Am thrilled to be promoting the 8th edition of the Canadian theatre festival – Women at Play(s) which is a series of short one-act plays of original works to create opportunities for women. It’s meant to inspire artistic achievements in theatrical production for people who identify as women of varied ages, abilities, racial and cultural backgrounds, appearances, sexualities, and life experiences for an audience of all. It’s a grass roots group and it is a Canadian Actors’ Equity Association approved festival under the Festival Policy. This year, the Fest is hosted at VideoCabaret, 10 Busy Street (Logan & Queen E) in downtown Toronto…and yes, it’s Wheelchair accessible. Dates, times and ticketing info at end of this story.
I spoke with Festival Founder Marianne Sawchuk (pictured below) earlier this week, who shared her thoughts on the Festival and its history…
Marianne, you founded WAP(s) in Vancouver in 2005…what inspired this theatre initiative – especially the concept of presenting multiple short 1-act plays in one 2hr show? I founded Women At Play(s) in 2005 with the goal of addressing the under-representation of women in theatre. I recognized the gap in the professional careers between men and women at the time, a fact clearly enumerated in the 2006 report by the Rebecca Burton for the Equity in Canadian Theatre Women’s Initiative. But I also experienced this personally. My husband and I had just moved to Vancouver from LA and he was constantly getting auditions and work while I waited for the phone to ring for parts like Bimbo #2. I decided to take matters into my own hands to take control over the kind of parts I wanted to play and not be one of only 4 women characters on a film call sheet out of 57 characters or be the only woman in a play written and directed by men. The only way to make a change you want to see in the world is to do something about it – it just takes a bit of work.
The concept of presenting multiple short one-act plays in a single show came from doing Casting Director’s showcases in Los Angeles. These showcases had actors present brief excerpts from plays to Casting Directors so they got to know their work. There were minimal sets and props, it was all about the words and the acting. I thought that was a perfect way to provide opportunities for women to practice their craft by doing what they were trained to do. 
How were the first festivals received by theatre-goers? Did the Fest attract media attention as well as audiences? Three successful iterations of WaP(s) took place at Vancouver’s Jericho Arts Centre where we broke the house record on closing night of WaPs3. The first Women At Play(s) was performed at Vancouver’s Carousel Theatre’s rehearsal space on Granville Island. This all-women theatre production drew enough audience to be self–sustaining without any grants (we’re still self-sustaining, but still trying to get a grant!). The Festival was well-received by audience members who all said they couldn’t wait for the next one. We even had a large audience show up in a snow storm in Vancouver on a Wednesday evening for WaP(s)2! We were reviewed by all the top theatre critics there and were able to be spotlighted in newspapers and entertainment magazines. WaP(s) would have continued there but my husband, our 1 year old daughter and I moved back to Los Angeles in 2008 for work after WaP(s)3. I tried to do WaP(s) 4 from LA but it proved too difficult.
You and your family moved to Toronto in 2020, bringing the WomenAtPlay(s) concept to Ontario, presenting the first Fest just as Covid shut down the world. The 2023 & 2024 shows were completely sold-out, people wanted entertainment after Covid restrictions lifted, and last year’s Fest was held at the prestigious Alumnae Theatre. Tell us about this year’s new venue. We are moving back to Leslieville where we had our first 3 shows in Toronto at the Red Sandcastle Theatre and selling out our last 2 shows there. We loved the Alumnae Studio Theatre space but the stairs kept some of our audience members away so we had to find an accessible space. VideoCabaret came to my attention and it’s perfect – a fantastic space with loads of Toronto theatre history behind it. VideoCabaret has welcomed us with a subsidized rental rate. Without that support, we would not have been able to make the move back to the beautiful and eclectic neighbourhood of Leslieville.
WAP(s) has developed a great “repertoire company” of actors and directors, and has given a platform for women playwrights. Is this a good opportunity for both established and emerging writers? Women At Play(s) is a great opportunity for both established and emerging writers. Established writers are able to have their original short plays fully produced. Emerging playwrights have an opportunity to see their work performed on stage. One extra bonus for emerging playwrights is that since the plays are selected by a jury and produced, they qualify to become a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. I love having established playwrights’ work return to our stages. Providing opportunities boosts their visibility and increases their chances of their work being produced on larger stages.
Does WAP(s) present strictly dramatic plays or do you include comedic works as well? Women At Play(s) has a mix of dramatic and comedic plays. I have an anonymous jury that selects the plays every year. All the plays are original; I look forward to see what Canadian women playwrights are writing about year to year. Some years have been lighter than others. It’s interesting to see what bubbles to the surface of women’s stories. This year we have some very dark content but it’s balanced with some light comedies. Women at Play(s) 2026 will take you on a journey from a young woman’s life-changing discovery in New York in 1901 (“Daddy’s Girl” by Emma Donoghue) to tough life decisions for contemporary seniors in Vancouver (“Aging in Place” by Barbara Ellison) to a forest where nature and religion collide (“The Mary Tree” by Brenda Kamino). Seven new plays ponder beginnings (“Waiting for Love” by Lindsay Ellis), celebrate achievements (“And the Oscar goes to…” by Colleen Curran and “The Circle” by Rebecca Singh) and remembers survivors (“A Violation of Violets” by Marni Walsh). Surprises, secrets and lies abound in stories that will make you laugh, cry, dream and think.
And you’re directing this year, yes? What play(s) are you helming this year? This will be the first year I will not be acting. I started in the theatre as an actor, then producer, then playwright, and now director. It is wonderful to have seen most aspects of the stage. My favourite roles are directing and acting: I love delving into the characters and the themes of plays, relating the words to bigger aspects of the world around us and sharing that story with the audience. I was humbled to have been requested by playwright, director, producer, and actor Marni Walsh to direct her play. It’s called A Violation of Violets. I was lucky enough to be able to cast veteran actor, Louisa Martin in the role of She. With Marni Walsh’s words and Louisa Martin’s performance, I’m looking forward to presenting the play and seeing how audiences experience it. Because ultimately that is what it is all about, getting together in a communal setting and experiencing these stories together.
Venue: VideoCabaret 10 Busy Street, (Logan & Queen E) – Wheelchair accessible
Dates: Mar 6-8, 11-15 at 7pm week nights (Sat. & Sun. 2:30pm + 7pm)
Tickets: Regular: $28 Students, $22 Seniors + art & frontline workers
Available from: www.womenatplays.ca or at the door (CASH ONLY)
Reservations: womenatplaysinfo@yahoo.com
Follow along on socials: www.facebook.com/womenatplays www.instagram.com/women_at_plays and
linktr.ee/womenatplays
I can’t wait to see these plays by extraordinary women writers, actors and directors next month. I hope to see you all there.
Philip has already garnered glowing kudos and thumbs-up from fellow writers and literary media, and I recently spoke with him and asked him to share his thoughts on completing the book during this past year of Covid.
In the second part of the book, you’ve written about bedbugs – those stories are so funny and biting (pun intended!) – what motivated you to explore those themes? I suppose it was losing my bed to bedbugs. They kept spraying and spraying but they wouldn’t go away so I threw out my mattress and box spring. It was the only one I had ever bought as an adult. I have been sleeping on the floor every since. They are really horrid little creatures. I don’t know what made me give them voices. Weed, maybe? I can’t for the life of me recall. I love writing those pieces because the bedbugs and cockroaches can say things that people normally are too polite to say…like a little devil sitting on your shoulder. It’s almost like those pieces write themselves. I am just the channel or conduit. I think they work because audiences laugh and even request them.
