Calgary Hosts North America’s Most Comprehensive Devised Theatre Intensive in 2026

Professionally led, three-week creation lab grows Calgary’s creative capital and draws artists from across Canada, the USA, and Europe.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CALGARY, AB — In a training landscape where most formal devised-theatre programs sit inside U.S. universities—and only a handful of Canadian or European post-secondary institutions offer equivalent coursework—Ghost River Theatre, Canada’s premiere devised theatre company,  is renewing one of the few professional, comprehensive options available outside academia: its 3-Week National Devised Theatre Intensive, running June 1–20, 2026, at the West Village Theatre, in Calgary, Alberta.

Offered biennially for a decade, the program has steadily attracted artists from across Canada, the United States, and Europe, while also serving Calgary-based creators who want to build careers at home. Participants work in a fully equipped black-box theatre and move from initial concept to public performance in three weeks—learning a collaborative, ensemble-driven methodology that contrasts with traditional hierarchical creation models.

Led by national award-winning director/creator & Ghost River Theatre (GRT) Artistic Director, Eric Rose along side celebrated Calgary performer/educator and frequent GRT artistic collaborator Jamie Konchak the intensive is professionally developed and delivered, blending physical performance, visual storytelling, collaborative dramaturgy, and non-traditional text generation with a rigorous rehearsal culture. The result is a cohort that leaves with practical tools, professional networks, and a shared original work.

“As an actor inside a devised room, you’re not just interpreting—you’re co-authoring,” says Jamie Konchak. “This intensive trains performers to generate material, shape structure with the ensemble, and take real ownership of the production’s creative DNA. Those muscles translate directly to contemporary rehearsal rooms and classrooms.”

“Calgary’s arts ecology is surging, and this program is part of why,” adds Eric Rose. “We built a professional lab that treats artists like colleagues: high trust, high rigor, and the freedom to design, devise, and discover. Alumni carry these tools into companies and campuses across North America—and we often see them return to collaborate here.”

Across three weeks, artists from multiple disciplines—performers, directors, designers, writers, musicians, and educators—train and build together: ensemble practice, image-based creation, collaborative decision-making, audience engagement, and sustainable creation habits. The intensive culminates in a public showing of the original piece developed by the cohort.

Applications are now open at www.ghostrivertheatre.com/3weekintensive. The program welcomes artists at varied stages who are ready to engage deeply in collaborative creation.

About Ghost River Theatre, Eric Rose, & Jamie Konchak

Ghost River Theatre (GRT) is Canada’s premiere devised theatre company, based in Calgary, Alberta - celebrated for fostering collaboration and spotlighting innovative artists. With over 30 years of experience, GRT continues to push artistic boundaries and connect with audiences through powerful storytelling. For more information, visit www.ghostrivertheatre.com.

Eric Rose is the artistic director of Ghost River Theatre since 2009, and is an award-winning writer, director, and theatre educator known for hybrid performance work that merges high-tech visuals with low-fi theatrical magic. Some credits include Echoes of the Land, STRUCK, GIANT, and The Highest Step in the World. 

Jamie Konchak is an award-winning performer, puppeteer, educator, and creator with a two-decade career spanning stage, screen, and immersive performance known for her work on Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (Apple TV+/Jim Henson Company) and numerous Betty Mitchell Award-winning productions across Canada.

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