- TODOS' 2020 Writing Mentorship -
February-June, 2020
During Winter 2020, TODOS launched a pilot program to support three diverse writers in the development of short scripts where diverse narratives are put in the front line. Mentored by Robert Chafe, award-winning Canadian playwright, and Santiago Guzmán, TODOS’ Artistic Director and local emerging playwright, this program guided selected writers Vanessa Cardoso-Whelan, Xaiver Campell (St. John’s) and Jamie Merrigan (Corner Brook), to develop a 20-30 minute script that tells a story from the perspective of a character that identifies with a social minority.
Throughout this mentorship, the Cardoso, Campbell and Merrigan met with their mentors biweekly, were they received detailed feedback on their work, culminating in the first draft of their scripts. These scripts were workshopped with actors for further development.
Throughout this mentorship, the Cardoso, Campbell and Merrigan met with their mentors biweekly, were they received detailed feedback on their work, culminating in the first draft of their scripts. These scripts were workshopped with actors for further development.
- Deeper by Robyn Vivian (Workshop) -
May-June, 2019
TODOS Productions was proud to partner with Vivian to produce an online workshop of her play in development Deeper, which explores themes of life, love, and loss as experienced by queer women in mid-80s and 90s in Canada. Robyn Vivian presented an excerpt from the first draft of her script (starring Elizabeth Hicks and herself) at November's Live Magazine! at the LSPU Hall in November 2019 (curated by Santiago Guzmán, Artistic Director of TODOS Productions). This year's online workshop through TODOS will culminate in a socially distant reading of the newly developed play.
The reading was available to watch from home right Facebook on Sunday, June 28th.
Robyn Vivian is a St. John's based theatre artist and writer. She holds a BFA in theatre/acting from Memorial University. Select performance credits include Private Eyes (Power Productions), The Tales of Dwipa (White Rooster Theatre), Drinking Again (RCAT), and a number of shows with GBRT Festival. Writing credits include Deeper (RCAT/TODOS), SNATCH (St. John's Shorts/Theatre Perimetric), and columns with The Tempest Media. Robyn believes in using art as activism to inspire social change, and her work aims to reinforce this idea by centering queer and disabled narratives/voices in surrealist theatre and performance art pieces.
Written by Robyn Vivian
Dramaturgy by Meghan Greeley
Produced and translated by Santiago Guzmán
Starring:
- Elizabeth Hicks as LISA
- Michaela Sheldon as EMILY
- Mallory Fisher as DAWN
- Evan Mercer as DAVE
Robyn Vivian gratefully acknowledges support from City of St. John's and their Individual Artist Grant Program, as well as ArtsNL, which last year invested $2.24 million to foster and promote the creation and enjoyment of the arts for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians
The reading was available to watch from home right Facebook on Sunday, June 28th.
Robyn Vivian is a St. John's based theatre artist and writer. She holds a BFA in theatre/acting from Memorial University. Select performance credits include Private Eyes (Power Productions), The Tales of Dwipa (White Rooster Theatre), Drinking Again (RCAT), and a number of shows with GBRT Festival. Writing credits include Deeper (RCAT/TODOS), SNATCH (St. John's Shorts/Theatre Perimetric), and columns with The Tempest Media. Robyn believes in using art as activism to inspire social change, and her work aims to reinforce this idea by centering queer and disabled narratives/voices in surrealist theatre and performance art pieces.
Written by Robyn Vivian
Dramaturgy by Meghan Greeley
Produced and translated by Santiago Guzmán
Starring:
- Elizabeth Hicks as LISA
- Michaela Sheldon as EMILY
- Mallory Fisher as DAWN
- Evan Mercer as DAVE
Robyn Vivian gratefully acknowledges support from City of St. John's and their Individual Artist Grant Program, as well as ArtsNL, which last year invested $2.24 million to foster and promote the creation and enjoyment of the arts for the benefit of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians
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- (Un) Boarding by The Quilted Collective (Workshop) -
July, 2020
(Un) Boarding takes place during the tumultuous time of COVID-19 and is set in the St. John’s International Airport. The radio play/podcast features a diverse group of characters all trying to travel either nationally or internationally. It pivots around one character who is about to be deported, to return to a country where his life may be endangered. The characters in these stories come from various parts of the globe, including Canada, and so the play is filled with several foreign languages and dialects, representations of different types of families, genders and sexual orientations that help make up the Canadian mosaic.
