Applicants must be performing-arts practitioners; be individual members of the Saskatchewan Association of Theatre Professionals; be Canadian citizens or permanent residents; be developing their theatre careers primarily in Saskatchewan.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify their proposed mentor(s) and secure an appropriate training opportunity with them. The applicant and the mentor jointly determine the content of and the schedule of the mentorship program.

** SATP can provide support in identifying potential mentors: contact ED Judith Schulz at judiths@sasktheatreprofessionals.ca to request this support.

The applicant may apply to be mentored by more than one mentor and at more than one location/institution, although this must be clearly linked to the applicant’s training goals and explained in the application.

SATP encourages the mentorship to take place within Canada; however, mentorship opportunities with a reputable and qualified trainer outside of Canada may be considered if the applicant demonstrates that the opportunity is unique to their needs.

Eligible applications will be submitted to SATP’s Mentorship Program Committee, which serves as a jury to recommend grant allocations. The recommendations are then approved by SATP.

We will contact all applicants, regardless of the success of their application.

Requests are only accepted by submission to the form.

Applicants will be asked to submit the following:

A letter of application or a maximum three-minute video outlining:
- Your background and primary discipline(s) as a theatre practitioner;
- The discipline or aspect of theatre/art on which the proposed mentorship will focus;
- How/Why this mentorship is important in the growth/development of your artistic career;
- The name, artistic background/credentials of your proposed mentor;
- Any other details you feel the jury would find informative or helpful.

- The amount you are seeking in funding and how these monies will be disbursed (e.g. payment to yourself, payment to mentor, other expenses);*

- A timeline of your proposed mentorship that includes specific milestones/outcomes you plan to achieve;

- A letter from your proposed mentor, indicating agreement to work with you in a mentoring relationship;

- Your professional resume; and

- Your mentor’s professional resume

*Applicants can request a maximum of $3,000.
Final determination of allocations and duration of subsidy are at the discretion of the jury.

Unless otherwise agreed to by SATP, training programs must be completed within 12 months of the grant being awarded.

Applicants can request a maximum of $3,000.
Final determination of allocations and duration of subsidy are at the discretion of the jury.

The Mentorship jury evaluates the applications according to the following considerations:

Artistic Merit and Professional Opportunity
The environment within which the project will take place
Professional experience of the mentor
Skills of the mentee are well suited to the area of mentorship and the art form
Quality of Mentorship Relationship
A genuine interest from the mentor in advancing the career of the mentee
The fit between the experience of the mentor and the career goals of the mentee
Demonstrated regular communication, both formally and informally, between mentor and mentee
Nature of the partnership, putting the learning experience of the mentee first
Viability of the Training
The goals of the mentee are achievable in the timeframe presented
The funding amount requested is reasonable for the timeframe and professional level of the mentee
Projects worked on during the mentorship are secured and stable

Grant offers/agreements must be accepted/signed and returned to SATP within two weeks to receive the program funding.

Any changes to the training program must be submitted in writing to SATP to be approved at the discretion of the selection committee. Please note that these changes may result in a change to approved funding.

All granting decisions are final.

Grants are not retroactive and may not be applied to any portion of the mentorship that has taken place prior to approval of the grant.

Recipients may apply for other funding for this mentorship from different funding bodies as long as they disclose the application/funding to both funding bodies (SATP and other).

Successful applicants will be asked to submit updates during the course of their mentorship, and one report upon its completion. Deadlines for these updates and reports will be determined by agreement between SATP and the mentee. Update and report forms will be available on this page in the future.

Carla is a set, lighting and costume designer who is grateful to live and work on Treaty 6 Territory.  She is an Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan School for the Arts (Drama). Her most recent research work is centered on design elements used in new ways to increase and support diversity on stage by putting the performer first.  She is also working on sustainability in the performing arts and how to better serve the community through shared resources.  Her design work can be seen in Saskatoon at Greystone Theatre, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, Persephone Theatre, and various independent theatre collectives. She is a proud member of ADC 659, CITT, and IATSE Local 300.  And most importantly a proud mother of two amazing children!

