Emerging Creators Unit – Call for Submissions

Buddies is pleased to announce a call for submissions for our Emerging Creators Unit, running from January to June 2021. The program will support three individual queer and/or trans artists.

For accommodation requests, please contact Tawiah, Philip and/or Daniel at ecu@buddiesinbadtimes.com. If you would like to direct your question or request to a specific person, please include their name in the subject line (For example: Attn Philip: Request)

What is the Emerging Creators Unit?

The Emerging Creators Unit offers an intensive, process-focused opportunity to develop your artistic practice and producing skills through the creation of a new project with the opportunity to share your work as part of Buddies’ Queer Pride Festival in June. 

The Emerging Creators Unit is an artist-driven, mentor-supported creative model; we look for strongly motivated emerging queer and/or trans artists who have an ability to work independently, are interested in creating original, theatrical work, and are ready to take their practice to the next level. The Emerging Creators Unit supports a wide definition of “performance”, and is open to a variety of themes, form, or content.

This year’s Emerging Creators unit is led by Tawiah M’Carthy in association with Philip Geller. In addition to bi-weekly meetings with Tawiah, Philip and guest mentors, the program includes a paid development period and a public sharing at Buddies Queer Pride Festival in June. 

The deadline for submission is Monday, November 23, 2020 at 11:59pm.

What to expect:

During this program, Buddies will offer support through: professional resources, mentorship, networking and development to emerging creators in the Greater Toronto Area. 

This year’s program will focus on the development of professional artistic practices for independent queer and/or trans theatre artists combining research and creation with producing and arts administration. This year’s program will allow participants to investigate the dynamic challenges and possibilities that emerge when developing an independent artistic practice, especially in our current cultural landscape.

The Emerging Creators Unit will include:

• An honorarium for participation in the program
• Bi-weekly virtual meetings with Tawiah M’Carthy and Philip Geller
• Masterclasses led by invited artistic leaders and practitioners
• A paid, two-week creation development workshop, with provided space, production/technical support and a project mentor
• Active participation in Buddies’ Queer Pride Festival programing in June of 2021 in Toronto
• Artist profile on the Buddies’ website and promotion on social media platforms

The ideal candidates are: 

• Creators interested in examining, exploring and developing a professional independent artistic practice
• Choreographers, performers, playwrights, directors, performance artists, and creators whose practice intersects within multiple artistic disciplines 
• Artists wanting to engage in intellectual discourse and investigation about their artistic creation and producing/production processes 
• Creators interested in the artistic and development practices of Buddies in the creation of new works
• Creators with at least 2 years of experience creating and/or producing performance-based work
• Based in the Greater Toronto Area 

How to apply:

• A cover letter (one-page) that includes: 
  • An artist statement that describes you and your work
  • A statement outlining your personal goals for the 2021 Emerging Creators Unit and how it might impact your artistic practice and future professional artistic endeavours
  • Your availability from beginning of February 2021 to end of June 2021
• A project description: What will you be creating and how? (200 words); or, a treatment (max 2 pages); or, a script sample (3-5 pages)
• Your CV or biography (one-page)
• Please include your phone number and e-mail on your documents.  

Please e-mail your submission in a single PDF document to ecu@buddiesinbadtimes.com no later than Monday, November 23, 2020 at 11:59pm. Early submissions are encouraged.  Please use the subject line: “Emerging Creators’ Unit Submission-Name”. 

**Files should be labelled “firstname.lastname – ECU21” 

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

If you have any questions about the program or the application process, please email Tawiah, Philip, and/or Daniel at ecu@buddiesinbadtimes.com

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is committed to equity. We encourage applications from queer, transgender, Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, d/Deaf and disabled applicants.  We are committed to creating inclusive, barrier-reduced outreach practices and work environments; and, adjudicating and selecting with regard to ethnicity, age, race, disability, physical and mental ability, or any other characteristics that contribute to the diversity within our communities.

About Tawiah + Philip

Tawiah M’Carthy is a Ghanaian born, Toronto based Theatre artist; playwright, actor, director, curator and facilitator. He was a part of the ECU program in 2008, where he began the creation of Obaaberima, his multi-Dora award winning show, which was further developed at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre under the direction of Evalyn Parry. Tawiah’s playwright/creator/performer credits include, Obaaberima (Buddies in Bad Theatre, 2013 Dora Award winner for Best Production), Black Boys (Saga Collectif) and Maanomaa, My Brother (Blue Bird Theatre Collective). He recently completed his Metcalf Artistic Leadership Internship at Canadian Stage where he programmed and curated their RBC Emerging Artist Program as well as the 2020 Festival of Ideas and Creation. Tawiah has worked with arts organizations across the country, including Obsidian Theatre, Shaw Festival Theatre, Stratford Festival Theatre, Factory Theatre, The NAC, The Cultch, Buddies in Bad Times. Tawiah is a Dora-nominated playwright and performer.

Philip Geller (He/Him) is a Métis (Red River) and Jewish (Ashkenazi) artist and educator, who is focused on decolonizing his process by listening to and dialoguing with ancestral and cultural knowledge. His practice includes land-based creation, circular storytelling, and destabilizing hierarchical power structures in the rehearsal process, with a focus on anti-oppressive/anti-racist modalities. He is an MFA directing candidate at York University. As a theatre artist he has worked across Turtle Island as an actor, director, producer, clown and devisor. His most recent directing credits include: Adika Play Readings (Gwandaak Theatre) 365 Days/365 Plays (York University), Iphigenia 2.0 (York University) Weal ThyMan The Third (Nextfest), Doll and Oats (Play the Fool Festival), assistant directing Billy (Les Jours De Hurlement) (L’UniThéâtre), assistant directing Doll House (Studio Theatre) and directing The Skriker (ABBEDAM/U of A). As a performer he has worked most recently on Born Again Crow (Thumbs Up Good Work Theatre/Live Five), Slight of Mind (Theatre YES/Citadel Theatre), Hangwoman (U of A), The Listening Room (Cardiac Theatre) and Miserable Worm (Toronto Fringe Festival). He currently teaches at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre. He is a graduate of the BFA Acting program at the University of Alberta.