Membership
Application for PGC Membership
To become a PGC member:
1. Review the membership criteria, and then complete and submit the membership application form.
2. Applications normally receive a response within three weeks of receipt by the PGC office. You will receive a request for dues payment, prorated to the month in which you join.
3. After your dues payment is received, your membership is activated. Your profile on the PGC website will be created, and your email will be added to our communication lists.
All membership inquiries may be directed to Debra Anderson, Membership and Contracts Coordinator
Programs and Services for Members
• Use of the standard PGC/PACT contracts;
• Free advice on issues, including contract negotiation, publishing, artists' rights and copyright;
• Access to the Canada Council Readings program;
• CanScene, PGC's monthly membership newsletter, which includes important news pertaining to playwrights, as well as information on calls for submissions, residencies, workshops, and other opportunities;
• Promotion on the PGC website and in PGC's publications;
• Access to the Actra Fraternal Benefit Society RRSP investment plan and Writer's Coalition insurance program;
• Promotion and distribution of professionally produced unpublished plays through the PGC Copyscript Program;
• Administration of amateur production rights;
• Discounts on Canadian publications sold by PGC;
• Invitation to all PGC events, including the Annual General Meeting;
• Voting rights at the PGC Annual General Meeting.
More detailed descriptions are available on the Programs and Services page.
"If you are an emerging or professional playwright, joining PGC shouldn't have to be about 'what can PGC do for me now' but about acknowledging what PGC has already done for you and sharing in the responsibility of putting Canadian playwrights at the centre of Canadian theatre."
"What is Playwrights Guild of Canada doing for me? Supporting Canadian playwrights and playwriting and fighting to make sure that when politicians, courts, tribunals, granting bodies and artistic directors are making decisions that affect writers and artists in this country, someone is making sure that playwrights aren't forgotten."
- Mark Leiren-Young, playwright and PGC member.
Member Eligibility Criteria
A member must have achieved one of the following two milestones:
1) She or he has written, collectively written, adapted or translated a play, musical book or libretto that was produced by a professional theatre or by a company or festival that receives funding from a municipal, provincial, territorial or national arts funder.
2) She or he has written, collectively written, adapted or translated a play, musical book or libretto where the production of the work meets all of the following:
• the decision to present the work was made by a jury of professional peers or artistic director;
• the play was presented for a minimum of six performances;
• the production was open to the public, tickets were sold and the playwright was paid (shares acceptable for payment).
Professional Canadian playwrights living abroad or foreign playwrights immigrating to Canada are eligible to join PGC if they satisfy equivalent milestones in whichever country they choose.
Membership Dues
Dues for Membership are $155 + HST per year. The PGC membership year runs from April 1 to March 31, and the first year's dues are prorated from the time the member joins. Use the following chart to determine the correct payment to submit with your application.
Date of Application Base 13% HST Total Payment
______________________________________________________________________
April 155.00 20.15 175.15
May 142.08 18.47 160.55
June 129.17 16.79 145.96
July 116.25 15.11 131.36
August 103.33 13.43 116.76
September 90.42 11.75 102.17
October 77.50 10.08 87.58
November 64.58 8.40 72.98
December 51.67 6.72 58.39
January* 193.75 25.19 218.94
February* 180.83 23.51 204.34
March* 167.92 21.83 189.75
* We recommend that members applying in the winter submit payment for the additional upcoming member year.
A Note to Aspiring Playwrights
At PGC, we believe in providing support to early career playwrights. If you are an individual who is an aspiring or early career playwright and who does not qualify for Membership under the qualification criteria above, join us as a Supporting Member and identify yourself on our membership form by checking off the “I am an early career playwright” box. You will receive the same benefits as the Supporting Membership category, while also receiving member discounts for PGC workshops. This will allow us to contact you with information on future mentorship programs and other PGC initiatives that may be beneficial to you and your development as a playwright.
Supporting Membership
For individuals, educational institutions, organizations, and corporations.
Qualifications: Anyone who does not qualify for Membership can support and receive continued contact with PGC by becoming a Supporting Member.
Annual Fee for Organizations & Educational Institutions: $50 + HST = $56.50
Annual Fee for Individuals: $35 + HST = $39.55
Annual Fee for Students: $20 + HST = $22.60 (Proof of student status required with payment)
Supporting Member dues are not prorated.
Programs and Services for Supporting Members
• CanScene, PGC's monthly membership newsletter, which includes important news pertaining to playwrights, as well as information on calls for submissions, residencies, workshops, and other opportunities
• Discounts on Canadian publications in hardcopy format sold by PGC
• Invitation to all PGC events, including the Annual General Meeting
