Playwrights Guild of Canada
Encyclopedia
Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) is a non-profit
national association of professional and emerging playwright
s. It was founded in 1972 as Playwrights Co-op. PGC provides promotional and advocacy programs and services for the creative rights of Canadian
playwrights.
Through its independently run subsidiary, Playwrights Canada Press established in 2002, PGC is a primary source for unpublished Canadian plays, as well as information regarding performance rights.
's theatre officer, David Gardner, with Carol Bolt
, Tom Hendry and Len Peterson
to discuss issues affecting English Canadian
playwrights. Those present at the meeting determined that there was a need for a publishing house for Canadian plays. Following the meeting, Bolt, Hendry, and Peterson established the Toronto Playwrights Circle to obtain funding for the project. This led to the founding of the Playwrights Co-op of Canada in the following year, for the purpose of publishing and distributing plays written by Canadian playwrights. In 1979, the Playwrights Co-op changed its name to Playwrights Canada, Inc.
In 1977, the Guild of Canadian Playwrights formed to advocate on behalf of playwrights and to lobby for suitable working conditions for Canadian playwrights. In 1982, the Guild of Canadian Playwrights and Playwrights Canada, Inc. merged to form the Playwrights Union of Canada. In 2002, the organization changed its name to the Playwrights Guild of Canada. That same year, it established its publishing arm, the Playwrights Canada Press.
The Playwrights Guild of Canada is a registered charitable organization. In 1986, PGC created the Canadian Drama Foundation (formerly known as the Foundation for Recognition of Excellence in Drama) as its charitable arm. Part of its funding comes from the Canada Council
, the Ontario Arts Council
, Ontario Ministry of Culture, and the City of Toronto
through the Toronto Arts Council.
The Guild has a Women's Caucus, which awards the "Bra D'Or" ("Golden Bra") for supporting the work of female playwrights.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
national association of professional and emerging playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
s. It was founded in 1972 as Playwrights Co-op. PGC provides promotional and advocacy programs and services for the creative rights of Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
playwrights.
Through its independently run subsidiary, Playwrights Canada Press established in 2002, PGC is a primary source for unpublished Canadian plays, as well as information regarding performance rights.
History
PGC had its origins in a meeting held in 1971 by the Canada CouncilCanada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
's theatre officer, David Gardner, with Carol Bolt
Carol Bolt
Carol Bolt was a Canadian playwright. She was a founding member and, for several years, president of the Playwrights Union of Canada....
, Tom Hendry and Len Peterson
Len Peterson
Leonard Byron Peterson was a Canadian playwright, screenwriter and novelist. His career started in 1939 when he sold a script to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation....
to discuss issues affecting English Canadian
English Canadian
An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...
playwrights. Those present at the meeting determined that there was a need for a publishing house for Canadian plays. Following the meeting, Bolt, Hendry, and Peterson established the Toronto Playwrights Circle to obtain funding for the project. This led to the founding of the Playwrights Co-op of Canada in the following year, for the purpose of publishing and distributing plays written by Canadian playwrights. In 1979, the Playwrights Co-op changed its name to Playwrights Canada, Inc.
In 1977, the Guild of Canadian Playwrights formed to advocate on behalf of playwrights and to lobby for suitable working conditions for Canadian playwrights. In 1982, the Guild of Canadian Playwrights and Playwrights Canada, Inc. merged to form the Playwrights Union of Canada. In 2002, the organization changed its name to the Playwrights Guild of Canada. That same year, it established its publishing arm, the Playwrights Canada Press.
The Playwrights Guild of Canada is a registered charitable organization. In 1986, PGC created the Canadian Drama Foundation (formerly known as the Foundation for Recognition of Excellence in Drama) as its charitable arm. Part of its funding comes from the Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
, the Ontario Arts Council
Ontario Arts Council
The Ontario Arts Council is a publicly-funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to promote and assist the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of all Ontarians...
, Ontario Ministry of Culture, and the City of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
through the Toronto Arts Council.
The Guild has a Women's Caucus, which awards the "Bra D'Or" ("Golden Bra") for supporting the work of female playwrights.