Please complete the fillable application using Adobe Acrobat Reader and submit it via email to pimootayowin@royalmtc.ca by Monday, August 3, 2026. We're pleased to announce a province-wide call for interest from Indigenous artists to participate in the 2026/27 Pimootayowin Creators Circle. The Creators Circle supports the creation and development of new plays by Manitoba-based Indigenous artists. The Creators Circle will meet on Wednesdays from October to May. These weekly meetings will culminate in the play-reading series Pimootayowin: A Festival of New Work. Up to six new writers will be welcomed into the Creators Circle for the 2026/27 season. Pimootayowin is dedicated to developing new voices for the theatre. Emerging playwrights or artists in another field who are interested in learning the craft of playwriting are encouraged to apply. All participants will receive an honorarium as well as fees when the play is professionally workshopped in preparation for the public readings. PROGRAM DETAILS:
We encourage anyone keen to apply to submit an expression of interest. We are committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities in all parts of the organization. If you require an accommodation, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.
Congratulations to the 25/26 cohort of the Pimootayowin Creators Circle: Michael Hutchinson Kim Wheeler Jordan Wheeler Liz Barron April Seenie-Penner Arlea Ashcroft Curtis Kaltenbaugh Thank you to Herbie Barnes, Interim Program Director, for guiding these artists to the 2026 Pimootayowin: A Festival of New Work.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Pimootayowin is an Anishinaabemowin word meaning journey, a word chosen by Ian Ross who explained: “The creation of new art is often described as a journey, so too, our lives. In any journey, we often don’t know what lies ahead but we can emerge enriched by them. I look forward to mentoring talented creators who have fascinating, relevant stories to tell.”
Pimootayowin is dedicated to developing new voices for the theatre. All participants will receive an honorarium, as well as fees when the play is professionally workshopped in preparation for the public presentations. View list of past Creators Circle participants >
IAN ROSS
(April 8, 1968 – November 18, 2025)
Ian was a giant, and his legacy is profound, not only in theatre but in the greater community, and to everyone whose lives he touched. A Governor General's Award-winning playwright, he started the Pimootayowin Creators Circle in 2020 and was visionary in sharing his wisdom to seed a whole new generation of Indigenous storytellers. His light was very bright, driven by hope and belief in the power of story to change the world. And what a storyteller he was, not only in his many wonderful plays but in every corridor of his life. He never missed an opportunity to share a story, taking us on long curving paths as he revealed a shining nugget of wisdom. It is how he taught, how he led, how he shared his friendship with all who knew him. Through story. There are no words to sooth the sorrow we all feel at this terrible loss. Ian chose the word Pimootayowin for the Creators Circle as it means 'journey' in Anishinaabemowin. He knew that pursuing a life in art as a storyteller was a journey, and that all of us are on a journey to bring light to the world. His journey continues, and his legacy lives on in all who have been touched by him.