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Mechanics of Playwriting Workshop FAQ
- What does the workshop entail?
An in-depth, rigorous, idea-centric and craft-focused 8 session workshop from 1st Feb – 29th March, 2025. At the end of the workshop, the playwrights should have a 60-90-minute full length play. While not limited to these, the objective is to equip playwrights with the knowledge of how to create characters, write dialogues and visualize the stage, and provide them with guidance regarding the next steps for playwriting – what to do after writing a play, who to approach, potential contest opportunities etc.
- Who is the workshop for?
An emerging playwright with 0-5 years of experience. Anybody who is well established may not benefit from this workshop as they may already have the techniques and the experience.
- Who is the facilitator?
- When is the workshop scheduled for?
1st Feb – 29th March, 2025 (Every Saturday, except 15th February)
- How will the workshop operate in a hybrid manner?
There will be 8 sessions in total. Five of these sessions will be online via Zoom. Three sessions will take place in-person at AN1 Studios, Mississauga. The presence in all these sessions will be mandatory.
- What is the duration of each session?
The duration for each session would be 3 hours i.e. 10 AM – 1 PM
- Where will the workshop take place?
The three in-person sessions will take place at AN1 Studios, 2465 Cawthra Road, Unit # 132, Mississauga, ON.
- What are the fees for the workshop?
$240 CAD + HST
- What language would the workshop be conducted in? Does the play have to be in a specific language?
While the workshops will be conducted in English, the play could be written in any language the author is comfortable in. During the class exercises though, the participant would be required to translate their play to English/Gujarati/Hindi – the languages the instructor is familiar with.
- How does the participant register for the workshop?
- What is the deadline for the registration for the workshop and for sending the sample?
The deadline for registration will be 30th November 2024.
- How many people will be selected for the workshop?
The workshop has an intake capacity of 5 people. Since the number is limited, we urge all the participants to apply as soon as possible.
- When will the participants be informed about their selection?
- If selected, what is the next step?
If selected, you will receive the email about the payment. The payment has to be made by 10th January, 2025. Failure to make the payment by the deadline will result in your spot going to the next person on the waitlist. After the payment, you will be given a schedule and breakdown of the upcoming workshop.
- Is there any bursary or financial aid for the fees?
- Is there a refund for the fees?
There will be no refund after the first session after the workshop.
- Will there be a make-up class for any session that a participant misses?
There will be no make up session/s for any classes that a participant misses. If the cancellation is initiated by SAWITRI Theatre, there will be a make-up class. Scheduling of the make-up class will depend on the availability of the workshop facilitator and the majority of the participants.
- What happens after the workshop is over?
At the end of the workshop, a Reading Festival will be held in the summer of 2025, where participants from the workshop will get an opportunity to have a staged reading of their plays with actors. Dates of the Reading Festival are to be advised later.
The world of art is not unfamiliar to the reality that many artists do not get the opportunity to reach their full potential. One such artist in the field of theatre, has been Mahendra Joshi, a theatre director who lived in Mumbai and was known in theatre circles in the 70’s and 80’s. Having worked with actors like Paresh Rawal, Deepak Tijori, Aamir Khan and Vipul Shah in the early days of their career, Mahendra Joshi was known for working with college-going artists. His untimely demise may have cut the world short of his storytelling, but SAWITRI Theatre Group has introduced the Mahendra Joshi Playwriting competition. With an intent to honour his memory, we invite playwrights with original stories to submit their work and get an opportunity to get produced by us for the SAWITRI Shorts Theatre Festival 2025.
The applicants must submit original one-act plays in either English or Hindi. The competition is open to South Asians residing anywhere in the world.
Yes, the Word document should be on Letter size with standard margins, in font size, no less
than 12 pt. Arial, spaced 1.5 times.
The plays must be a minimum of 45 minutes and maximum of 60 minutes (roughly 2 minutes per page).
Winners and short-listed plays will be announced in November 2024.
All submissions to the competition will be judged anonymously by a panel of
experts in the field of theatre and playwriting to ensure a fair and impartial evaluation of each
Yes, the selection would be blind.
There will be one winner in each of the two languages. Each will receive an award of
500 CAD. The winning play in each category will be produced and featured in the SAWITRI Shorts Theatre Festival 2025.
ENGLISH
HINDI
Ticketing :
HIndi Shorts
English Shorts
Marathi Shorts
Gujarati Shorts
Bengali Shorts
Urdu Shorts
Tamil Shorts
Malayalam Shorts
- Application Form To apply fill the online Google form. In the form, the most important information is the name of the Producer, because this cannot change. The title of the show can change if necessary until Mid-May, after which all details need to be absolutely final.
