Playwriting Lab

The goal of the mentorship is for young writers to learn how to ask big questions and explore and find their creative voice. Through their development as writers, their text will also develop, but success will be measured by the learning of the individual rather than the creation of a perfect finished product. By engaging in a group creative process which encourages critical thinking, empathetic listening and responding, and time-management, this program will also develop transferable skills among participants that will serve them across disciplines.

Writers

ADAM 5.JPG — Adam Sakauye (he/him)

Adam is a uOttawa alumni, graduating with a specialization in English Literature. He currently works as a staff writer for the Youtube Channel, “Brew”, and fronts for local punk band, “T-Rex Marathon”. He likes black coffee (but not in a weird way) and loves to collect books that he probably won’t read.
**Play synopsis:** *IDENTITY THEFT* - Three artists contemplate the ethics of making art in the throes of the discourse. How do artists move forward while making space for those who haven’t had the same opportunities?

ALISSA 4.JPG — Alissa Chayer Demers (elle)

Étudiante en troisième année au baccalauréat spécialé en théâtre de l'université d'Ottawa, Alissa est une passionnée de l'art sous toutes ses formes. Pratiquant elle même la dramaturgie, le jeu et le chant, elle a penchant pour tout ce qui se rapporte à l'horreur, le symbolisme et les causes féministes et queer. Elle souhaite poursuivre des études supérieures en théâtre pour approfondir sa recherche artistique.
**Play synopsis:** *In The Margins* is for every woman who ever felt conflicted between what she wants and what others want from her.//In the Margins est pour toutes femmes déchirées entre ce qu'elles désirent, et ce à quoi les autres s'attendent d'elles.

CHARLINE 4.JPG — Charline Osborne (she/her)

Charline is an English major at the University of Ottawa. Professionally, she works as a student writing mentor and online copywriter. In her own time, she enjoys reading, journaling, and walking everywhere instead of getting her driver’s license. She makes very good chicken and very bad mac and cheese. This is her first time as a YIF playwright.
**Play synopsis:** *Open Doors* is about messy familial love, and the impact of a parent leaving on someone’s identity and relationships.

DOUG 10.JPG — Doug Newham (he/him)

Douglas is a PhD student at uOttawa, returning to YIF as a playwright for a second year after having had his script "Battleships" developed for YIF 2021. That show, this year's show ("Snap!"), and indeed all his silly little plays are written in collaboration with his good friend Thomas Futter. He also appeared as an actor in YIF 2021's "Stevie Nicks is My Girlfriend". You might have even seen him on television if you're inexplicably a fan of the short-lived BBC gameshow "Letterbox".
**Play synopsis:** *SNAP* - Join undefeated champs, cocky upstarts, and grizzled old hands coming out of retirement for one last dance for half an hour of jokes, training montages, and slapping the table when the cards match. It's the ultimate sports play. The ultimate sports play - *Snap*!

HARLEY 23.JPG — Harley Wagner (they/them)

Harley is a non-binary artist and esthetician. Their debut to the stage was in 2017 as Lindsey in the Blueberry Hill Accords at the Sears Drama Festival. Since then they have performed in The National Theatre Festival, Fresh Meat, The Canadian Improv Games, and written and acted for the Youth Infringement Festival. When not making art they can be found doing eccentric makeup, reading comic books, or spending time with their beloved cat Sappho.
**Play synopsis:** *SO, YOU’RE STUCK IN AN UNDERGROUND BUNKER* - Nuclear war has decimated planet earth and all that remains are 5 young people in an underground bunker. Will our heroes thrive together underground, or kill each other in a rage induced by dirty dishes?

JULIA 2.JPG — Julia Dan (she/her)

Currently a senior in high school, Julia is a an artist at heart, deeply passionate about creative writing, film, languages, and visual arts. From the stage to the screen, she has performed in a number of Canadian and international productions over the years. She enjoys boxing, meditation, and thrifting.
**Play synopsis:** *REMAKE -* On the set of his ‘’new’’ movie, a Director (who hasn’t made anything worthwhile since the 90s) wants to remake his blockbuster film in order to profit off of its past glory. He gathers the stars of his old cast, now expecting them to bring new feelings of youth and fervour to their characters. Not everyone is up to the task. Through a transient acting exercise, the spotlight is cast on Loam, an otherwise overlooked presence with a secretive past. Set in three stages - reality, trance, and delving into Loam’s subconscious – the play is a reflection on identity, loss, and personal transformation, conveying the idea that creativity cannot flourish in the confines of stagnation.

JUSTINE 1.JPG — Justine Brown (she/her)

Justine has been an active member of the theatre community for over 5 years both on and offstage. She has an adventurous spirit and wants to travel the world and meet new people. She can be found baking, spending time with her family and friends, teaching swim lessons, volunteering at the Kanata Theatre and of course writing. Her writing is inspired by her personal experiences and she believes that relatable storytelling comes from the heart.
**Play synopsis:** *Community* explores friendship and all of its ups and downs through the lives of five longtime best friends. After parting ways after high school, the group is reunited in their hometown to renovate a run-down community centre and rediscover themselves again.

