece/meal is a brunch-time series providing an intimate, playful introduction to fresh new plays in development from intriguing new theatre artists. All excerpts are from full-length plays currently under development [...]
Introduction to Theatre of the Oppressed
Workshop: Introduction to Theatre of the Oppressed While actors will benefit immensely, actors are not the only people these techniques empower. This theatre training is for anyone seeking dynamic learning opportunities that will increase self awareness and confidence. This training de-mechanizes the body from repetitive and automatic action, liberates the mind from assumptive patterning, and [...]
Artistic Director Q&A: Majdi Bou-Matar
Majdi Bou-Matar is the Artistic Director and founder of MT Space (The Multicultural Theatre Space) as well as the Artistic Director of the IMPACT, an international biennial theatre festival, hosted by the MT Space. A theatre director and performer, Bou-Matar immigrated to Canada from Lebanon in 2003 and focuses on Canadian intercultural theatre. An active [...]
