About Playwrights Canada Press

Playwrights Canada Press, The Canadian Drama Publisher, was created in 1984 as an imprint of the Playwrights Union of Canada, the professional association of Canadian playwrights, now called the Playwrights Guild of Canada. 

In 2000 the Press was separately incorporated from the Playwrights Union of Canada, and in 2001 it became active in a separate location from what had, by that time, become the Playwrights Guild of Canada. 

For the first ten years, the Press published four to six titles of English-Canadian drama a year, but in the past five years that number has grown to roughly 32 books of plays, theatre history, and criticism being published every year. While located in Ontario, the Press is proud of its list of published playwrights which stretches from Newfoundland to British Columbia and the Yukon. Playwrights Canada Press also publishes French plays by Canadian authors in English translation, and, as part of its mandate, includes plays for young audiences (Theatre for Young Audiences).  

Decisions to publish a title are primarily influenced by the two niche markets which have become the strength of the Press – the academic and community theatre groups. The Press has made a point of seeking advice from academics and community theatre professionals, and it has also invited individuals from both groups to edit collections of plays for publication.  

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) represents Playwrights Canada Press in sales, marketing and distribution in the United States. TCG is also an association of 350 medium-sized professional theatres, and the publisher of the periodical American Theatre. Playwrights Canada Press represents TCG’s list in Canada, as well as those of Nick Hern Books and Aurora Metro Publications from the United Kingdom. 

Playwrights Canada Press is a member of the Association of Canadian Publishers, the Literary Press Group, the Organization of Book Publishers of Ontario, and the Canadian Association of Theatre Research. 

Playwrights Canada Press thanks the taxpayers of Canada and Ontario for their support through the Government of Canada (from the Book Publishing Industry Development Programme), the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.  Without this support, every publication would be at least three to four times its current price.   

Playwrights Canada Press acknowledges the support of Canadian taxpayers through the Government of Canada Book Publishing Industry Development Programme, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.