Writers Reading
ACTIVE
Mondays, May 25 - June 29, 2026
Our regular in-house initiative returns! Nick Green (Casey and Diana) and Andrea Scott (Controlled Damage) are back at The Vault for a six week window starting May 25, 2026 with Nick’s brainchild: Writers Reading.
Professional playwrights meet weekly to share their pages and are encouraged to share positive and constructive feedback. Writers Reading was a part of The Vault’s inaugural test pilots and launched a sense of community and sharing that has quickly become a pillar of the lab. Writers Reading runs:
Monday May 25th 5:30-8:30
Monday June 1 5:30-8:30
Monday June 8 5:30-8:30
Monday June 15 5:30-8:30
Monday June 22 5:30-8:30
Monday 29 5:30-8:30
To sign up please send a short bio toinfo@thevaultcreationlab.caby Tuesday May 12th, midnight.
Writers must be available to attend all six sessions. You’ll have the opportunity to share your work in 2 of the 6 sessions. Writers Reading is designed for professional writers with some professional writing experience. There are 9 spots available in each group. This is a PWYC group with a minimum request of $20 a week (total $120 for 6 sessions).
*The playwrights present and the identity, diversity, age and gender of the playwrights will be the voices in the room regardless of the script they are reading. Therefore we hope it’s understood that readers will be cast randomly. Upon acceptance into Writers Reading, Nick and The Vault team will reach out with questions regarding your script to start a conversation around casting.
Writing Plays as Embodied Practice
ACTIVE
Tuesdays, June 9, 16, 23 & 30, 2026
The Vault @ Coal Mine Theatreis thrilled to announce a brand new in-house initiative with Jill Connell (The Herald, Hroses)! A workshop for emerging and mid career writers/theatre creators to develop new writing based on an embodied practice. Each artist will explore their experience of the world based on the feeling of things (versus an objective or outside perspective about the “logic” of things).
WHO: A group of 10-12 emerging or mid-level professional theatre creators (playwrights/performer-creators, and or makers of live performance), facilitated by playwright + director Jill Connell
DATES: Once a week on Tuesdays, June 9, 16, 23 & 30
TIME: 5:30-9:30pm
LOCATION: In Person, The Vault Creation Lab
This workshop will explore the double-vision inherent in theatre that overlays real with make believe, self with character. We will explore writing as a solo listening body that is co-creating with their environment/landscape. We will look at theatre as group work and forms for igniting text within a collective and a context. We will develop principles for work for a daily embodied writing practice. We will share our ideas about what theatre can be now, asking: what state of being, possibilities, and relationality do we want to create and co-create, now? This workshop prioritizes availability over interpretation; experimentation over perfection. This workshop is not about developing previous writing or creating a finished product. Instead, we will be creating new material and developing our writing practice, in this solo creation work that requires a group.
To sign up send a short bio with your writing/ liver performance work and a short paragraph detailing your creative practice (and why you’d like to participate in this workshop) to info@thevaultcreationlab.ca Deadline to apply is Tuesday May 19th at midnight.
This course is designed for professional theatre artists of all disciplines (acting, directing, playwrighting etc). It is open to curious theatre artists of all levels and is ideal for emerging and mid career artists. Professional experience or training is required. This fee for this course is $140 total ($35 a week).
This lab is made possible with the generous support of the K.M. Hunter Foundation.
The Dramaturgy Lab
The Dramaturgy Lab occurred in 2025 and was led by Joanna Falck along with lead facilitators Mel Hague, Jackie Maxwell, Marjorie Chan and other special guest artists. The Dramaturgy Lab is the brainchild of dramaturg Joanna Falck. Joanna is a dramaturg with 20 years of experience working on new plays in Canada. She is the Company Dramaturg at Soulpepper Theatre. Previously, she spent 10 seasons as Literary Manager at the Shaw Festival Theatre (2007-2016) and was the Tarragon Theatre’s first Literary Manager (2003-2007). As a freelance dramaturg, she has worked across Canada with companies including Blyth Festival Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, fuGen Asian Canadian Theatre, Nightwood Theatre, Banff Playwrights' Colony, Native Earth Performing Arts, and Canadian Stage Company (to name a few).
The Dramaturgy Lab covered:
How to read a play and why structure might be the least important or most important thing
Feedback - when to give it, how to give it, when not to give it
Workshops - are they the best way? the only way? to develop a play
Audience - when we say a play is for 'an audience' - who are they? And how can we better speak to them?
This lab will return in the Fall of 2026 and is designed for professional and emerging dramaturges who are interested in deepening and expanding their practice. It is also open to playwrights and directors who are interested in exploring or expanding dramaturgy practice within their own process. Check back in late August for updates and annoucement of dates!
This lab is made possible with the generous support of the K.M. Hunter Foundation.
First Draft
Writing a first draft can suck.
For writers at any stage of their career, the process of starting and finishing the first draft of a new play is often frustrating, overwhelming, and emotionally taxing. It can be hard to get started, and even harder to finish them. In The Vault’s brand new initiative, FIRST DRAFT, emerging playwrights will have the opportunity to work with an established writer to clarify the process of translating an idea from the mind to the page with the goal of completing a first draft of a new play over the course of six months.Led by playwright Michael Ross Albert (The Bidding War, A Little Closer, The Huns), FIRST DRAFT will give emerging playwrights the opportunity to share their writing progress, receive constructive feedback, learn skills for overcoming challenges, and participate in co-regulated writing sessions in a supportive, process-oriented workshop setting. By reading new material as a group and receiving feedback focused on character development, plot structure, and dramatic dialogue, writers will learn to hone their skills and see their idea for a new play through to completion.
Participation in FIRST DRAFT is free. Emerging and early-career playwrights of any age and background are invited to apply with an idea for a new play in its earliest stages of writing. Regardless of experience or training background, an emerging writer should have some familiarity with the craft of playwriting and/or production, either in an educational, independent, or professional setting. FIRST DRAFT returns this Fall 2026! Check back in late August for updates and announcement of dates.
The 2026 First Draft course made possible with the generous support of The Scott Griffin Foundation.
The Vault
Code of Conduct
The Vault Creation Lab is a space dedicated to creation, exploration, and community building. We believe that a supportive environment is essential for artistic and personal growth. To foster this, we ask all participants to engage with respect, kindness, and an open heart. Treating everyone with dignity and consideration is fundamental to our community, and we encourage active listening, open-mindedness, and empathy in all interactions.
We invite everyone entering the space to do so with generosity and positivity, understanding that creativity flourishes in an atmosphere of encouragement and collaboration. Being mindful of our words and actions is essential, as harmful language, discrimination, or any form of harassment will not be tolerated. This is a shared space where care and responsibility shape the culture we build together. If you witness or experience something that doesn’t align with these values, we encourage you to seek support from our team or speak up if it feels safe to do so.
At The Vault Creation Lab, we embrace growth and process, recognizing that creativity is an evolving journey. Mistakes happen, and we commit to learning from them with patience, understanding, and a willingness to improve. By being part of this community, you agree to uphold these principles and contribute to a safe and inspiring environment for all.
If you have any concerns or need support, please reach out to a member of our team. Let’s create something meaningful—together.