Dillon Person is a local artist-teacher dedicated to creating aesthetic experiences for learners to investigate, inquire, and create! Dillon is currently a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan in the department of Curriculum Studies while also working full time as a high school theatre, music, and arts education teacher with Saskatoon Public Schools. Dillon has directed 8 large scale high school musical productions, has facilitated 3 inter-collegiate one act festivals, and has developed study materials for various plays, most notably Mustard by Kat Sandler (25th Street Theatre) and Reasonable Doubt by Joel Bernbaum, Lancelot Knight, and Yvette Nolan (Concentus). Dillon has also founded Saskatoon's first in-school theatre company, called Out of the Blue Theatre Company, that is dedicated to providing student-led theatrical experiences through curricular and extra-curricular programming. Some of this programming includes a local Drama Club that is focused on growing the live theatre audiences in the Saskatoon theatre scene, as well as the Drama Travel Club, that provides an opportunity for curious theatre students to learn about theatre in other major cities across Canada. Dillon is working as an emerging scenic and visual artist, and is keenly interested in the intersection between visual art and theatre.

Frances Koncan is an Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright from Couchiching First Nation. She grew up on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and attended the University of Manitoba (BA Psychology) and the City University of New York Brooklyn College (MFA Playwriting). Their plays have been presented across Canada by companies including the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Firehall Arts Centre, Magnus Theatre, Globe Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts, Great Canadian Theatre Company, National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre, and the Stratford Festival. She is an Assistant Professor of Playwriting at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, where she currently resides. Select plays include Women of the Fur Trade, Space Girl, and zahgidiwin/love.

Rachel Walliser is an emerging theatre artist juggling work as an actor, playwright, intimacy director, and dramaturg originally from Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Since graduating with distinction from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Performance & Women’s and Gender Studies in 2022, Rachel has continued learning in various capacities. She participated in the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre’s “Reading the Compass” Dramaturgy Program, has also trained with Theatrical Intimacy Education, Theatrical Intimacy Laboratory, and has completed the Intimacy Directors and Coordinators Consent-Forward Artist Program. In 2023, 25th Street Theatre & Ferre Play Theatre won the “Excellence in New Work”, “The Trailblazer Award”, and “The Innovation Award” at the Saskatchewan and Area Theatre Awards for Rachel’s first professionally produced play, Breaking the Curse. 

When not doing theatre, Rachel enjoys eating bagels, sleeping with her polydactyl cat, and selling vintage clothes.

Kayvon is a Canadian Artist of Iranian/Irish descent. He has worked internationally and can also be found on television from time to time. Born and raised in Saskatoon, SK, he studied at Dalhousie University and is a graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts. He is a co-founder of Sum Theatre (BC), the founder of Pull: A Ten-Minute Play Festival (Vancouver), and was the Artistic Director of Speakeasy Theatre until 2020. In 2014, Kayvon was a member of the National Arts Centre, English Theatre Ensemble. He is the current Artistic Director of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan. He is also painfully aware that he needs new headshots.

A neurodivergent Treaty 6-based theatre artist, Grahame can be found in many places in and around theatre: working as a performer, writer, producer, designer, voice artist, editor, dramaturg, foley artist, director, administrator, and stage manager.
Grahame is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan with a BFA in Acting and a graduate of the Globe Theatre Conservatory. He has received three SATAwards; one as a Foley Artist for Dr. Frightful Present: Dead Air (Buttered Ghost Theatre) and one for Artistic Excellence for It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Persephone Theatre) and one for Excellence in Leadership.
Grahame has been seen on stages across Canada, and you may have seen his work at Live Five, Persephone Theatre, The Globe Theatre, Wide Open, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, and many more indie venues.
Grahame is the Artistic Producer of Buttered Ghost Theatre, a Treaty 6-based company that produces new and exciting work. Grahame is an active member of The Sketchy Bandits sketch comedy group.