This radio play/podcast is written by the local St. John’s collective writing group, "The Quilted Collective". The Collective includes racialized and culturally diverse writers who have come from all over the world (including Indonesia, Mexico, Jamaica, Taiwan, India and Canada). The diversity represented in the podcast and the languages employed is reflective of the diverse backgrounds found among the writers in our collective.
Written by 7 racialized writers (Drew Braithewaite, Xaiver Michael Campbell, Santiago Guzmán, Tzu-Hao Hsu, Zulpakar (Zay Nova), and Sobia Shaheen Shaikh), currently living in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. For the workshop of (Un) Boarding, TODOS engaged professional BIPOC artists from across the country.
This radio play/podcast is written by the local St. John’s collective writing group, "The Quilted Collective". The Collective includes racialized and culturally diverse writers who have come from all over the world (including Indonesia, Mexico, Jamaica, Taiwan, India and Canada). The diversity represented in the podcast and the languages employed is reflective of the diverse backgrounds found among the writers in our collective.
Written by 7 racialized writers (Drew Braithewaite, Xaiver Michael Campbell, Santiago Guzmán, Tzu-Hao Hsu, Zulpakar (Zay Nova), and Sobia Shaheen Shaikh), currently living in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. For the workshop of (Un) Boarding, TODOS engaged professional BIPOC artists from across the country.
- An Actor Prepares: First Day of Rehearsal, An Acting Workshop with Santiago Guzmán -
August, 2020
In August 2020, we hosted an online-acting workshop called ‘AN ACTOR PREPARES: FIRST DAY OF REHEARSAL’ where Santiago Guzmán guided folks with little-to-no experience through my prep as an actor before going into rehearsals. We received more than 20 application requests to join this workshop. In the end, I gave priority to BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, ESL, and artists with different abilities to take part in this initiative.
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Two short plays that came out from TODOS’ Writing Mentorship 2020 had an online reading during the 5th Annual St. John’s Short Play Festival:
Happy Anniversary by Vanessa Cardoso and 76 Centimeters by Xaiver Campbell.
Both projects were composed by teams of Black artists and artists of Colour, who most of them are residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Happy Anniversary by Vanessa Cardoso and 76 Centimeters by Xaiver Campbell.
Both projects were composed by teams of Black artists and artists of Colour, who most of them are residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Happy Anniversary by Vanessa Cardoso (Online Reading) -
September, 2020
TODOS Productions and White Rooster Theatre presented
Happy Anniversary by Vanessa Cardoso
At the 5th Annual St. John's Short Play Festival
Synopsis
Marta and Carlos used to be a perfect couple that loved each other in the beginning, but their relationship changed after 14 years of marriage.
Directed by Santiago Guzmán
Dramaturgy by Robert Chafe and Santiago Guzmán
with additional dramaturgy by Pamela Halstead
Starring
-Ana Luísa Ramos as MARTA
-Bruno Vinhas as CARLOS
-Alicia Cruz as MEL
Poster by @stubbycryons
Happy Anniversary by Vanessa Cardoso
At the 5th Annual St. John's Short Play Festival
Synopsis
Marta and Carlos used to be a perfect couple that loved each other in the beginning, but their relationship changed after 14 years of marriage.
Directed by Santiago Guzmán
Dramaturgy by Robert Chafe and Santiago Guzmán
with additional dramaturgy by Pamela Halstead
Starring
-Ana Luísa Ramos as MARTA
-Bruno Vinhas as CARLOS
-Alicia Cruz as MEL
Poster by @stubbycryons
- 76 Centimeters by Xaiver Campbell (Online Reading) -
September, 2020
TODOS Productions presented
76 Centimeters by Xaiver Campbell
At the 5th Annual St. John's Short Play Festival
Synopsis
After 6 years of dating and living together in downtown St. John's, Samson and Abe find that their relationship is on the brink of implosion as the province is pounded by Snowmageddon.
Directed by Santiago Guzmán
Dramaturgy by Robert Chafe and Santiago Guzmán
with additional dramaturgy by Pamela Halstead
Starring
-Jamarie Anfernee (Brown) as SAMSON
-Maher Sinno as ABE
Poster by @stubbycryons
76 Centimeters by Xaiver Campbell
At the 5th Annual St. John's Short Play Festival
Synopsis
After 6 years of dating and living together in downtown St. John's, Samson and Abe find that their relationship is on the brink of implosion as the province is pounded by Snowmageddon.
Directed by Santiago Guzmán
Dramaturgy by Robert Chafe and Santiago Guzmán
with additional dramaturgy by Pamela Halstead
Starring
-Jamarie Anfernee (Brown) as SAMSON
-Maher Sinno as ABE
Poster by @stubbycryons
