UNews - Chelsea Woolley

2025 Play Right Prize winners create compelling written tales

trevor.kenney — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 22:14:14 +0000

Tales of friendship, youth and motherhood are the topics of the winning scripts of the 2025 Play Right Prize Competition at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Carter Popielarz, Levi Mason and Maddie McKee are the winners of this year’s competition, highlighting the breadth and depth of talent that ULethbridge students possess in creative writing.

Drama (performance) student Carter Popielarz won first place in the competition for his script, Honk If You’re Lonely.

The Play Right Prize, sponsored by Chancellor Terry Whitehead (BA ’94), is an annual competition that awards $2,500 in cash prizes to students and supports their professional development in playwriting. This year’s jurors include Jenn Taylor, Managing Director of the Alberta Playwright’s Network, and award-winning playwright and alumna Chelsea Woolley (BA/BEd ’14), who received the 2024 ULethbridge Alumni Association Young Alumni Award.

Popielarz wins $1,500 for first place; Mason wins $750 for second and McKee receives $250 for third. All Play Right Prize winners receive professional dramaturgical support to further develop and refine their scripts for the stage.

Drama (performance) student Carter Popielarz won first place in the competition for his script, Honk If You’re Lonely. Described as a generous character study of friendship between two older men, Popielarz says he was intrigued by what it means to leave old lives behind, particularly later in life, exploring themes of change and regret.

Play Right Prize jury member Jenn Taylor took note of Popielarz’s nuanced writing. “Honk If You’re Lonely is the story of a man at a crossroads in his life. After a chance meeting at a small-town motel, he begins an unexpected journey with an uncertain end,” says Taylor. “This beautifully self-contained narrative explores questions of genuine connection and vulnerability in two lives constrained by expectations.”

For Popielarz, entering the Play Right Prize competition is a great way to get eyes on his work, as he receives valuable dramaturgical feedback. Winning the cash prize also allows students like Popielarz to learn without financial strain, kickstart projects and begin building a name in the industry.

English student Levi Mason is the second-place winner with his play, God is a Black Hole.

“I feel very honoured to be recognized for a piece of work that has been so close to my heart for the past two years,” he says. “I am interested in having the show fully produced in the next few years. I think a local theatre company would be a good option, as there are often many great actors in their 40s and 50s in the community who could really have a great time with it.”

English student Levi Mason is the second-place winner with his play, God is a Black Hole. In this script, three childhood friends meet at the edge of the apocalypse, confronting their choices and regrets as they seek validation from their found family. Levi says capturing the bleakness of the story, which was at first one of his biggest obstacles, ended up becoming something that he found joy in exploring.

“How could I make something about existentialism, nihilism and the end of the world and make it something that people actually want to read and watch? Despite the heaviness of the themes in this play, I actually find it quite joyful in a lot of ways,” says Mason. “It might be a play about the end of the world and trying to accept that nothing matters and dealing with religious trauma, but it’s also a play about friendship and healing and playing at the park.”

"God is a Black Hole muses on youth and friendship with great imagery that reveals both the small and astronomical aspects of growing up queer,” says Play Right Prize juror Woolley.

Drama (performance) student Maddie McKee took third place in the Play Right Prize competition for her play, Create. Described as an absurdist horror that follows a pregnant woman struggling to find inspiration to give birth, McKee says she began writing the play in her second year during a playwriting class.

Drama (performance) student Maddie McKee took third place in the Play Right Prize competition for her play, Create.

“Create is very personal to me and is a representation of how easily we can limit ourselves through our own self-doubt. Creating art is so vulnerable and intimidating, and the character’s journey reflects the complicated feelings artists have towards their work,” says McKee.

“A surreal journey through the act of becoming a mother, Create is a complex story birthed from a unique metaphor,” says Taylor. “Through the relationship between an artist and her muse, the audience comes to understand some of the anxiety, pressure and the need to be perfect that expectant mothers experience.”