Find out more at grahamekent.com

Mary Blackstone is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Script Development and is actively engaged as a dramaturg in the development of new dramatic and performative work.  She is also Chair of the Steering Committee for On Cue Performance Hub, an artist-run shared platform focused on cooperatively produced productions of new work and events featuring the new work of independent artists and small companies, especially emerging performing artists and those individuals from emerging and equity-deserving groups.  She is retired as Professor Emerita from the Theatre Department at the University of Regina, where she taught dramaturgy and theatre history and served as the first Dean of Fine Arts, now the Faculty of MAP.

Rania Alharthi is an interdisciplinary artist who works in theatre, film, and installation. Her practice is shaped by her experiences as a member of the Diaspora and her engagement with postcolonial identities. Rania began her writing journey with screenwriting, crafting a compelling six-minute film script for CBC Gem. 
She is currently developing her first play, "Checkpoint," which has been an extraordinarily rewarding experience that she has nurtured over the past two years. As the project enters a crucial phase demanding significant dramaturgical attention, Rania is committed to extensive writing and rewriting in preparation for its upcoming production in RISER Regina 2026. Through this work, she invites audiences to engage with personal and collective narratives of displacement and belonging, fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities of identity and home.

Originally from Treaty 4, now living and creating on Treaty 6 territory, Kenn is an award-winning director, performer, educator, intimacy director, dramaturg, and Clown. He received his BFA in Acting at the University of Regina and his MFA in Directing from The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Kenn has directed over 40 productions across North America and beyond. As a performer, he has worked most recently with Saskatoon’s Persephone Theatre in Miracle on 34th Street  and Buttered Ghost/Theatre Howl with Mr. Burn, A Post-Electric Play. 
He has taught Clown and Acting for the University of Saskatchewan, University of Regina, University of New Mexico, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Tricklock Theatre, as well as at the National Hispanic Cultural Centre in New Mexico. Kenn has trained with Vancouver Circus School (Vancouver), Dell Arte International School of Physical Theatre (California), Old Trout Puppet Workshop (Alberta), NIPAI (Austria), and The Manitoulin Center for Creation and Performance (Ontario). He has been the dramaturg and/or clown consultant on several shows including Creepy Boys  & Something in the Water (SoGlad Theatre), The Newcomer (Ay Caramba Theatre), Identity Crisis (Prism Productions) and Half Breed Vaudeville (Sorry/Grateful).
He is a sessional lecturer at the U of S Drama Department, the Executive Director of Saskatoon Summer Players, and Co-Executive Leadership of On the Boards. He is a D&D enthusiast, a proud father, and thrilled to be a Saskatchewan Artist. Cheers.

Peace Akintade, Saskatchewan Poet Laureate,  is an African-Canadian Interdisciplinary Poet, Public Speaker, and Thespian residing in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. As the appointed Saskatchewan Spirit roaming the Theatre Community since 2016, she wears many flowy dresses. Co-coordinator of Write Out Loud, a Saskatoon-based Youth Poetry Community. 
Her play "Painted Elephant" was shortlisted for the IBPOC 2021 Persephone Theatre Commission and debuted with the Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal. Other playwrighting credits include Maddeness with Rocks with Obsidian Theatre and CBCGem, Painted Elephant with Black Theatre Workshop AMP, I Am Who I Am with SUMTheatre's First Monday, But First Let Me Breathe with Theatre on the Beat. 
A returning performer with SUMTheatre's Outside the Box, Wahkohtowin, and Zero-Gravity. A reluctant actor with credits as “Tybalt” Romeo Project, Saskatoon Fringe Festival,  “Lucia” Unforgettable, Flight and Fight Theatre, “Ana”  Greensleep, Dancing Sky Theatre. 
Intimacy Director for The Maids, Whirlygig Theatre, The Next Room, Lolabrickida Theatre, Final Notice, Whirlygig Theatre, Mustard, 25th Street Theatre, Twelfth Night, Never Never Shakespeare, and  Unplugging, BurntThicket Theatre. 
Recipient of the 2022 RBC SaskArts Emerging Artist Award and the 2023 Platinum Jubilee Queen's Medal. 2020-2021 Saskatchewan Youth Poet Laureate, 2022 READSaskatoon Poet Laureate, and previous Poet-in-Residence with the Remai Modern Gallery for their Here and Now: Live Arts Initiative.