Returning January 2026
The Emering Playwrights Reading Series
A Toronto based Theatre series for Early Career playwrights to develop their work with established theatre creatives
“Something Old” by Keara Voo - EPRS 2024. Photo by Liza HershL-R: Ben Caldwell, Shelayna Christante
Submissions Close June 15th, 2025
Submit
To submit, and for more information about requirements and what the series offers, please click the button below.Submission Requirements
- Plays must be less than 90 minutes read time
- Submitted plays cannot have received a professional staged production previously
- Any play with more than 5 characters must have the ability to be double cast
- Does not have a full cast/production team attached
- Playwright might identify as early area, which is not defined by age but of experience. Playwrights must be 18+To be considered, please submit a maximum 1-page outline and a 5-10 page script sample.
please note: submitted plays do not need to be completed at the time of submission
“Horses” by Justin Otto & Thea Fitz-James - EPRS 2024. Photo by Liza HershL-R: Shanda Bezic, John Jarvis, Jacob MacInnis, Desmond Lazar, Shakura Dickson.
Foreground L-R: Jenna Brown - SM, Ziggy Schulting - Director.
About Us
The Emerging Playwrights Reading Series is a project co-created and produced by Liza Hersh and Aurora McClennan, following conversations in the Toronto Fringe Festival’s TENT program.
The Series was created by and for emerging artists as a response to feedback surrounding the challenges associated with transitioning into professional spaces. The series intends to provide selected playwrights with both development support for new plays and greater exposure to Toronto’s theatre community.
“Something Old” by Keara Voo - EPRS 2024. Photo by Liza Hersh.Background L-R: Keara Voo - Playwright, Aaron Jan - Director, Jeff Yung
Foreground L-R: Carolyn Fe, Alexandra Crenian, Elana Post, Shelayna Christante
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding the Series - submissions, participating, attending, or others, please don’t hesitate to email us at the link below.
“Camp Halo” by Rebecca Ostroff - EPRS 2024. Photo by Liza Hersh.L-R: Anne Van Leeuwen, Cass van Wyck