New Voices Playwriting Residencies
About New Voices
The New Voices Program is a GTNT initiative to cultivate the next generation of storytellers. Currently in it's fifth enrolment cycle, the program focused on new Indigenous writers.
New Voices is a paid, six month residency guided by Dan Macdonald. The goal of the program is to give the participants the tools and experience to write stories for the stage.
Are you an Indigenous storyteller who wants to bring your ideas to the stage? Are you a new or emerging playwright who is looking for formal training and mentorship? Do you have an idea for a story bouncing around in your head and want to learn some tools and techniques to bring it out onto paper? Then this program is for you!
the 2025/2026 New Voices Cohort
Shawn Cuthand is a writer, comedian, actor and director based in Treaty 6 Territory. He is a part of The Feather News which can be seen on APTN. He recently was the Indigenous Storyteller in Residence at the University of Saskatchewan where he did a series of workshops entitled "From Seagull to Eagle." Currently you can catch him at Art Bar hosting and performing Stand Up Comedy.
Shawn's '25/'26 New Voices work, “Range Road”, is an interracial relationship drama that takes place in a post-Colten Boushie Saskatchewan.
Darius Kiskotagan (he/him) is an emerging Indigenous theatre artist from Red Pheasant First Nation, Saskatchewan. Having received a BA in theatre design from the University of Saskatchewan, Darius is always looking to further his theatre practice and is excited to have an opportunity to write through the New Voices program with GTNT.
[working title] 'A Strange Kindness', a piece that explores the importance of a moment when it occurs through an exchange between two people meeting for the first time.
Mona Kormish (she/her) is a member of Canoe Lake Cree First Nations, with a mix of Cree, Métis, and English ancestry. She currently teaches high school in the Battlefords, where she lives with her husband and three kids.
Mona is currently working on a play called “Malboeuf Manor”. It’s a comedic and heartfelt piece centered around a group of elderly sisters who are realizing the challenges of facing their retirement years.
Xannper Martell is a Cree/Metis twospirit artist from the little pine first nation. he works independently as a digital artist, writer, and content maker. his past projects have included animation, costume design, music design, and has participated in previous years in the circle of voices program.
MUCK: a journey following the inner thoughts of a mentally ill woman. hoarding has become the norm and cleanliness is a luxury, as you follow along her decent and inner battle with a life she hasnt lived in years.
April Rogers is a nehiyaw iskwew from Red Pheasant Cree Nation, but was raised in Saskatoon by khôhkomipan (her late grandmother. Last year, April's play "Powwow: A Theatrical Production" debuted for the first time in world history on the Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin stage, one of her most significant achievements in life. However, she has starred in a few plays. She feels that writing and sharing stories is her way of giving back to the world. She is excited to continue her journey with GTNT's new voices.
April is working on a piece called "Lost Boy," in which we find a young man at a fork in the road, and with the seven sacred guiding him, he ultimately chooses the trajectory of his life.
Cheyenna "Shy" Sapp is a Nehiyaw actor, comedian, and writer from Little Pine First Nation in Treaty 6 Territory. Best known for her role on the hit CTV sitcom Acting Good, Shy has performed stand-up comedy in the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Saskatoon, Vancouver, and Wellington, NZ Fringe Festivals, and has toured all across Canada and the US. An emerging writer, director, and documentary filmmaker, Shy has taken part in various writer's rooms for TV and film, as well as developing her own documentary about the late Dr. Allen Sapp. She's performed in four theatre productions and has written two plays, one of which is through the New Voices Program.
Shy is currently writing a sci-fi comedy with the working title "The Time Traveling Aunty". This piece tells the story of an Indigenous woman with newfound powers to change the future with dire, but comedic, consequences.
Application process & faq's
You can apply to be part of New Voices by completing the intake form linked here (coming soon!). All applications require a C.V. or resume, a cover letter, and a writing sample.
Applications open in July and close in October.
Writing samples can include plays, poetry, film scripts, short stories - any kind of creative writing! The more you've written, the better, but the sample does not need to be complete. Your sample should show what you like (love!) to write.
It is completely free to apply. While we encourage applicants of all backgrounds and skill levels to apply, preference will be given to Saskatchewan-based, Indigenous artists.
If you have been part of the program before and are on a good track to complete the work that you have started, we may accept you back into the program in consecutive years.
Once your application has been received, a representative of the theatre will contact you via email regarding the status of your application. Please ensure your email address is spelled correctly in your application!
Of course! Applicants of all experience levels are welcome to apply.
Yes! If necessary, the program can be completed digitally over the internet from outside of Saskatoon. Please note if you require to complete the program remotely in your application cover letter.
Yes - Participants are paid a monthly stipend of $100 for every month they actively participate in the program and continue to write new work.
Applicants are selected based on previous writing experience, samples of the work submitted in the application, and demonstration of promise and passion for the playwriting process. Applications are reviewed by the program coordinator and GTNT's Artistic Director.
While applicants of all backgrounds may apply, preference will be given to Saskatchewan-based, Indigenous applicants.
Applications open in July and close in October. The program runs through the winter from October to May.
Monthly check-ins and group sessions are mandatory commitments throughout the program.
While progress looks different for each artist for each piece or writing, monthly meetings with the New Voices Program Coordinator will discuss the participants’ stories, ideas, techniques, structure, and pace of writing. Monthly meetings with other New Voices participants occur for participants to read sections of their work and receive feedback from the other participants.
At the end of the program, the participants' work will be presented to the public in a staged reading to gather feedback from presenters, and audience members and facilitate further development of the stories.
Should the writer’s participation wane or stall during the program for any reason, the writer may be asked to leave the program, terminating their contract and any further payments. In certain cases, participants who need to step away from the program may pick up again the following program cycle.
Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre (GTNT) strives to create spaces that are spiritually, mentally, socially, emotionally, and physically safe for all our relations. This is done through regular check-ins with staff, clear on concise reporting methods should any issues arise, upholding proper protocols including the ability to burn sacred medicines in our spaces, and more.
GTNT will ensure that all program participants have access to devices to assist with technological requirements of the program. Any technology needs must be noted at the time of application.
Should technology be a burden to applying/participating in the program, participation may also be completed via regular mail or dropped off in person at:
- Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre
- 539 20th Street W
- Saskatoon SK
- S7M 0X6
Additionally, the GTNT office space can be made available for participants to access during office hours, should a quiet and secure space (with wifi and printing!) be needed.
If you have any questions about New Voices or how to apply you can contact Roxanne Dicke, our Artistic Director, at AD@GTNT.ca or by calling into our office (306) 933-2262 ext. 1.