You are Here ❤️
Mapping the Showcase Territory
Congratulations on the completion of your script! Regardless of what the future holds, you have already accomplished something very big. Few people start to write a play and fewer still finish one.
Now, let’s get your play staged! TGCPS exists specifically to help you make that happen. This page tells you everything you need to know to get the most out of your Showcase at this year's conference and includes links to helpful resources.
Keep abreast of the latest conference news and funding opportunities by subscribing to The Trading Post. The newsletter also carries critical insight from the perspectives of varied theatre profiles and other influential community members.
Included in your registration
Playwright Package
- Delegate Survival Kit
- Accreditation and conference ID
- Includes access to all the main events at TGCPS, including the Thursday Night Theatre Party
- Conference Pocket Guide with schedules and maps
- An array of gifts
- Accreditation and conference ID
- 1 Showcase Spot
- Invitations to private tastings, classes, and workshops
- A Featured Listing (photo & bio) in the digital and printed TGCPS 2023 programs
- Most Meals (in conjunction with a reservation at The Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton in Grande Prairie)
Hit these marks
Choose
register
Prepare
Decide how you want to showcase your scene out of three choices, with a forth choice for musicals and operas.
Prepare
register
Prepare
This is where the bulk of your work lies.
register
register
register
Before you pay your registration fee, check with your association, guild, or union to see if they have a discount code for you.
submit
register
register
You can submit at any time: even before you've paid your registration fee.
3 +1 Showcase Choices
Read your work
Reading your own work is by far the cheapest way to showcase at TGCPS. If you choose to read your ten-minute scene at TGCPS and you are a member of the Playwrights' Guild of Canada, you may be eligible for funding to help offset travel expenses.
Bring Actors
You are welcome to bring actors to present your script. However, the actors are subject to the registration fee if they would like to attend the events.
TGCPS is not responsible for any meal, travel, or accommodation expenses of your actors or anybody else accompanying or working for you.
Join the TGCPS Group for more tips and contacts. Keep your eyes open for the TGCPS Roster
Showcase Players
The Showcase Players is a local, Grande Prairie-area group comprised of one director and a number of actors. Led by the Head of Northwestern's Drama Department, Misha Alberta (MFA), the Showcase Players are a great option for playwrights looking for a simple solution that doesn't require transportation, hotel, or registration for the performers.
Musicals & Operas
Play on! Please dazzle us with an unplugged version of your best tune, a medley of the show's pieces, an aria, or a duet. There won't be space or time for a large ensemble; you can bring pre-recorded instrumental music, one or two musicians, or the pieces can be performed a cappella.
Preparing for your showcase
Two Parts
The second part of your showcase is the staging of the ten-minute scene from your script. Either you are thinking about what you want that to look like or have already decided. Keep in mind that the time limit is very strict.
But before the audience watches your scene, you have a maximum of three minutes to introduce it. Take this opportunity to provide some context for the audience, perhaps in a very brief synopsis of the story and/or some background that explains the motivation for the scene we are about to see.
It is very important that you are well-prepared for this short speech. The time limit is very strict. You are clearly capable of writing an excellent introduction to your scene, and you can be equally confident in your presentation skills when you have practiced your presentation many times.
If you are reading your own script or are acting in your scene, you may ask another registered delegate to read your speech for you. You can post your need and/or availability to return the favour (as well as other conference-related topics and discussions) in the TGCPS group on LinkedIn and TGCPS Connect on Facebook.
For the Program
Your Showcase Submission and your Conference Registration are two different things, although your registration fee includes one spot on the Showcase calendar during the conference. You will be asked to submit the items on the following list for the online and printed programs. Delay caused by an incomplete submission may result in the loss of your Showcase spot, as they are limited.
- The 10-minute scene from your script
- A logline for your play
- A 300-500 word story synopsis
- A 75 word Playwright Bio
- A playwright headshot
- An image that is representative of your play
First Deadline: March 1, 2023 ~ FREE
Second Deadline: April 1, 2023 ~ $20
Final Deadline: April 15, 2023 ~ $50
Please send all the text documents together on a single PDF file and the images on one or two jpeg or png files.
YOUR SCENE
Your scene should be in standard Canadian stage script format, including font and margins. The cover page should have the title of the play, playwright's name, year it was written, and contact information for you or your agent/publisher/manager/representative.
PLAYWRIGHT BIO & HEADSHOT
Written in the third person, your bio can include studies, writing credentials, personal information like place of birth, theatrical and writing influences, and so on. Please send a professional headshot.
LOGLINE
A logline is a one-sentence summary of your play. Sometimes referred to as, "vomiting into a thimble," the logline tells us who the protagonist is, the inciting incident, the protagonist’s goal, and the central conflict (although not necessarily in that order).
STORY IMAGE
Please submit your image as a jpeg or png file. Please be aware that a portion of your image may be cropped. If the image quality is poor you may be asked to submit another image or an image may be provided for you.
If your play has been staged before and you have permission, you can send a photo from the performance, of the cast, or the poster, etc. Otherwise, you can send a mockup of a poster or any image that illustrates your story.
How to Write the Synopsis
Answer each question in a paragraph of about a hundred words to stay within the 300-500 word over-all limit for the synopsis of your play. Use the simple present, as if the action occurs while it is being read.
Who is the protagonist?
Tell us who your main character is before the conflict disrupts their life.
How do they deal with the problem at first?
Tell us how the conflict erupts and how the main character attempts to deal with it.
How do their choices make things worse?
Tell us what goes wrong, what new problems emerge, and how the stakes are now higher.
What is the climax?
Tell us what final challenge the main character is forced to face. Describe the final battle.
How is the end different from the start?
Show us that the end links to the beginning. And tell us how your protagonist’s world has changed since the first paragraph.
You are not alone
Discussion Groups & Webinars for you
Showcasing your work can be a daunting experience and unlike the rest of the theatre community, us playwrights often live in rural areas where the ratio of writers to "normal people" isn't very high. Writing can be lonely, but you are not alone. Participate in the TGCPS discussion group on LinkedIn and TGCPS Connect on Facebook, join us for How To webinars, and watch this space for special invitations to transformational sessions with the sharpest minds in writing, producing, and otherwise making a living.