For McKee, winning the Play Right Prize reminded her of the importance of her voice, prompting her to continue writing plays.

“Paid opportunities are crucial for emerging artists! It validates our art and proves that students deserve to be paid for their work. This is why the Play Right Prize is so important: it proves to students that we can be paid for our work, even as emerging artists, even before we finish our degrees.”

Learn more about the Play Right Prize winners: https://stories.ulethbridge.ca/2025-play-right-prize-winners/

Canadian playwright Woolley named winner of ULAA 2024 Young Alumni Award

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 18:56:17 +0000

Giving a voice to at-risk youth through the powerful medium of theatre, accomplished Canadian playwright Chelsea Woolley (BA/BEd ’14) has been named the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association’s 2024 Young Alumni Award.

Chelsea Woolley's work gives a voice to vulnerable young women and marginalized youth who confront family trauma and social inequity.

“Chelsea Woolley’s ascension as one of the strongest writers in Canadian theatre is testament to her skill, talent and unwavering commitment to tell these difficult, powerful stories that speak to a segment of youth that yearns to be heard,” says Cyndi Bester (BMus ’95, MEd ’01), ULAA president. “A graduate with combined degrees, Woolley is an excellent example of the liberal education philosophy of ULethbridge, utilizing her educational background in a fine arts medium and facilitating programming for young people to become engaged in theatre.”

Woolley will be presented with the 2024 Young Alumni Award at the Let There Be Light Night Alumni Achievement Awards celebration on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, at 7 p.m. in the Science Commons Atrium. Tickets are currently available online.

Chelsea Woolley (BA/BEd ’14)

Chelsea Woolley is an award-winning, emerging Canadian playwright whose voice speaks on behalf of vulnerable young women and marginalized youth who confront family trauma and social inequity.

A two-time winner of the Play Right Prize competition as an undergraduate student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Woolley also received the Faculty of Education Gold Medal as the most distinguished graduate of her class. Quickly establishing herself as an exceptional talent in Canadian theatre, Chelsea attended the prestigious National Theatre School of Canada’s playwriting program, a first for a ULethbridge grad, and won the RBC Emerging Playwright Prize in 2019, leading to a residency at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre.

Steadfast in her commitment to community causes, Woolley launched a multidisciplinary performing arts program for at-risk and under-housed youth in downtown Toronto, which allows them to work with professional artists and learn how to create unique musical and theatre pieces. She has also partnered with UNICEF Canada for the development of a new play on the Charter of the Rights of the Child and is currently the Head of Drama with the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, directing several youth operas a year.

Attesting to her stature and reputation, Woolley premiered her most recent play, Paint Me this House of Love, in 2023 at the Tarragon Theatre, one of Canada’s most revered companies for new work, to rave reviews. A sign of continued success, Paint Me this House of Love will be receiving its USA premiere next year, while Woolley was also a featured playwright in a showcase at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Described by critics as frighteningly skilled and a formidable writer, Woolley pushes boundaries through her work and does so with ambition and vision, the hallmarks of a great writer. With a mandate to experiment, inspire and connect with communities that traditional theatre leaves behind, Woolley is committed to a career in connecting others to the excellence of live performing arts through storytelling and experimentation.

Woolley is an emerging storyteller in Canadian theatre, and a powerful inspiration to students and to those who aspire to follow in her path of playwriting. Through her path to a career as a professional artist, Woolley is demonstrating that talent, perseverance and a commitment to community can, and does, lead to artistic fulfillment and professional success.

Fine Arts alumni take top two prizes at Alberta Playwriting Competition

trevor.kenney — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 17:17:53 +0000

A pair of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts alumni have taken the two top awards at the 2014 Alberta Playwriting Competition.

James Wade (BFA ’11) won the competition’s Grand Prize for his work, Helmut’s Day, while Ryan Reese (BFA ’13) was recognized as the Discovery Prize winner for Before the Night Takes Us. It marks the third consecutive year that a U of L alumnus has won the Discovery Prize, Reese having also won the award in 2013, while Makambe Simamba (BFA ’14) took the prize in 2012. Chelsea Woolley (BA/BEd ’14) also had an honourable mention behind Samamba in 2012.

The common thread to all the talented playwrights who have won provincial awards is the fact that they are also past recipients of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Play Right Prize. Wade was a two-time winner for his plays Muse Control (2010) and Greetings from Sardineland (2011), while Reese claimed second place in 2013 with Ascending the Blue. Simamba and Woolley also came through the Play Right competition.

Wade’s grand prize win nets the playwright a $3,500 award.

Helmut's Big Day takes place on an ancient wall protecting the glorious empire from the savage barbarians on the other side. The problem arises when Sabir and Katar, two soldiers tasked with defending the wall, forget which side is which. When they see a rider approaching from either direction, they are given a chance to redeem themselves if they can correctly identify the soldier from the barbarian. Failure to kill the barbarian and salute the soldier will mean possible death and certain dishonour for the both of them.

The jury remarked, "A short, surprising, dynamo of a theatre piece, packed with surreal humour. An exciting, existential read."

Reese presented Before the Night Takes Us, the story of Alison, a young musician whose gift for music has begun to reveal talents she never could have imagined. Desperate for answers, she accepts the help of a mysterious pianist and an icy detective, who know more about her than anyone should. As Alison hunts for the truth, no one will be able to predict who or what she will become.

The jury called the play,“Unusual, nicely surreal, with evidence of solid talent that should be encouraged.”

The Alberta Playwriting Competition is the longest running provincial competition of its kind in Canada and offers the largest cash prize of any provincial playwriting competition.

Creative writers crowned as competition winners

trevor.kenney — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 21:43:58 +0000

Thanks to a generous alumnus, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students have the opportunity to flex their creative-writing muscles and possibly win fame and fortune. The annual Striking Prose short story competition and Play Right Prize playwriting competition, sponsored by alum Terry Whitehead (BA '94), are proud to announce the 2014 award winners.

Contest winners, from left, include Czarina Zoleta, Liam Monaghan, Travis Robinson and Chelsea Woolley.

Taking the first place prize in the Striking Prose category is Travis Robinson for his short story, The Contest, in which a radio contest captures the attention and imagination of a small town. This was the only award presented this year for Striking Prose.

A three member jury consisting of Dr. Jay Gamble, Dr. Kiki Benzon and Dr. Heather Ladd critiqued the story by saying that through carefully building suspense, the author shifts perspectives between a number of average men and women, finally showing his audience that the extraordinary is never far from the ordinary. The strength of this story was its shifting focalization and whirling perspectival shifts. They also indicated that a contest where something is won and something is lost is the uneasy irony of this finely observed short story.

First place for the Play Right Prize went to Czarina Zoleta for her play, In Another Life, which the jurors unanimously agreed on because the script moved them so strongly.

“There are beautiful relationships between characters in this script and the structure creates strong dramatic tension,” says Zaborsky on behalf of fellow jurors Jacqueline Russell and Meg Braem. “We thought it was subtle in its poignancy. All three of us were moved by the story. It also managed to successfully create believable alternative worlds.”

Because the quality was so high, this year’s Play Right Prize jurors found it too hard to decide on second and third place winners, so two second prize awards were presented to Liam Monaghan for Mad Little Gods and Chelsea Woolley for Goose, respectively. This was not Woolley’s first award for the Play Right Prize competition. In 2012, her play 1000 Names won second place and was produced in the 2012/2013 TheatreXtra season.

Monaghan and Woolley split the second and third prize awards, receiving $500 each. The jurors said that both plays captured great character voices and showed a wonderful use of conflict. Of Mad Little Gods, they said that the juxtaposition of Christmas hymns with the darkness of the tragic subject matter was a strong choice that creates a discomforting tension for the audience. The character voices in Goose were strong and clear, and Goose is a very likable character that has the audience immediately on her side.

