Community Development Initiative - Deadline for Applications July 31

Starting with the upcoming 2022-2023 Season, the Great Canadian  Theatre Company will provide the opportunity of an in-house  development period to 1 project per season from the Ottawa theatre  community, with an eye to producing the project in a future GCTC  mainstage subscription season.  

The deadline for applications is Sunday July 31, 2022 at midnight. Read on for more information on the new initiative and how to apply!’

The development period for this coming season will be from November  21, 2022, to January 15, 2023. The deadline to apply for this opportunity  is July 31, 2022. 

GCTC announced this new opportunity at the recent unconference,  where the company also stated its desire that the opportunity be  curated by the Ottawa theatre community for the benefit of the Ottawa  theatre community. This application process was designed by a 15- person committee drawn from the unconference and with the  unconference feedback in mind. 

The current committee reaffirms its intention to be open and transparent  to the community. We acknowledge that while we have undertaken this  process with the best of intentions and to the best of our abilities, we  know we will make mistakes. However, this initiative will evolve in future  years: it is an iterative process. This year is the pilot. 

We and GCTC therefore invite the community to respond and make  suggestions. Any theatre community member who would like to be  involved in this year’s selection process or that of future years may  contact Sarah Kitz (sarah@gctc.ca) at any time to express their interest. 

The 2022-2023 development opportunity

For the 2022-2023 development period, GCTC is seeking projects that: • fall under the broad banner of live performance; they need not be  traditional theatre.  

• are at the point in their process where they are ready to be  developed towards full mainstage production. The show must  already have a successful shape, content, structure and aesthetic,  and be far enough along in development that 1 to 2 weeks of  dramaturgical workshopping would be sufficient to ready it for  production rehearsal. This opportunity is not about seeding new  work.  

• come from a lead artist or lead artists that live(s) in Ottawa, and have  a team composed of at least 50% Ottawa-based artists. Projects with  more than 50% local artists are favoured. 

• engage with GCTC’s mandate to "provoke examination of  Canadian life and our place in the world." 

• are full-length works for a primarily English-speaking adult  audience. Multilingual and works in other languages are welcome  as long as they are reasonably accessible to this audience.  

• are available for the development period of November 21, 2022, to  January 15, 2023.  

• have clearly articulated final questions and needs that can be  addressed in the development period.  

• are open to a dynamic dramaturgical process with Artistic Director  Sarah Kitz. 

GCTC is particularly interested in hearing from under-represented  communities, although this is not a requirement. 

What GCTC will provide 

During the project’s development period, GCTC will provide: • up to 20 to 40 hours of dramaturgy by Artistic Director Sarah Kitz  

• up to 8 consecutive weeks’ use of the Studio Theatre between  November 21, 2022, and January 15, 2023, with come-and-go access  to the facility on a schedule that works best for the project and the  theatre. 

• Technical support from GCTC's in-house production team. This  support might include in-rehearsal technical support, technical  consultation, production management support for show development,  scheduling advice or feasibility discussions, among other possibilities.  (Please note that technical support may not be available on Mondays  and that the technical staff are not available from December 17, 2022,  to January 2, 2023, inclusive, due to the holidays.) 

• $1000.00 in funding. 

Commitment 

While this development opportunity is not a promise to produce, it is a  partnership with an eye to production. If after the development period,  the show is ready for a production rehearsal process and a good  working relationship has formed but it is determined that the show is not  a fit for a GCTC mainstage production, GCTC may commit to helping  the show find a home by directly soliciting other theatres.

A “good working relationship” will differ depending on the situation and  people, but will usually have some of the following characteristics:  

• It is respectful and professional, and shows a spirit of generosity  and the capacity and willingness to negotiate conflict peacefully.  

• The project artists and GCTC support team share values and a  vision of where the show is headed.  

• The artists and support team benefit from working with each other,  and the project benefits from this relationship.  

• The artists and support team affirm their mutual desire and  commitment to continue working together.  

Process 

Applications will be assessed and the project chosen by a jury of 3 to 5  local theatre artists in collaboration with Artistic Director Sarah Kitz. The  jury will change every year. Members of that year’s jury are not allowed  to apply to the opportunity or to be on any project team. 

Application questions 

Please note: GCTC believes that local artists are valuable makers of  culture and important members of the community. Given this, we don’t  want you to feel you need to plead your case in this application,  because we acknowledge that we have much to gain from collaboration  with local artists. We are genuinely interested in hearing what is special  about you, your team and your project.

1. Lead artist name and/or company name and/or collective name:  2. Email address:  

3. Phone number:  

4. Project name:  

5. Synopsis:  

6. Run time:  

7. Team members (brief bios and team roles):  

8. What is the history of your project from the seed of the idea to  now?  

9. What is your dream for this project? What do you hope the  audience will receive from it, and how will they experience it?  What conversation are you hoping to have with your audience and  with the larger world?  

10. Is your project having a conversation with an audience that differs  from the one that commonly frequents GCTC? If so, who are they  and what do you hope they experience in your show? 

11. What artistic questions do you need to answer in this development  process, and what resources do you need to do it?  

12. Please draft a basic work plan for how you would tackle your  artistic questions; it should include the names and roles of all  artists involved. If you will involve more than just the lead artists,  please provide a budget of artist fees.  

13. How do you envision GCTC’s dramaturgical involvement?  

14. If your project is text-based, please submit a full script. If your  project is not text-based, please submit a synopsis with supporting  material. 

15. Please submit any photos, videos, press, or other materials  pertaining to your project.  

Accommodation 

If the written application is a barrier, but creating a video to answer  questions 8 -13 better meets your access needs, please do so. You may  submit the video as a private youtube or vimeo link, or as a google  drive. Please note, if your video requires special software to open, or if it  needs to be downloaded, we will not be able to watch it.

If you require any other accommodation in the process of putting your  application together, please contact Artistic Director Sarah Kitz  (sarah@gctc.ca).