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Payment
Pay the $25 CAD – This amount is non-refundable. The fee is paid by e-transfer to admin@sawitri.ca
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Deadline
The application deadline is 10th March 2024
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Lottery Draw !!
The draw is on 17th March 2024. You are welcome to attend the draw which is held in-person in Mississauga. Once you apply the details of venue and time will be sent to you.
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Participation Fee
You have to pay a $250 participation fee. This is non-refundable after 7th. April, 2024. Note that some of these timelines are subject to change. You will be notified
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Your Show
Your show has to be between 55 to 60 minutes in duration. It cannot exceed 60 minutes and it cannot be less than 50 minutes. It can have narration+music, or poetry+music. Usually the shows are built around a theme. The choice of theme is yours. You are responsible for all your costs associated with your production.
You cannot have any other performances of the same show that you are presenting in the MMFF 2024 in the period from April to August before your show within a 100 km radius of Mississauga.
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Responsibilities
SAWITRI Theatre provides the venue, the technical and front of house personnel on show days and 3 hours of technical time in the theatre to have the show tech completed. SAWITRI also provides overall marketing of the festival wherein information about all the fringe shows are given. You are responsible for the marketing of your show. It is useful for you to bring marketing material for your own show to distribute to audiences on other days/times of the festival when you are not performing. There are guidelines for this, and those will be outlined once your participation is confirmed.
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Fringe Dates
In 2024, the festival runs from Monday 19th August to 25th August 2024. During this week, your show will be on stage 4 times on different days and times. This schedule will be provided to you in May 2024. The technical time will be slotted on 17th or 18th August. This schedule will also be advised in May 2024.
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Ticket / Income
The ticket price is going to be CAD 15. Your show has the potential to make $15 x 100 seats x 4 shows = $6,000 CAD if you sell out every show and do not give away any tickets as complementaries. All this money is paid to the Producer. If you are the producer, it will come to you. SAWITRI does not keep any of the ticket collections. The ticket has a surcharge, which is the Eventbrite fee + 13% Government Sales Tax, both are paid by the ticket buyer.
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The Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival (MMFF)
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A Festival of many Firsts!
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First Fringe Festival in the City of Mississauga!
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First Fringe Festival in North America presenting South Asian arts and artists!
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First Multilingual Fringe Festival!
Six short films documenting the development of ideas, through conflicting values expressed by young talented playwrights and actors. New Canadians from South Asia working through cultural issues in English and in their native language, finding a balance between two cultures and expressing it publicly for the second time.
Titled MMFF Shorts – the Film Festival it seeks to capture the stimulating discussions and construction of story and play that bring ideas and values to life from native culture to new home and culture bridging then with now. See here how they do it, how they think it, and what it feels like to be on the inside with the creators striving to put into words the backstory behind the play they will present for the first time in a matter of days.
Each film story will be 5-7 minutes in length and will be appraised in terms of the entertainment value they bring to sharing their creative approach to presenting their ideas, showing how feelings and humour, insights and truths become a play that unfolds on stage.
Final films may be in English or not in English. Where not in English, the film will have English subtitles.
SAWITRI Theatre is seeking participation from emerging filmmakers for this filmmaking workshop. Supported by the Mississauga Arts Council, this opportunity is designed to provide participants with hands-on experience of making a short film, under the guidance of experienced Mentors. The workshop will culminate in 6 short films, made by the respective 6 participants, which will then be showcased at the Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival in August 2024.
Who can/should apply?People who have made at least one film (short or feature length) and who have not made any films in the past year, are eligible to apply. The age limit for the participants is 16 to 60. However, if you do not fall within this bracket and you still want to learn, please let us know. We want to hear from you! There are no restrictions on gender, sexuality, age, ability, ethnicity, religion, caste, race, nationality, or national origin…all are welcome! What is in it for you and how will it work? You will get to train under some of the best filmmakers in the business. You get to make your film, which will include deciding on Cast and Crew, writing a screenplay, and finally, getting your film screened. As Quentin Tarantino says, “Making a low-budget film with some friends is the best film school you can attend.” We believe in what Tarantino has to say. Mississauga Arts Council and SAWITRI Theatre have access to film equipment, as well as a green screen room and studio. Participants will have the option to use these facilities. Participants will also be allotted a limited budget to make their films. Film topic and length The workshop is meant to be an accompanied component of the Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival 2024. There are 6 theatre plays to be staged this year, and each filmmaker selected for this program will be paired up with a theatre production. The filmmaker will have to make a film about the production itself, the backstory, the themes the production explores and so on. While the topic is restricted, there are no restrictions on style or genre. Participants are free to explore genres such as documentaries, comedies, ad films, and so on. The length of each film is expected to be between 5 to 7 minutes. Films should be in English or have English subtitles.
