THEATRE OUEST END WORKSHOPS
"Through our writing workshops, our goal is to bring unheard voices together to break the isolation of each of these communities."
Writers Collective of Canada
Theatre Ouest End and our facilitators are members of The Writers Collective of Canada (WCC). Finding its original inspiration in the groundbreaking work of the Amherst Writers and Artist Method with its 40-year track record of transformational writing, the WCC has developed a technique that “celebrates authentic voice—the innate creative genius in every person—through exploratory writing in community.”
We believe that we all have stories to tell and that every one of us deserves to be heard. To that end, our workshops offer an opportunity for participants to come together in a safe and welcoming environment where all can write and discover the value of their own stories in an atmosphere of dignity, respect, and acceptance.
Our writing groups are small, between 6 -10 people, and sessions occur once a week for an 8-10 week period. If you are interested in participating, but feel you cannot commit to all sessions, please join us when you can. We just ask that you let us know ahead of time if you are coming.
Our 2-hour writing sessions are open to everyone and are free of charge!
We believe that we all have stories to tell and that every one of us deserves to be heard. To that end, our workshops offer an opportunity for participants to come together in a safe and welcoming environment where all can write and discover the value of their own stories in an atmosphere of dignity, respect, and acceptance.
Our writing groups are small, between 6 -10 people, and sessions occur once a week for an 8-10 week period. If you are interested in participating, but feel you cannot commit to all sessions, please join us when you can. We just ask that you let us know ahead of time if you are coming.
Our 2-hour writing sessions are open to everyone and are free of charge!
Upcoming Virtual Writing Workshops
Although we could not hold on-site workshops during the pandemic, during the past 2 years we have held weekly online Zoom workshops. Because these workshops have been virtual, we’ve been able to open them up to participants living outside Montreal. To date, we’ve welcomed folks from: Hudson, Oka, Chisasibi, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Germany, France, Denmark and the United States. While we are very hopeful about being able to offer on-site workshops during the fall of 2022, we will continue with our international Thursday afternoon Zoom workshop.
If you’d like to know more about our upcoming writing workshops, please contact us at: theatreouestend@gmail.com
For more information about the Writers Collective of Canada: https://wcc-cec.org
Congratulations to Anissah Vanhorn and Caroline Spintzyk who have since completing their facilitator training last fall, been featured co-facilitators of our virtual workshop. Anissah has continued to assist in those workshops, and Caroline has been facilitating workshops in Germany.
If you’d like to know more about our upcoming writing workshops, please contact us at: theatreouestend@gmail.com
For more information about the Writers Collective of Canada: https://wcc-cec.org
Congratulations to Anissah Vanhorn and Caroline Spintzyk who have since completing their facilitator training last fall, been featured co-facilitators of our virtual workshop. Anissah has continued to assist in those workshops, and Caroline has been facilitating workshops in Germany.
Testimonials
Theatre Ouest End’s writing workshop offers its participants a safe, and utterly civilized platform in which to express, and share creative energy that otherwise may get snuffed out by isolation, loneliness, and tv. It is a welcome respite from the mundane world, and affords a kind of social gathering where everyone’s voice is welcome, and even cherished. A wonderfully, unexpectedly refreshing boon of a pastime in this whole Covid experience. Wholeheartedly recommend it! What a wonderful, unexpected boon this workshop has been during this long period of pandemic isolation! I have always enjoyed the poems chosen to inspire us before the thought provoking prompts. Some days I have not felt like writing or I didn't feel like sharing what I wrote, but every session I looked forward to hearing what the others wrote. These ten minute morsels of writing somehow become whole stories that touch you, move you, stimulate or amuse you. How do people do it? People from my Montreal neighbourhood, from up north in Quebec and from across the Atlantic in Europe - thank you, Zoom! - are full of experiences and perspectives I want to hear about. And when they're finished their ten minute stories, I want to hear more. Dear Ann and Laura: Dear Ann and Laura, I have been involved in a number of writer's groups, and have been a writer for my entire adult life. I found the workshop conducted by Ann and Laura to be excellent, one of the best I have ever attended. It helped me get a grip on the back story of a couple of characters for a play I am starting to write, and the leaders were both insightful and supportive. |
The TOE workshop sessions I have attended have been a delight and a surprise. Not only have I found myself writing a wide variety of short stories and tales that I never expected to write, I find the supportive atmosphere and community of a group of far flung writers of all ages brought together over the internet, has created a bond between us that I will miss when the sessions end. The workshop attendees, including the facilitators, are requested only to comment on 'what is strong and powerful' in the stories read aloud and believe you me...there is always something strong, powerful and at times deeply moving. You don't have to share your work if you don't wish to, but most end up doing so because we all surprise, and even amaze ourselves at the words that tumble out onto the page in response to the shared prompts. I look forward each week to the camaraderie, humour, pathos and sheer unexpected fun and yes, the bonding that has taken place. Long live TOE. Come with an open mind, try out the format and you may well find you are hooked as I have been. When I was asked by a friend if I wanted to join an online writing workshop run out of Canada, I was a bit hesitant. I like to write, but have never done it regularly or in a structured way – at least not since college. But, open for a new experience, I agreed – hallelujah! The workshops facilitated by these two wonderful, talented and experienced women have been a major discovery. They are conducted professionally and with warmth and appreciation for every participant. Ann and Laura created an atmosphere in which, right from the first session, I felt comfortable enough to write and above all, share my writing, in a safe space. The supportive feedback creates a desire to do more. And listening to the amazing and often profound writings of the other participants is an integral part of the experience. I also love the mix of participants. I am joining from Germany in the evenings and there were three further European participants, joining those from the “other side of the pond”. It was really enjoyable hearing from different life perspectives yet also discovering how much we all have in common. I've loved participating in these workshops. They are stimulating, challenging and fun! It was just great to be part of the workshop. As a senior who wants to write, I finally found a marvelous milieu, and the beginning of a sense of community. The group was supportive, the exercises stimulating, the participants inspiring.
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