PTC cares deeply about the safety and well-being of our staff, artists and guests. As a precaution in light of measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our community, our office will be closed until further notice. PTC staff are working remotely and some of our programs and workshops will proceed virtually. We will continue to publish the newsletter and any new information as it comes in.

Please note that our shared hub, Progress Lab 1422 (1422 William St.), is temporarily closed as well. We hope to gather again with you in our spaces as soon as we can.

We are sending much love and compassion to our community. Our hearts go out to those directly affected by this global pandemic and those whose livelihoods depend on the plays, events, readings, workshops and programs that have been cancelled, closed or postponed.

Resources for your health, safety and sanity

In this unprecedented time of crisis, even with limits on physical contact, we can support each other in many ways.

We are compiling an ongoing list of resources to help you through this – from health and safety information to community assistance to arts and culture you can access while practising social distancing.

Health & Safety
Public Health Agency of Canada’s main COVID-19 information hub
BC Public Health Authorities
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s guide to infectious disease business continuity plans
World Health Organization
SumOfUs COVID Support Network – a centralized, global response system where people all over the world can get the support they need during this crisis.

Income Loss Support

Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) is a financial benefit ($2,000 a month for 4 months) for anyone who is either: sick with COVID, quarantined, taking care of children, taking care of a sick family member PLUS anyone not receiving a paycheque because their workplace has been closed. Good news! CERB has been expanded to provide relief to part-timers, seasonal workers, and those who have exhausted their EI benefits. Read more about it here.

Our friends at Generator have created a fantastic page of resources on The Economics of COVID-19 for Individual Arts Workers.

A Daily Report on How COVID-19 Is Impacting the Art World – Hyperallergic

Resources for Remote Work — Job listings and job related resources

How to Embrace Remote Work: The Ultimate Guide — Great article for adjusting to working remotely

Black Girl Magik COVID-19 Global Resource Guide — self-care links and mental health related apps etc

Shout out to the Vancouver Foundation for the expansion of their In Our Hearts Fund with a new injection of $1 million to offer vital support to the arts and culture sector, an amount expected to grow significantly.

Arts-Specific Resources

PACT also has a great resource page including links to Community Funding, Impact Surveys, Performances & Connecting. They also convene a weekly Town Hall meeting every Thursday from 1PM to 2PM ET to discuss the effects of the pandemic on Canadian theatre.

BC Alliance for Arts + Culture will be hosting several meetings throughout the next weeks for organizations and individual artists. You can register for one meeting via the Zoom platform.

Canadian artists of any discipline can request a one-time, no questions asked, micro grant of $75 for groceries, food and other essentials here.

The Creative Users Projects team met with a group of Deaf artists and stakeholders to have a conversation about the challenges that artists are facing during COVID-19 and what the immediate needs and opportunities are going forward. Check it out here.

Canadian Actors’ Equity Association has put together this resource for members that includes transcripts and video of the past few Online Members Meetings.

GVPTA has many webinars and web sessions.

Writers’ Warm-Up with Jesse Stong: Every Monday and Friday, start your morning on the right creative foot with a dynamic writing activity facilitated by Playwright and Playwrights Workshop Montreal Dramaturg Jesse Stong!

In the Age of COVID-19: Howlround’s ongoing collection of essays and events that respond to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Recent faves: Performance Despite the Pandemic: Continuing to Create at the Intersection of Coronavirus, Crisis, and Care. Taking A Pause in Response to a COVID-19 World by Kaja Dunn

Important Information related to COVID-19 – Canada Council for the Arts
FAQ – Impact of COVID-19 on Funded Projects – Canada Council for the Arts
A letter from Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault
Preparing for the Potential Impact of Coronavirus – Arts Ready Alert
COVID-19 & Freelance Artists— FREE resources, opportunities, advocacy & legal info, financial relief options for artists of all disciplines.
COVID-19 Resource Page – Professional Association of Canadian Theatres
COVID-19 Updates – Music Managers Forum
FAQ: Artist Mobility to the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic – Covey Law
Coronavirus Preparedness for the Live Performance Sector – CAPACOA
Resources for Canadian artists, writers and media workers during COVID-19 shutdowns
Women in the Arts and Media Coalition — big list of funding/resources and a variety of disciplines
Women Photograph Grants — grants open to women and nonbinary documentary photographers of any nationality

