Menu
SEPARATE PIECES, TOGETHER
No matter the discipline, the creative process is a process! Professional mentorship can help artists work through creative blocks, bounce ideas off each other and share knowledge gained in years of experience in the arts. Playwrights Ellen Peterson and Sarah Flynn recently completed the Professional Mentorship Program with Creative Manitoba and shared a few of the highlights with us!
Sarah Flynn
Sarah (she/her) is a performer and playwright born and raised in Winnipeg, Treaty 1 territory. She is the Artistic Associate at Manitoba Theatre for Young People. Sarah studied performance at the University of Winnipeg, is a self-taught puppeteer, became a Baby Clown on the Clown Farm and trained in Suzuki technique with SITI Company. Sarah has performed in theatres, and schools across Winnipeg, Manitoba and Italy. Sarah’s play What Happens After? won the Harry Rintoul Award for Best New Play at the 2022 Winnipeg Fringe. Sarah enjoys frolicking in forests, lighting things on fire, and playing with her food.
Ellen Peterson
Ellen (she/her) is a playwright, actor, dramaturg, educator and visual artist. She has been working in Winnipeg since receiving her BA in Theatre from the University of Winnipeg in 1984. Her most recent play, None of This is Happening, was produced by Theatre Projects Manitoba in 2022. Other plays include Sense and Sensibility (RMTC), The Brink (PTE) and The Eight Tiny Reindeer of the Apocalypse (TPM). You can find out more about Ellen and her work at her website.
Professional Mentorship Program pair Ellen and Sarah working at the dining table during a Saturday morning writing session.
Tell us a little about what you're working on!
I am in the midst of writing the first draft of a play called The Bathroom in our Home on the Corner of 5th Street.
- Sarah
I’m currently launching an initiative called The Free Theatre, designed to make theatre faster, more topical, more local, less expensive, less wasteful and more accessible to all. The pilot performance will be on May 31, 2024 at the Gargoyle Theatre.
- Ellen
“Curiosity and humans bring me joy. There is so much beauty in the world and people have always fascinated me!”
- Sarah Flynn, on what brings her joy
What have you been working on together?
Ellen has been a supportive sounding board for wacky and exciting ideas on my new play, asked me the hard questions so I dive deeper into the characters, and has been a friend to drink tea and write with for hours on a Saturday morning. These conversations and ‘writing dates’ have allowed us both to find focused time for our writing and create some delightful and inspiring work.
- Sarah
Sarah and I have found a number of ways to work together. Fortuitously, our time together has coincided with the launch of a playwright program for High Schools called PlayRoots. I have been developing this course over the past several months and Sarah has been one of the instructors I’m training to deliver the program in the future. The first two 5-week sessions were held outside of Winnipeg, and the long drives afforded us the perfect opportunity to discuss all manner of things related to playwrighting, theatre, the course, the student’s plays, what it is to be an artist, and where to stop for coffee.
I’ve also read her work and consulted with her on it on an ongoing basis, and shared mine with her. We go to plays and have writing sessions together.
- Ellen
Ellen has made me truly feel like I am a capital P, Playwright! Before, it was something I didn’t feel I could claim. But now as I write this and have three playwriting projects on the go, I know that I really am a writer.
I love Sarah and have so enjoyed getting to know her. She is a gifted artist who will be doing a stunning variety of exciting projects in her near future and beyond.
How long have you been a practicing artist?
I have been writing for theatre since the summer of 2016, when circumstances thrust me into it. But I was in my first play as a wee six year old in summer camp in Ontario; I played a lioness. I have been a professional artist since I graduated from university in 2018.
- Sarah
Forty years. 40. Four-oh. I feel like a novice in some ways still, but in other ways, I am definitely starting to give off “exhausted war horse” vibes, But since in Winnipeg a theatre artist needs to diversify to survive, there is always something new I have to learn to do and I am never bored.
- Ellen
What aspect of your work brings you joy?
Curiosity and humans bring me joy. The curiosity you need to delve deep into humanity and the unwavering desire to discover other people and what makes them similar to and unlike ourselves. There is so much beauty in the world and people have always fascinated me! I get to create humans out of my mind and portray them on stage, and for that, I am joyously grateful.
- Sarah
The creative process, the other artists I’ve been blessed to work with. Problem-solving within a given work. Working with students or with other playwrights as a dramaturg. I’m sure they’ve taught me a lot more than I’ve taught them. The feeling of belonging I have in this artistic community. New experiments. And of course, the money.
- Ellen
“[It's not] just about the craft of playwrighting, but also about navigating life as an artist.”
- Ellen Peterson, on the benefits of mentorship
What have been your most positive takeaways from this mentorship session? Any favourite results or moments?
Ellen has made me truly feel like I am a capital P, Playwright! Before, it was something I didn’t feel I could claim. But now as I write this and have three playwriting projects on the go, I know that I really am a writer. And that when it comes to it, I’ll have someone to show me the best spot in the theatre to sit on opening night of the world premiere of my play (and I bet she’ll even hold my hand if I ask).
- Sarah
I love Sarah and have so enjoyed getting to know her. She is a gifted artist who will be doing a stunning variety of exciting projects in her near future and beyond. One interesting subject that comes up is “I have four things I’m supposed to write. How do I know what to work on first?” So it hasn’t been just about the craft of playwrighting, but also about navigating life as an artist. We’ve also had fun going to some shows and comparing our opinions (and sometimes our intense rage). Our weekend writing sessions have afforded us both the perfect chance to share ideas while getting some work done. We plan to expand these to include other writers. Sarah and I will most definitely continue our mutually beneficial partnership beyond this program.
- Ellen
Ready to take your arts career to the next level?
Apply for one of our mentorship programs!
Discover More Writers & Playwrights
Read More Mentorship Spotlights
Hailey Witt and Lara Ciekiewicz
Mentorship isn’t just about hard skills and arts business training, it’s also about passing on advice and discussing different career paths within your creative discipline. Performers Hailey Witt and Lara Ciekiewicz recently participated in the
Anika Binding and Hugh Conacher
So many different aspects contribute to the live theatre-going experience, and lighting and visuals are no small part! Designers and artists Hugh Conacher and Anika Binding recently participated in the Professional Mentorship Program and shared
Sarah Flynn and Ellen Peterson
No matter the discipline, the creative process is a process! Professional mentorship can help artists work through creative blocks, bounce ideas off each other and share knowledge gained in years of experience in the arts.