When? The workshops will be held over latter half of June and July. Exact dates will depend on each selected applicant, the mentor and the artists of the production on which the film is to be made. How to apply? Please send your resume as well as links to your previous works to admin@sawitri.ca. The deadline to apply is 15th June 2024, however we encourage early submissions because the selection will happen on a rolling basis. When can you hear from us, and what is the selection process? The selection of the participants will happen in 2 phases. If selected, you will be invited for an inperson interview. Final participants will be selected after the interview. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out at: admin@sawitri.ca
Please note that SAWITRI Theatre Group’s Annual General Meeting will take place in-person to transact the following business. Members kindly email admin@sawitri.ca by 1st December 2023 to confirm your attendance.
AGENDA
1) Call to order2) Welcome
3) Confirmation of quorum
4) Acceptance of AGM Agenda
5) Review and acceptance of Minutes of the AGM held on October 30, 2022
6) Election/Approval of Directors and Officers
7) Acceptance of Audited Financials for Fiscal Year ended 31 st December 2022
8) Approval/Appointment of Auditors for Fiscal Year ending 31 st December 2023
9) Adjournment
Subscribe to our Newsletter : admin@sawitri.ca
Audition :
– Date : 10th. September, 2023
– Timing : 3 pm to 5 pm – First Come First Serve
– Location : 2465 Cawthra Rd., Unit 132, Mississauga, ON L5A 3P2
– Contact : Raina Desai : admin@sawitri.ca Rehearsal and Performance Schedule :
Sep-Dec 2023 – 1-2 times a week (in person/online)
Jan-Feb 2024 – In person (Tue / Thu – 7 pm – 11 pm and Sat 2 pm – 6 pm) (Tentative)
Feb 12th – 18th. – Tech and Performance Week Audition Format :
– Auditions on First Come First Serve Basis
– Please prepare a one-two minute introduction in Gujarati.
– Would be required to read a paragraph in Gujarati form the original script (will be provided at time of audition)
Please send us an email at admin@sawitri.ca with a Profile Picture and a brief Bio mentioning the role you are interested in and if you can read Gujarati or would need a Gujarati Romanised English Script.
Roles :
1) Sikander Mirza : Male 50-60 years – Moved from India to Lahore Pakistan during partition2) Hamida Begum : Female 40-50 years – Sikander Mirza’a wife
3) Tanvir Begum : Female 18-22 years – Sikander’s daughter
4) Javed Mirza : Male 24-28 years – Sikander’s son
5) Ratan’s Maa : Female 65-70 years – Old lady owner of Haveli, stayed back in Lahore during partition
6) Pehalwan : Male 30-40 years – Muslim League Neta
7) Anwar : Male 25-30 years – Pehalwans’s friend
8) Siraj : Male 25-30 years – Pehalwans’s friend
9) Razaa : Male 25-30 years – Pehalwans’s friend
10) Hameed Hussain : Male 50-55 years – Sikander’s neighbour, old Zamindar and is refugee.
11) Nasir Kazmi – Male 40-45 years – Sikander’s neighbour, poet and is refugee.
12) Maulvi Ikram Uddin – Male 55-60 years – Moderate religious head
13) Alimuddin – Male 30-40 years – Tea Stall owner, having a nukkad ka chai thella
14) Mohammed Shah – Male 25-30 years – Pehalwans friend
15) Fayaz – Male 30-35 years – Muslim League Worker
16) Muslim Leaguee – Male 25-30 years – Member and another leader of the Muslim League TECHNICAL :
1) Surtitling Manager : Comfortable with learning new software, Ability to attend rehearsals and manage the Surtiltling project (training will be provided). Knowledge of English and Gujarati (spoken) will be an asset.
PT_SSTF V2.mp4 from Sawitri Theatre Group on Vimeo.
SAWITRI Theatre is delighted to present its first ever COMEDY line up titled LOL!2020 featuring celebrated comedy artists for the GTA.
Dates : 11/12/13/16/17/18/19/20 November, 2022
Venue : Alumnae Theatre – 70 Berkeley St, Toronto ON M5A 2W6
November 11-20, 2022 at Alumnae Theatre
Toronto’s most acclaimed stand-up and physical comedians come together for an epic fortnight of hilarious double-bills to light up the dreariest month of the year.
