The Women’s Work Festival is an organization dedicated to the development of new plays and readings of works-in-progress by female and gender-diverse playwrights with a focus on gender parity and cultural diversity. The week-long event in St. John’s includes readings, workshops, and collaborations with writers, dramaturges, and performers. Founded in 2006 through a partnership of White Rooster Theatre, She Said Yes! Theatre Company and RCA Theatre pooling their resources and expertise, the festival was created to prioritize the advancement of new works by women, and transition their plays from page to stage.
Over the years, it has achieved remarkable success and remains the only script-development organization of its kind in the province. The festival’s call for submissions attracts a wide range of entries, with over 50% of playwrights hailing from Atlantic Canada and many others submitting from around the world. Since the festival began over 40 plays have reached production stage, with 20+ premieres, including works by Natasha MacLellan, Lois Brown, and Meghan Greeley. As it approaches its 19th year in March 2025, the festival has grown significantly with year-round staff and programming, and is now celebrated as one of Canada’s leading platforms for plays-in-progress.
We asked Andrea Dunne, chair of this year’s festival, a few questions, so members could learn more about Women’s Work Festival.
What is the driving force behind your company’s mission? What impact do you hope to have on your audience and the artistic community?
Women’s Work Festival is an established festival that is working to redress gender inequities in the theatre sector. This issue, recognized by WWF almost two decades ago, became a worldwide movement called Equity in Theatre in 2015. Our festival fosters dialogue on a national scale, generates greater awareness of and exposure to Canadian women in theatre, and we have proven success in developing work that goes on to be produced. There are few, if any, festivals of its kind in the world and this is the first one in Canada, dedicated soled to un-produced work by women and marginalized genders.
We also prioritize works by IBPOC women and marginalized genders, amplifying underrepresented perspectives. By connecting emerging artists with established professionals, WWF facilitates career growth and skill development through workshops, panels, and discussions. Daily coffee chats, chocolate socials, and soup gatherings also provide informal spaces for networking and sharing ideas, fostering a sense of community among participants. These events, open to the public at no cost, promote community engagement, arts education, and audience development. Topics address current social and artistic issues, stimulating critical thinking and public discourse. At all events we collect audience donations for the St. John’s Women’s Centre, encouraging participants to support women in their community. Through these initiatives, WWF hopes to not only supports artistic development but also encourages social change and inclusivity in the arts.
How has PARC impacted and/or supported your company and its growth?
PARC has been our main partner in offering free workshops for the community. They have often supported us by providing facilitators for the workshops. PARC has also provided dramaturgy for playwrights in the festival, with previous Artistic Director Pamela Halstead traveling to St. John’s for the festival year after year and becoming a memorable and impactful part of WWF. Since her departure, current AD Santiago Guzmán has contributed his dramaturgical skills and been an important mentor in particular to IBPOC playwrights.
The 2025 Women’s Work Festival is taking place March 3-9, 2025. This year, the Festival has an exciting program with public readings by playwrights from NL, QC and AB, workshops led by great names of the theatre industry: Jillian Keiley, Laura Caswell and Santiago Guzmán, a special edition of our Performance Walk dedicated to the International Women’s Day, a Women’s Work Fair, One-on-One with artists, arts workers and producers, etc.
All events are open to the public and hosted at the LSPU Hall or online unless indicated otherwise. Admission to all Public Readings and Workshops is by donation and the proceeds go to the St. John’s Women’s Centre.
Learn more about Women’s Work Festival: