Teesri Duniya Theatre’s Fireworks Play Development Program is inviting submissions from Canadian playwrights, particularly those BIPOC, LGBT+ and equity-seeking groups, as well as individuals writing about socially conscious themes. This 7-month guided mentorship offers a supportive and safe environment for developing plays rooted in culturally sensitive dramaturgy.

Deadline to Submit: August 31st at 11:59 pm

Update on application beginning of October. 

The program dramaturges are Marie Barlizo and Nick Carpenter.

Marie Barlizo is a Montreal based playwright, dramaturg, producer, mentor and arts educator. She holds a MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and is the first BIPOC to graduate from the National Theatre School’s Playwriting Program. She is an instructor and playwriting mentor at NTS and dramaturg for Teesri Duniya Theatre’s Fireworks Play Development Program. She is the recipient of the 2022 Bernard Amyot Teaching Award at National Theatre School and the winner of the 2022 Jovette Marchessault award for Playwriting. Recently she produced her play The Healing @ Centaur Theatre’s 2026 Winterworks Festival. She has also produced her plays at a number of Festivals including rEvolver, Next Stage and the Fringe. Marie has had commissions from Boca del Lupo in partnership with Centaur Theatre to write Truth or Dare for Plays2Perform@Home; Geordie Theatre commissioned and produced  her play The Little Mighty Superhero for their 2play Tour, and Teesri Duniya commissioned Marissa’s Promise. She is currently working on her trilogy The Warrior. In the fall, she will develop a full-length version of her play Lucky at Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre with director Derek Chan.

Nick Carpenter’s plays, radio plays (CBC), short stories and librettos have been presented across Canada, the US, UK and Germany. Recently a member of PWM’s Cross Cultural Adaptation Lab, he is developing a new work inspired by the Catalonian liturgical drama: El Misteri d’Elx.  His play Arco took 2nd place in Infinitheatre’s 2021 Write-on-Q Competition. Nick co-wrote the screenplay to the film Maz (Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, 2018). His play Stained Glass won the Canadian Peace Play Competition in 2008 and was shortlisted for the Prism International Residency Award (2003). He is an alumnus of Tapestry Opera’s Lib Lab, the Banff Playwrights Lab, Theatre Centre Residency and Writers’ Units at NAC/GCTC and PWM.  Nick also teaches and coaches at NTS. As a dramaturg and mentor he has worked with PWM, NACO (National Arts Centre Orchestra), JMC (Jeunesses Musicales Canada) and currently, with Teesri Duniya’s Fireworks program.  Nick has been nominated for two METAs for his work as a Musician and Supporting Actor.  He enjoys a parallel career as composer, musical director and musician for the stage, and is a co-founder of Summersett (summersettband.com).

The Fireworks Play Development Mentorship will offer you: 

• 7-month guided mentorship based on culturally sensitive dramaturgical feedback.
• Active feedback from other artists within the mentorship program 
• Supporting the development of your play and your growth as a playwright. 
• The opportunity to have a workshop and/or reading of your play at the end of the program (depending on whether play is workshop read)
• Playwrights will receive a modest honorarium for their participation in the program. 

Biweekly meetings will run from October 19, 2026 – May 23, 2027

Process:

Playwrights will meet regularly with their assigned dramaturgs biweekly Monday evenings from 6pm to 10pm in-person with occasional opportunity for remote sessions. A few sessions will be online. Depending on the stage of the work, the program will culminate in a workshop or reading of the playwright’s script before a live audience. The reading will take place August 5th to 8th, two months after the conclusion of the mentorship sessions, allowing writers time to refine their works. Only playwrights local to Montreal will be invited to participate.

Submission Details:

• A one-page cover letter that includes an introduction of who you are and your experience as a writer, why you’re interested in being part of the Fireworks Play Development Program and how it will benefit you. 
• A finished first draft of the proposed play. 
• If the play is in progress or in an early stage, please submit up to 20 pages as a sample. 
• A description of the play in progress.
• A CV (2 pages maximum) and a bio.

Please send your application to fireworks@teesriduniyatheatre.com by August 31, 2026, at 11:59 pm.