Mississauga-based theatre company SAWITRI Theatre presents its first foray into full-fledged comedy with LOL!2022 From November 11-13 and November 16-20, a double header will take the stage every night, including stand-up comedy from headliner Ali Hassan (HBO Max, CBC, SiriusXM) alongside Anto Chan, Nour Hadidi, Evan Carter, Leonard Chan, Harpreet, Al Val, Clif Knight, Anthony Engelbrecht, Dena Jackson, and Ryan Dillon. Sex T-Rex Comedy will also remount their award-winning sketch comedy revue, Sketch T-Rex (Patrons’ Pick Award, 2022 Toronto Fringe; Best of Fest, 2019 Toronto Sketchfest).
8pm – Opening acts Anthony Engelbrecht and Leonard Chan
9:30pm – Sketch T-Rex
Hosted by Anto Chan
8pm – Opening acts Al Val and Leonard Chan
9:30pm – Sketch T-Rex
Hosted by Anto Chan
7pm – Opening acts Al Val and Clif Knight
8:30pm – Sketch T-Rex
Hosted by Evan Carter
8pm – Opening acts Dena Jackson and Ryan Dillon
9:30pm – Ali Hassan
Hosted by Evan Carter
8pm – Opening acts Harpreet and Nour Hadidi
9:30pm – Ali Hassan
Hosted by Anto Chan
8pm – Sketch T-Rex
9:30pm – Ali Hassan
Hosted by Anto Chan
8pm – Sketch T-Rex
9:30pm – Ali Hassan
Hosted by Anto Chan
7pm – Sketch T-Rex
8:30pm – Ali Hassan
Hosted by Anto Chan
Tickets $30 in advance / $35 at the door
Discounts available for Artsworkers and Seniors
Content warning: Some profanity and partial nudity. Parental Guidance Advised.
Ali Hassan is a Stand-up Comic and Actor who has performed for audiences across Canada and internationally.
Ali is the host of the CBC Radio stand-up comedy show Laugh Out Loud. Ali is also heard on CBC Radio, NPR and PRX as a frequent guest-host of As It Happens, the arts and culture show ‘q’, and for the past six consecutive years, he has hosted Canada Reads – the annual battle of the books celebrating the best of Canadian literature.
Ali has performed at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal and Toronto’s JFL42. Ali also toured across Canada as one of the stars of Just For Laughs Comedy Night In Canada tour, hosted By Rick Mercer.
A Canadian Comedy Award nominee, Ali has toured his solo show Muslim Interrupted around Canada to great acclaim. He also took the show to Scotland to perform at the world’s largest comedy festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2022, Ali begins touring his latest one man show, based on his decade in the food industry, Does This Taste Funny? In 2022, make sure to check out his book, ‘Is There Bacon in Heaven?’ that comes out with Simon & Schuster.
@standupali
Sketch T-Rex is created and performed by Sex T-Rex: Conor Bradbury, Julian Frid, Kaitlin Morrow, Seann Murray.
Project Coordinator – full time – 2 years – position funded by the Ontario TrilliumFoundation
Founded in January 2003, SAWITRI Theatre Group is an award-winning, incorporated not- for-profit organization under the artistic leadership of Jasmine Sawant and Shruti Shah, presenting original, challenging and exciting works featuring established professionals as well as emerging artists. It strives to educate, entertain and heal through the arts, especially theatre arts that are South Asian in character, origin or topic and foreground women as well as issues of social or political importance. A preeminent producer and presenter of South Asian Theatre Arts in Mississauga, SAWITRI Theatre Group is known to take risks, bringing unique experiences to its audiences, producing plays in some of India’s many languages, including English. Operationally, SAWITRI Theatre Group is supported by The Open Space, and the unstinting support of family, friends and volunteers and partly supported by the City of Mississauga through their annual operating grant program and by project grants from Canadian Heritage and The Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Role SummaryThe Project Coordinator for the ‘Resilient Improv Theatre’ (RIT) Project, will be
responsible for dissemination of project information, registrations, coordination of improv and other theatre-related workshops and management of the operational requirements of this project.
The ‘Resilient Improv Theatre’ project will provide access to South Asian actors to learn or renew skills to express themselves through improvised theatre techniques, exploring comedic scenarios and other exercises and games to create a South Asian Improv theatre ensemble.
Participation in this project is through a registration process that is open to allthose who identify as South Asian. We encourage applications from other diversities from within this identification. -Coordinate various aspects of the project; e.g. planning and organizing workshops,
locations, timings, etc.
