Fire Exit Theatre

Scripts on Fire: This year, we received 32 submissions from across Canada. The work was diverse, inspiring and super creative.

Our Grand Prize Winner is Lynne Carol Martin and her piece, “The Mountains of Arart”. Lynne is a Winnipeg based artist who has two degrees in English and is currently studying Theatre at the University of Winnipeg. She is a member of the Manitoba Association of Playwrights, The Playwrights Guild of Canada, Manitoba Writers Guild and the Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba. 

Our Honorary Mention went to Emily Smiths play, “Hagar”.  Emily is an Edmonton based actor, playwright and clown. They recenlty graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performing Arts at MacEwan University.

Keep an eye out for a public reading of our winner later in the season.

A big thank you to our jury.

Anna Cummer is a Calgary-based actor and playwright. She has performed across Canada at The Vancouver Playhouse, The Arts Club, Bard on the Beach, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, Vertigo Theatre, Persephone Theatre, and the National Arts Centre. Anna also works in voice-over as well as in film & television as an actor and puppeteer. She is the Associate Artistic Director at Theatre Calgary and heads their Literary Department.

Kodie Rollan is a Philippine-born, Scarborough-raised, Mohkinstsis-based playwright, dramaturg, lyricist, educator, and arts leader. He is a passionate community-builder and always aims to create spaces for shared storytelling and arts equity within the nonprofit sector. He is currently the Artistic Director of Chromatic Theatre, and is also currently a facilitator of the Rozsa Foundation’s arts management and education programs. He’s also been the Associate Dramaturg at the Banff Playwrights Lab from 2022 – 2024. He was one of the recipients of Theatre Alberta’s 2023 Michelle Dias Community Service Award. 

Exciting New Workshops: 

Culture and Calgary

What is culture and why should we be participants in it? In this new workshop, we will look at why beauty matters, why faith communities have not always embraced the arts, are we amusing ourselves to death, how do we better support art and artists in our community…and more. Includes 3 in class sessions and 3 art-outings: “One” with Crossings Dance; “Silent Sky” with Fire Exit Theatre; A visit to a local art gallery (TBA). With Val Lieske: Val is the founder and Executive Artistic Director of Fire Exit Theatre. She holds  BA in Theatre & Speech from Trinity Guild (UK), is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and has been an instructor at numerous post-secondary institutions. She is a playwright, performer, speaker, teacher, and Arts Chaplain. 
Dates: Monday, March 3rd @ 7pm, Friday, March 14th @ 7:pm, Monday, March 17th @ 7pm, Wednesday March 26th @ 7:30pm, Monday, March 31st @ 7pm, Monday, April 7th @ 7pm.
Cost $135 Space Limited to 12 participants.
Register at https://www.fireexit.ca/show/culture-and-calgary

Improv for Real Life

How to use improv principles to get better at everything: work, relationships, leadership, teaching, vacationing, lion taming… especially lion taming. Based on teachings from Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, this condensed 4.5 hour workshop will cover the Ten Commandments of every improv scene that can also be applied to how each of us interact with every one around us. Turn up your confidence, push past fear, and roll with whatever life throws your way. With Frank Nickel, Frank holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University and has put his training as an actor to good use on both sides of the curtain. He is an active member of the Fire Exit board of directors and has served on several other theatre boards in the past. His passion is directing and improv, the latter of which he was on contract with The Panic Squad for 7 years in the mid-twenties, playing across Canada to sold-out theatres, churches and school auditoriums. As of mid-2024, Frank works with the leadership team of Spektrix, a ticking CRM system, as a Relationship Manager for the US and Canada. Frank gets to work with arts executives across North America to build best practices and find new ways of engaging with their patrons. He is thankful he doesn’t have to fundraise his salary anymore.
Date: Saturday, April 12th 12:30-5pm at Epic Church 2018 Centre St N, Calgary. Cost $35.
Register at https://www.fireexit.ca/show/improv-for-real-life