As part of its renewed strategic direction working on training, mentoring and new work development, Burning Passions Theatre is launching a Playwrights Circle this fall, offering writers an outstanding dramaturgical opportunity with veteran award-winning theatre director, playwright, and dramaturge Laurel Smith, the company’s Artistic Producer. Meeting weekly, these writers will have the opportunity to refine and reflect on the progress of their work in a group setting facilitated by Smith.
“Between an economy that never seems to find funding for the arts and limited spaces for those trying out new works, there remain far too many barriers for those trying to move from an initial idea and a draft to finalizing a script that could be ready for workshopping and production,” says Smith. “This Playwrights Circle is an excellent opportunity to create a safe, nurturing, thoughtful space for playwrights to work together, commenting on one another’s work while benefitting from suggestions that can improve their scripts and get them to the next level.”
This latest Burning Passions Theatre project will work with four playwrights who bring a remarkable degree of experience and insight to the group.
Among them is Elle Attson (on Instagram @elleattson.arts), who since childhood has been a story creator. She holds a Psychology degree, a career in UX design, and is also a professional actor with The Meus Agency. She has performed in local theatre, including A Christmas Story (Kanata), The Mousetrap (Phoenix), and the independently produced Sartre’s No Exit. Attson made her directorial debut as a director and producer of the original play, BUYSEXUAL, at Ottawa Fringe 2024, winning ‘Best of Fest’ award.
Also participating will be Jessie Bergeron, a multidisciplinary theatre artist from Timmins, Ontario. After graduating from the University of Ottawa with a BA in Theatre Studies, she trained in acting at George Brown College. She has since branched out into playwriting, directing and producing. She is a proud mama of two and a teacher-mom to many more. As a mother-artist, a feminist, a queer woman, and a person who lives with mental illness, she works to create space for these communities and explore these lived experiences through her art.
Michael MacLean began acting and writing in Edmonton in the 1980s. His solo shows and short plays have been produced across Canada and in the U.S., and he has written for film, CBC radio and national news publications. Alongside his work with the Circle, he is currently developing Flying Girl with Ottawa’s Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre.
Guy Newsham (http://www.guynewsham.com) who spent a career working on making buildings more energy efficient and sustainable, has acted on community theatre stages for many years, and started writing for the stage in earnest seven years ago. His plays have been successful in multiple competitions and festivals, leading to more than 80 prizes and productions in five countries. He is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and in 2021 he won Canada’s National One Act Playwriting Competition.