HIT & MYTH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM SHOWCASE

Script Salon is hosting the Hit & Myth Mentorship Showcase at Upper Arts Space at Holy Trinity Anglican Church (10037 84 Avenue) at Sunday, September 13 at 7:30 pm. (Doors open at 7pm). There will be six excerpted readings of new plays by one of the mentors and five mentees from the mentorship program. The readings are directed by Louise Casemore and read by Braydon Dowler-Coltman, Monica Gate, Dayna Lea Hoffman and Michelle Todd.

The Dress that Made the Girl by Linda Celentano

The Dress That Made the Girl is about an Italian immigrant mother trying to cope with the expectations and needs of her childhood family in Italy while dealing with the demands of life in Canada and her own family of five.

Cyber Ninja by Collin Doyle

Two aging actors discuss the merits of what could be their next big film project. How better to settle an argument than with a gun that may or may not be loaded?

_prairie_ by Grace Fitzgerald

Prairie is in love with June. Prairie doesn't want anybody to know, and so nobody knows. But now, Prairie has made a horrible mistake. Prairie knows some secrets make things better. Prairie is learning that some secrets make things much, much worse.

The Chart by Shawn Marshall

Kevin McDougall didn't expect to die today. One moment Kevin is driving, and the next there’s a super sexy white light, a gameshow- esque host, and the sudden realization that what was before is no longer. What unfolds next dismantles everything Kevin thought he knew about what waits for us on the other side, replacing fear with something far more unexpected: relief, warmth, and mass, mass confusion. The Chart is a wickedly funny, surprisingly tender meditation on guilt, goodness, and what it really means to live a life worth living.

Turn Your Face to the Sun by Pamela Schmunk

Granddaughters Kali and Norah are invited for Althea's 80th Birthday weekend. Daughter Suzanne is not. Turn Your Face to the Sun explores how motherhood and memory are tricky at the best of times.

Life and Death and Basketball by Tessa Simpson

Brianna hasn't been back home since a terrible accident ended her high-school basketball career. The ghosts of the Collegiate Elites-- an all-girl team of basketball champions who went undefeated and eventually disbanded in the 1950s-- gave her supernatural skill and encouraged a darkness she's been trying to run away from. Now with Brianna's little sister trying out for the local team and professing a sudden love for the sport, Brianna must find a way to save her sister without losing herself... again.

APN LAUNCHES A NATIONAL CALL FOR DRAMATURGS

Alberta Playwrights' Network is currently building a fresh roster of practicing dramaturgs within Canada, in an effort to connect our growing membership and their plays with meaningful support and expertise. APN offers an ongoing portfolio of play development and playwright-driven activities, including on-demand dramaturgy services, developmental workshops, public readings, learning opportunities, mentorship, and more.

Whether you've worked with us many times before or have never been connected to APN, we want to hear from you! 

Deadline for expressions of interest is SEPTEMBER 30th, using the form linked HERE.

1000 Monkeys Project SUCCESS!

THANK YOU to the incredible playwrights who submitted their work for this year’s event. The jury was overwhelmed by the creativity and variety of scripts, with so many amazing plays to choose from! Selected for 2026 were:

• In This Economy? by James Odin Wade

• Quality of Death by Devan Erno

• Catch and Release by Charlotte Hurdman

• Virgins by Paige Prystupa

• Kind Kids Club by Fran Kimmel

  The plays were read by a hotshot group of actors (pictured here with Executive Director Louise Casemore) including Katelyn Morishita, Elinor Holt, Trevor Rueger, and Bernardo Pacheco in front of a jam packed crowd at Calgary’s Festival Hall!

2026 APC winner Announced!

APN is thrilled to announce the winner of the 2026 Alberta Playwriting Competition is Pieces by Jezec Sanders! In the words of this year’s jury, this play was “carefully constructed, surprising, it makes you FEEL.”

Now in its 61st year, the APC recognizes the most outstanding un-produced Alberta play with The Sharon Pollock Award ($5000 Cash Prize). This competition is open to all playwrights who reside in Alberta, whether they are members of the Alberta Playwrights' Network or not. The winner was announced on June 5, 2026 as part of the Alberta Literary Awards Gala.

This year’s jury included celebrated playwrights Trevor Schmidt, Jesse Stong and Annette Loiselle.

Jezec Sanders is an actor and playwright who has been producing work with the Edmonton based collective, ReadyGo, for the past decade. His writing credits with ReadyGo include Hacking and Slashing and Where Foxes Lie, both of which he also starred in. His other writing credits include The Cabin on Bald Dune (Dogheart Theatre). Other acting credits include The Conversion (Kill Your Television) and You are Happy (Dogheart Theatre). Huge thank you to his frequent collaborators at ReadyGo, Erik and Ryan, his partner Arabelle, and his family for always pushing and supporting him.

Also nominated for the 2026 Alberta Playwriting Competition:

• Cyrano De Bergerac by Jessy Ardern
  The jurors found it “structurally well-crafted, articulate, and emotionally fulfilling”

• Willows by Elena Belyea

  The jurors called it “a quiet beauty, slick juggling of plotlines, coming of age mystery”

• Everyone Is Doing Fine by James Odin Wade

  The jurors called it “current, clever, emotionally and morally murky”

• Work by Calla Wright

  The jurors called it “fascinating, in your face, a wild ride with strong structure”

The Alberta Playwriting Competition proudly presented with our partner, Theatre Alberta.

Donate to the Alberta Playwrights' Network through ATB Cares

ATB Financial will match your donation by 15%.

alberta playwrights’ Network Society is a registered CRA charity.

CRA Charity # 13087 4829 RT001

APN is thankful to all its public and private funders

Alberta Playwrights' Network acknowledges the many First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people who are the original storytellers and knowledge keepers of this land.

APN is a signatory to the 35//50 Initiative and is committed to those principles and goals in the work we do now and our work in the future.