-Identify instructors and consultants for the project and schedule them appropriately for
the workshops
-Solicit in-kind donations and coordinate project volunteers
-Recruit workshop participants and engage them throughout the duration of the project
-Ensure the project runs within the prescribed time, scope and budget
-Participate in meetings and other project related activities as required
– Report regularly to the Artistic Director and submit written reports as required
-Work with the program evaluator to collect participant and other program data
-Other tasks and duties as applicable to the project and the position Education and Experience
-Diploma or degree in theatre performance or practice
-Previous experience of at least two years managing a project similar in scope and design
-Diploma or degree in Creative Writing
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
-Motivated and able to work independently
-Strong work ethic, excellent organizational skills, resourcefulness and flexibility a must
-Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; excellent relationship‐building skills
-Knowledge of the South Asian performing arts sector in the GTA and in India
-Knowledge of local businesses in the GTA and other opportunities for performances
-Proficiency working in a Microsoft Office environment required
-Knowledge of social media and digital marketing required
-Availability to work evenings and weekends as required
-Fluent in English, Hindi and Gujarati is required – both reading and writing
-Knowledge of Improv theatre is an asset
-Ontario valid driver’s license and access to vehicle is an asset The Project Coordinator works in workshop locations, SAWITRI Theatre office and
remotely, as required. Frequent travel within Mississauga is required. Occasional travel out of Mississauga may be required.
To apply: Please submit your resume and cover letter to: Hiring Committee, SAWITRI Theatre Group by email only.
Email: admin@sawitri.ca
Application Deadline: Friday September 30, 2022 by 11:59 pmStart Date: October 3, 2022
Position: 35 hours per week
Compensation: commensurate with experience and qualifications.
We thank all interested candidates in advance. Unfortunately, we are only able to respond to those selected for an interview.
NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
To be held on Sunday 30th October 2022In-person at 2465 Cawthra Road, Unit #132 Mississauga
- Call to order
- Welcome
- Confirmation of quorum
- Acceptance of AGM Agenda
- Review and acceptance of Minutes of the AGM held on November 20, 2021
- Election/Approval of Directors and Officers
- Acceptance of Audited Financials for Fiscal Year ended 31st December 2021
- Approval/Appointment of Auditors for Fiscal Year ending 31st December 2022
- Adjournment
MESSAGE FROM MAYOR BONNIE CROMBIE
MAYOR OF MISSISSAUGA
We are very excited to announce Resilient Workshops Organized by SAWITRI Theatre Group. The schedule is now available. These workshops are offered for Free. Each Workshop will be spread across 2 sessions. Registration will be first come first serve. To register please fill out the form by clicking the link below.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfNjrkbZhCtTlhy8VBPpy5_bKxBmsyBqgUWeOUuX_l1UYB1Zw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival
A first for SAWITRI Theatre Group, this festival is a part of the North American fringe family. Inspired by the great fringe festival of Edinburgh, and the Toronto Fringe Festival closer to home, this will be the first multilingual fringe festival in Canada focused on the many languages of India – Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and English too.
Fringes are uncensored, non-juried theatre festivals, bringing together emerging and established artists alike to tell their stories on stage. The participants to the MMFF will be decided on an non-juried basis through a lottery process. MMFF will promote and model inclusivity, diversity and multiculturalism, and will endeavor to incorporate them into all aspects of our fringe festival.
In August 2021, MMFF will present 4 indoor and 8 digital performances in Mississauga. Application dates for outdoor performances is likely to be announced later in February 2021. Indoor, in-theatre duration will have a 60 minute platform to present the show and 40 minutes for digital. The MMFF is a gathering place for animated discussions and interactions among artists and audiences. The MMFF is to ignite inspiration, passion and creativity!
“I want to congratulate SAWITRI for creating Canada’s first ever multi-lingual fringe festival in Mississauga. This will be an exciting addition to our 2021 events calendar and another great example of the innovative projects being developed by Mississauga’s arts and culture sector”, said Paul Damaso, the Director of Arts & Culture and CEO, Living Arts Centre, City of Mississauga.
“We are beyond thrilled to have the Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival (MMFF) join the over 30 festivals of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF). Although they were delayed in launching their very first festival, we have great confidence in Jasmine and her team in what they will achieve, and know that they will provide wonderful opportunities for artists in Mississauga and beyond. We are so looking forward to their debut in 2021!”, said Lucy Eveleigh, Executive Director of Toronto Fringe Festival and President of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals.