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Fall 2026 · Studio ED

Workshops

Five one-off workshops on the ins and outs of making theatre — playwriting, directing, text analysis, and auditioning.

Wednesdays, 7–9 PM

October 7, 14, 21, 28 & November 4

Early bird registration →

How do you write a script for the stage? What exactly does a director do? How can I turn my idea into a play? What does it mean to study a script? What's the difference between acting for TV and acting for theatre? How do you produce a show?

Since One Acts Now: A Short Play Festival, we've been positively overwhelmed by questions from folks in and outside the theatre community. Your enthusiasm, curiosity, and ambition have been truly awesome — and we want to respond in kind. This fall, we'll be offering a series of workshops designed to help you learn the ins and outs of theatre production. Our aim is to offer folks a fuller and deeper view of theatre work.

We've gathered together an exceptional group of theatre professionals and experienced educators to offer a series of one-off workshops covering the key aspects of theatre production — playwriting, auditioning, text analysis, and direction.

This is a pilot project, and so we're subsidizing the cost of these classes. We're hoping to gauge community interest and encourage broad participation as a result. If all goes well, we'll be able to offer these classes on a semi-regular basis, as well as further expand the list of topics covered.

The series

  1. Wednesday, October 7 Playwriting Fundamentals Bevin Dooley
  2. Wednesday, October 14 Intro to Directing Jessica Abdallah
  3. Wednesday, October 21 Audition Essentials for Theatre Heidi Hawkins
  4. Wednesday, October 28 Text Analysis Samantha Bitonti
  5. Wednesday, November 4 Audition Essentials for TV & Film Heidi Hawkins

Pricing

1 workshop $25 / hour $50
2 workshops $24 / hour $96
3 workshops $23 / hour $138
4 workshops $22 / hour $176
All 5 workshops $21 / hour $210

The more workshops you take, the lower the hourly rate — from $25 an hour for a single workshop down to $21 an hour for all five.

Early bird registration →

The space

Studio ED

5445 Av. de Gaspé, Studio 423, Montréal, QC H2T 3B2

Studio ED is a 1,700 sq ft studio space with a 920 sq ft sprung marley-type dance floor. Studio ED is wheelchair accessible.

Please note the floor is quite soft and is not suitable for street shoes, tap shoes, stilettos, flamenco, or pointe shoes.

The workshops

Workshop 1 of 5

Wednesday, October 7

7–9 PM · Studio ED

Playwriting Fundamentals

with Bevin Dooley

Workshop description

Playwriting Fundamentals is all about getting back to basics. Open to writers of all levels, this class invites you to revisit the core elements of playwriting: character, dialogue, plot, conflict, theme, and world-building. We will look at different ways of developing each of these elements in a play, as well as techniques for getting past writing obstacles.

The goal of the class is to offer writers as many tools and techniques as possible to help guide themselves through the playwriting process. You are welcome to attend with just an idea for a play, or with a script in early stages of development.

Biography

Bevin Dooley

Bevin Dooley is a theatre artist and educator based in Montréal. She is a graduate of both the University of Alberta's Drama Department (Bachelor of Arts, 2013) and the Lir National Academy for Dramatic Art (Master of Fine Arts, 2015).

Bevin's work as a playwright includes Nyctophobia, part of Here There Be Night (Workshop West Playwrights Theatre); IN CAMERA (CGAS Found Festival); and Slack Tide (Edmonton Fringe). Their play The Drowned was the runner up in Infinithéâtre's 2022 Write-On-Q Competition.

Their current projects include Aperture, a play about modern masculinity, and Jenny Wren, a play for young audiences about a girl who enlists her local wildlife to help sabotage the construction of an AI data centre. Bevin is also part of the creative team of Climate Play, a national verbatim theatre project co-facilitated by Yvette Nolan and Joel Bernbaum.

Workshop 2 of 5

Wednesday, October 14

7–9 PM · Studio ED

Intro to Directing

with Jessica Abdallah

Workshop description

What exactly does a director do? In this workshop, I will share various techniques, tools, and beliefs on how to approach directing. We will discuss the director’s role throughout the process including developing a concept, collaborating with designers, preparing for rehearsal, working with actors, tech week, performances, and more.

This workshop is for all levels of experience.

Biography

Jessica Abdallah

Jessica Abdallah is a theatre director, creator, and educator based in Tio'tia:ke/Montréal. She is a graduate of John Abbott College (Acting), Concordia University (Theatre & Development), and the University of Alberta (MFA Directing).

Directing credits include Eurydice (McGill University), Other Worlds (Geordie Theatre), What Rough Beast (Theatre Ouest End/Tantalus), Squawk (Geordie Theatre), the French and English versions of TUMIT (Akpik Theatre), and Sedna: Goddess of the Sea (Tableau D'Hôte Theatre).

Jessica is the Creative Director of Geordie Theatre School, teaches public classes at National Theatre School, and will be teaching at Bishop's University in the Fall. A believer that everyone benefits from a little theatre in their life, Jessica loves working with people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels.

Workshop 3 of 5

Wednesday, October 21

7–9 PM · Studio ED

Audition Essentials for Theatre

with Heidi Hawkins

Workshop description

  • Preparing a monologue
  • Cold reads and callbacks
  • Audition etiquette
  • Working with a director in the room
  • Mock auditions and feedback

Biography

Heidi Hawkins

Heidi Hawkins is a Montreal-based theatre director and actor with a passion for character-driven storytelling.

A graduate of John Abbott's Professional Theatre Program, her directing credits include A Love Unbecoming (Montreal Fringe Festival Patron's Pick Award, Marsh Street Centre, and Lakeshore Players), The Game's Afoot (Hudson Village Theatre), The Real Inspector Hound (Marsh Street Centre and Lakeshore Players), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (McGill Players Theatre, Nani Tanifa), Let's Start a Country! (Montreal Fringe Festival and Tillotson Center, nominated for Just For Laughs Best Comedy, and Cirque Du Soleil Best Original Production) and Hot Pink (Montreal Fringe Festival, Mainline's Next Stage Award runner-up). She also had the pleasure to assist in the direction of Hippies and Bolsheviks (Freestanding Space) and Cherry Docs (Theatre Ste-Catherine, Persephone Productions).

With a strong background in both theatre and voice over, Heidi's favourite acting roles include Felicity in The Real Inspector Hound (Mainline Theatre), Celia in As You Like It (Mainline Theatre), Erika in SubUrbia (Monument National), and Jen in Sunday On The Rocks (White Raven).

Heidi hopes to bring a collaborative, creative and performance-focused approach crafting work that's engaging, honest, and hopefully not boring.

Workshop 4 of 5

Wednesday, October 28

7–9 PM · Studio ED

Text Analysis

with Samantha Bitonti

Workshop description

Crack open a script and discover the first step in bringing it from "page to stage." In this 2-hour Text Analysis workshop, we’ll dive into given circumstances, the "moment before," and the hidden clues in the text that bring characters to life. Through practical exercises and group exploration, you’ll learn how to make bold, specific acting choices straight from the page.

Part of the MTC festival workshop series, this session is open to all: whether you’re brand new or a seasoned artist. Come sharpen your skills, swap perspectives, and connect with a community of theatre makers across all levels and disciplines.

Biography

Samantha Bitonti

Samantha Bitonti (she/her) is an actor, creator, and instructor with a passion for embodied movement and dramaturgy. She has a BFA in Theatre Performance from Concordia University, and enjoys crafting characters through her love of clown. A sense of play, spontaneity, and rigour is at the core of her work.

Samantha’s artistic pursuits include introducing classical music to kids through puppetry, clown, and storytelling (Platypus); investigating heightened text and our relationship to Shakespeare in contemporary playing (Repercussion Theatre); and teaching drama at National Theatre School and Geordie Theatre School, cultivating creativity and confidence for young people and those young-at-heart. Keep in touch at samanthabitonti.com .

Workshop 5 of 5

Wednesday, November 4

7–9 PM · Studio ED

Audition Essentials for TV & Film

with Heidi Hawkins

Workshop description

  • Understanding the casting process
  • Self-tapes: what casting directors look for
  • Camera framing, eyelines, and technical setup
  • Working with sides
  • Common mistakes and how to avoid them
  • Practice self-tape exercises

Biography

Heidi Hawkins

Heidi Hawkins is a Montreal-based theatre director and actor with a passion for character-driven storytelling.

A graduate of John Abbott's Professional Theatre Program, her directing credits include A Love Unbecoming (Montreal Fringe Festival Patron's Pick Award, Marsh Street Centre, and Lakeshore Players), The Game's Afoot (Hudson Village Theatre), The Real Inspector Hound (Marsh Street Centre and Lakeshore Players), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (McGill Players Theatre, Nani Tanifa), Let's Start a Country! (Montreal Fringe Festival and Tillotson Center, nominated for Just For Laughs Best Comedy, and Cirque Du Soleil Best Original Production) and Hot Pink (Montreal Fringe Festival, Mainline's Next Stage Award runner-up). She also had the pleasure to assist in the direction of Hippies and Bolsheviks (Freestanding Space) and Cherry Docs (Theatre Ste-Catherine, Persephone Productions).

With a strong background in both theatre and voice over, Heidi's favourite acting roles include Felicity in The Real Inspector Hound (Mainline Theatre), Celia in As You Like It (Mainline Theatre), Erika in SubUrbia (Monument National), and Jen in Sunday On The Rocks (White Raven).

Heidi hopes to bring a collaborative, creative and performance-focused approach crafting work that's engaging, honest, and hopefully not boring.

Take one, or take all five.

Early bird registration →

Questions? Write to info@momenttheatre.ca .