Lily Lachapelle (she/her)

Lily is an actor, singer, playwright, and puppet enthusiast from the Algonquin Anishaabe territory on which Ottawa is currently situated. As a playwright her interests include magical realism, the monstrous, and women who love women. This is her third Youth Infringement participating in the playwright workshops.
**Play synopsis:** *ONE NIGHT ONLY* - After an unexpected (but not unwelcome) act of bravery, two travellers are invited to spend the night in a woodsy safe haven. The zombie apocalypse isn’t the best time for a dinner party, but how bad could it possibly be?

MEAGAN 2.JPG — Meagan Le Duc (she/her)

Meagan is a 19-year-old student who loves everything considered ART. She’s currently enrolled in scriptwriting at Algonquin College, and her next goal is to discover the world of cinema. She’s previously written and directed a play and aspires to other creative challenges. She’s a born storyteller whose favourite activity is entertaining her surroundings. She embraces weirdness and can tell *peculiar* stories upon request, such as : she won a talent show by whistling at the age of 8.
**Play synopsis:** *Two separate Goodbyes* is about two unassociated strangers: a middle-aged man and a teenage boy, who visit their dead loved ones, showcasing two different stages of grief. Having processed his wife’s death for nine years, the man is at a period of wanting to better himself, whereas the boy – after the new passing of his mother, is filled with anger towards her and the world.

NICK 1.JPG — Nick Gray (he/him)

Nick is a local actor, writer, and director with a passion for creativity. He is a graduate of Algonquin College’s Performing Arts Program and a current student at the University of Ottawa. He is a Cappie Award winner and has had theatrical reviews published twice in the Ottawa Citizen.
**Play synopsis:** *House for Sale(m)* is a playful exploration of what home looks like to different people, particularly when they’re dead.

SOPHIE 25.JPG — Sophie Goyette-Hamels (she/her)

Sophie Goyette-Hamels is a dynamic mover and choreographer from Ottawa. She recently graduated from York University’s dance program where she had the privilege to go on exchange to the University of Chichester (U of C), in England. Sophie has created a number of works including uncertainty makes us human, Is this a question, Pina?, and Pina pt. 2 – presented at U of C, Dancemakers, and the Sandra Faire and Ivan Pecan Theatre respectively. At the moment, she is especially interested in floorwork, contact improvisation, and dance theatre.
**Play synopsis:** *Untitled* explores the theme of nightclubs, nightlife, and going out in general through the interdisciplinary style of dance-theatre. Big movements and recollections of drunk memories will flow in and out of order as we try to piece together what exactly happened the night before.

VICTORIA 18.JPG — Victoria Ricciardelli (she/her)

Victoria has acted and directed in YIF's past, but this will be her first time EVER trying her hand at playwriting. Always involved in theatre since childhood, Victoria continues her passion for artistic expression and helping others through her career in Therapeutic Recreation. A fun fact about Victoria is that she was born with a hole in her heart (Ventricular Septal Defect) and loves to fill it with all the love and attention she can!
**Play synopsis:** *Red Flags* follows Kassandra as she navigates the harsh terrain of the dating world. Will she find her perfect match, or will she crumble under the weight of the unending complexity of Online Dating 101?

Mentors

Magan Carty (they/them)

Megan is an actor, theatre-maker, and drama educator currently working out of Vancouver, but always anchored in their hometown of Ottawa. They are deeply passionate about collective creation as well as the curation of new work. Megan has performed professionally in every province across Canada and is the founder of multi-award winning theatre company Cart Before the Horse. They've been involved in the development process of many new Canadian plays including Sarah Stanley's annual workshopping series with the National Arts Centre English Theatre. Megan has always believed that the emerging artists of today are the established artists of tomorrow and therefore cannot wait to work with all the up and coming playwrights this season.

Laurie Fyffe by Annette Hegel.jpg — Laurie Fyffe (she/her)

Laurie Fyffe is a playwright, dramaturge, and Artistic Director of Evolution Theatre. Her most recent work, *Beowulf in Afghanistan* premiered at the 2021 Ottawa Fringe. Other Fringe shows include *The Secret Life of Emily/Frances* (2015) and *The Home Show*, a collaborative work (2017). Her play *Exciting Cause* received a workshop in Ottawa courtesy of a 2020 Project Grant from the Ontario Arts Council. Laurie’s plays have been produced at the Tarragon Theatre, Factory Theatre, Blyth Festival, and Theatre Kingston. From 2014 to 2017, Laurie was Managing Artistic Director of Ottawa StoryTellers (OST), where she adapted James Bartleman’s *Raisin Wine* (2014), and co-wrote *A Winter Tale: The Journey of the Blind Harper* (2015). In March 2018, her play *Being Helen* received a workshop and public reading courtesy of the Ergo Pink Arts Festival. Laurie has her MA in Theatre from the University of Ottawa, and is a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity and the Playwrights’ Guild of Canada. Since the fall of 2017, Laurie has taught at Algonquin College in the School of Media Design. She writes for Capital Critics Circle, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.