The goals of a playwright residency program that began last fall through the Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre are to encourage young, Indigenous voices and to create a pool of new artists possibly for some future productions.

Local playwright and USask professor, Daniel Macdonald runs the New Voices Playwrighting Residency.

He says when he was teach a class at the university, he saw some talented Indigenous playwrights which inspired him to collaborate with GTNT on this residency program.

Macdonald explains that most people don’t just become playwrights without some support and resources and that’s what these residencies are about.

Many theatres and other groups have them.

He considers playwrighting half art, half therapy and he tells his students to write about things that keep them up at night.

The residency program will continue next year and Macdonald expects some of this year’s writers will be back.