 

Arts & Culture Experiences

 

The Flying Monkey vlog: Ruby Slippers Theatre announces the launch of  their new vlog for the 2020/21 Season with the Theatre in Multiculture: Perspectives series, featuring video interviews with BIPOC artists in the Canadian theatre industry discussing racism, intersectionality, and diversity. Watch the first episode: Racism In Canadian Theatre | An Interview With Marci T. House

Podcast: The Transmissions: Bringing a ’90s tradition from way back in the day – this time digital and not made of trees. An audio zine for the theatre scene. Community thinking, problem solving, exchange and discussion on theatre, performance, and culture. Tune in to Rumble’s new podcast series for conversations happening now in our theatre community. Listen at rumble.org | Also available on Spotify, itunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast.fm, deezer, and more.

Writerly Love Across the Distance with Rachel Thompson: Live write-together sessions. Each session begins with warm-up exercises and prompts, then you’ll write together for one hour. Participants may optionally read a few lines they generate during our time together. (No pressure!) Come to reach out, connect, and write together in this time many of us are spending in greater isolation.

Stratford Pirate Transmission – broadcasting Shakespeare’s plays on YouTube using a video-conferencing app that places their solitary performances side-by-side in boxes.

PLAYME: This ongoing series by Expect Theatre is a podcast of contemporary Canadian theatrical works transformed into audio dramas.

The Citadel Theatre’s Stuck in the House Series via Facebook

Showcase B.C online hub: an online hub that will provide live streaming performances, entertainment and content from B.C. artists.

The National Arts Centre will be livestreaming shows and concerts for the next few weeks.

The Social Distancing Festival “is a site for celebrating art from all over the world, showcasing talent, and coming together as a community at a time we need it more than ever.”

The Instagram project Viral Monologues is home to 42 pieces — at last count; more keep being added — that were put together in 24 hours by playwrights collaborating with actors. The artists include Stephen Adly Guirgis and Jesse Eisenberg.

List of free arts/culture/education/health/wellness resources for people to access some fun, nourishing and educational experiences while at home.

Follow your favorite writers. Many authors are using social media to engage with their fans, offering readings, art classes and other activities.

List of free, online boredom-busting resources

Writerly Love Across the Distance with Rachel Thompson – Live write-together sessions

OnTheBoards.tv – a website that delivers full-length, high quality contemporary performance films to your TV, desktop or mobile device.

Starting now, you can stream the last two seasons and some of this current season’s “Austin City Limits” shows. You can watch concerts from Willie Nelson, Billie Eilish, Vampire Weekend and many others.

Howlround is a digital platform that will be streaming works (live and recorded) from around the world.

UK’s National Theatre has a collection of past productions available online during this time.

Virtual Museum Tours including The Guggenheim (NYC), Musée d’Orsay (Paris), Pergamonmuseum (Berlin).

The 17th Annual Screenwriting Challenge is a competition open to screenwriters around the world. There are 3 rounds of competition. In the 1st Round (April 17-25), writers are placed randomly in heats and are assigned a genre, subject, and character assignment (see examples of past assignments here). Writers have 8 days to write an original short screenplay no longer than 12 pages. The judges choose a top 5 in each heat to advance to the 2nd Round (June 11-14) where writers receive new assignments, only this time they have just 3 days to write an 8 page (maximum) short screenplay. Judges choose a top 5 in each heat from the 2nd Round to advance to the 3rd and final round of the competition where writers are challenged to write a 5 page (maximum) screenplay in just 24 hours (July 17-18). A panel of judges review the final round screenplays and winners are selected to share in thousands in cash and prizes. Sound like fun? Learn more, register, and read previous winning screenplays at the official competition website.

Convergence Theatre, The Corona Variations, April 14-19

Soulpepper Theatre’s Fresh Ink Play Readings, April 3 @ 4pm

Character Development Workshop by Writing While Black

SATURDAY MARCH 28th :: 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM (EST)
Open Session for all writers from all backgrounds

SUNDAY MARCH 29th :: 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM (EST)
Workshop for BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Colour)

MONDAY MARCH 30th :: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM (EST)
Workshop for Black folx (prioritizing Black trans and cis womxn, femmes, GNC and gender queer peoples)

The Belfry Theatre’s COVIDEOS: Creation in Quarantine, March 29 @ 7pm