Both winning entries receive a $1,500 prize, one of the most lucrative awards in the country for a student competition. The $5,000 in prize money is generously donated each year by alumnus Terry Whitehead, the competition aiming to encourage excellence and development in student playwriting.

The winning play and short story each receive a public reading on Thursday, Mar. 27at 7 p.m. in the David Spinks Theatre. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend.

Student play debuting

trevor.kenney — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:33:11 +0000

TheatreXtra debuts the award winning play 1000 Names, by U of L student and playwright, Chelsea Woolley (BA/BEd student), Nov. 1-3 in the David Spinks Theatre.

A mystery that spans both place and time, 1000 Names is set in Poland during World War II.

"To say this is a World War II play, isn't exactly accurate," says director, Hannah Rud (BFA/BEd student). "It's set during that time and certainly the war impacts the story, but it's about so much more than that."

Two tales unravel in two different times, but occur in the same room of the same house. As the story unfolds, discoveries are made that reveal the fate of the previous owners of the home.

"I was drawn to the play because of the characters," says Rud. "It features a cast of five actors including three very strong female characters. I'm excited to see what our cast comes up with as they interpret their roles."

"Woolley spent almost two years of research while writing 1000 Names. It took the second place prize in the 2012 U of L Play Right Prize competition, supported by U of L alumnus Terry Whitehead.

Shows for 1000 Names are at 8 p.m. nightly with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 3.

Tickets are priced at $11 regular, $7 seniors/students and can be purchased at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Box Office.

Whitehead gift gets creative juices flowing

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:09:32 +0000

Thanks to generous ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus, Terry Whitehead (BA '94), students have the opportunity to flex their creative writing muscles and possibly win fame and fortune.

Whitehead provides $5,000 in prize money to support the annual Play Right Prize and Striking Prose competition to encourage excellence and development in student playwriting and short story writing.

When the 2012 winners were asked why they participated in this competition they all answered the same way – because they love to write.

Pictured here are the winners from the Play Right Prize and Striking Prose competition. Back row from left are Cole Olson and Christopher Wallace. Front from left are Lori-Ann Steward, Kristine Saretsky, Makambe Simamba and Chelsea Woolley.

The first place prize in the Striking Prose category went to English major Kristine Saretsky for her short story The Persephone Games. The three member jury, made up of Department of English faculty, Dr. Kiki Benzon, Dr. Maureen Hawkins and Dr. Jay Gamble, conclude Saretsky's story is a moving read that is part mystery, part dream and entirely entrancing. What is left unsaid defines the story and is most terrifying.

First place for the Play Right Prize went to Makambe Simamba, a BFA Drama major, for her play MUD, which speaks to contemporary Canadian issues in a powerful and poetic way. The jury included Meg Braem, an award-winning playwright and drama faculty member; alumni Andy Jenkins (BFA '07), Empress Theatre's summer program director; and Estelle Shook, the former artistic director of British Columbia's nationally acclaimed Caravan Farm Theatre. With a record number of submissions, the jurors were impressed with the high degree of imagination demonstrated by the student playwrights.

Both first prize winners receive $1,500 and the opportunity to share their winning entries at a public reading on Thursday, Mar. 15 at 7 p.m. in the David Spinks Theatre. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend. The evening includes a reception and cash bar.

Second place in the Play Right competition went to Chelsea Woolley for her script 1000 Names, which had rich, vivid characters and timeless potent themes. Third place went to Cole Olson for his play Patriarch, a work that takes a personal and intimate approach to the classic family drama. They receive awards of $750 and $250 respectively.

Because the quality was so high, this year's Striking Prose jurors found it too hard to decide on a second and third place story, so two second prize awards were presented to Christopher Wallace for his story Alex and to Lori-Ann Steward for her submission Marionette.

Wallace and Steward split the second and third prize awards and each receive $500.

This story first appeared in the March 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Chelsea Woolley

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