Creation Program
Tap into Inspiration and Community with the Creation Program
Our 14 week performance creation program gives 2sLGBTQIA+ gender diverse youth and women (between 18 and 25 years of age) the opportunity to work with some of Toronto’s most exciting artists to create and perform their own original creative work. We are thrilled to be supported by TAPA and The Paprika Festival for the 2026 Creation Program.
On Monday (and some Wednesday) evenings from 6:00pm-9:15pm from February 23rd-May 20th, the group of participants, lead by program directors Bessie Cheng and Celia Green, will meet weekly to practice writing, creation, movement and performance in order to create their own performance pieces that are then woven together as presented as a work-in-progress performance as part of the 2026 Paprika Festival.
- Dinner at the beginning of every session so that you’re creating on a full tummy
- TTC fare to get you to and from every rehearsal
- Several one-on-one mentorship sessions from a Toronto artist working in live performance who is available to support & encourage you
- Training and support in writing, movement and performance creation from Bessie Cheng and Celia Green
- Receive professional headshots
- Workshops from Guest Artists (artist names to be announced at a later date)
- A free ticket to both The Herald by Jill Connell, & Kainchee Lagaa + Jhooti : The Begging Brown Bitch Plays by Bilal Baig
- At the end of the program – a chance to perform your original work on-stage in front of an audience in a safe environment that fosters experimentation
- A chance to make new friends and build a supportive, fun, and creative community 😀
Applications for the 2026 Creation Program are now open!
Partner with a Mentor
Each participant is paired with a professional artist mentor who will guide and support them throughout the program.
learn from professionals
Collaborating with a team of professional directors and guest artists, participants will create their own performance pieces.
Perform your piece
After nine weeks, participants will see their pieces come to life and perform their work on stage at Theatre Passe Muraille.
Proudly supported by
Program Dates and Deadlines
Our Program Offers Many Exciting Perks
What We’ve Created
Every year, the Creation Program connects emerging youth performance artists and experienced professionals in the field to create art that moves and mobilizes. Take a glimpse into our previous work.
Meet Our Team
Carol Chen
2024/2025 Cohort Participant
Carol Chen (any pronouns) is a Chinese-Canadian artist, born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario. With a love of storytelling in all its forms, and a particular fondness for new and developing works, they have a passion for acting, writing, and creation that they hope to pursue far into the future.
As a new graduate from the University of Toronto’s drama program, Carol has had the opportunity to study the intricacies of both voice and movement, as well as the chance to perform and act in a variety of performance showcases and plays. They have also studied playwriting, dramaturgy, and design.
For Carol, the feeling of bringing a work to life is inimitable, and it is one that they don’t want to let go of. That is why they are hopeful and excited for their continued growth as an artist, as well as for the future of their artistic career.
Favourite AMY Memory
I admire AMY’s commitment to being so welcoming and open. From the delicious food to the friendliness and thoughtfulness of the coordinators, every session with AMY has been a delight!
Chloe Cha (she/her) is a Queer, Korean-Canadian performer, creative, and theatre maker exploring meaning in identity and self actualization within creative landscapes. Based in Tkaronto and currently a second year Performance Acting student at Toronto Metropolitan University, she has collaborated and performed in various multidisciplinary and experimental theatre projects including Jordan Tannahill’s Is My Microphone On? at Canadian Stage’s Dream in High Park, Sheep’s Clothing Theatre’s Bard Luck does Macbeth, and Generous Friend Art’s’ There Is So Much More To Say. She was the recipient of the SummerWorks 2022 Emerging Artist Prize and has performed in theatres and galleries across the country. Her creative practices extend and merge with experimental filmmaking, music composition, and poetry.
Favourite AMY Memory
Something I really admire about AMY is the openness of Celia and Bessie (our facilitators). Being able to ask questions about being an artist, performer, especially being interested in Dance theatre, talking to Celia about their experiences, as well as Bessie’s career and work as a Queer and East Asian playwright and actor. As facilitators, they also served as mentors and I feel comfortable using that line of communication for advice and support.
Chloe Cha
2024/2025 Cohort Participant
Cassandra Henry
2024/2025 Cohort Participant
Cassandra Henry (she/her) is an emerging actor, playwright, producer and singer. A graduate of York University’s theatre program, she has developed her craft of acting in theatre and singing in musical theatre from the age of 10. Having studied, musical theatre, classical music, the Laban movement, the Alexander technique and the The Batdorf Technique, she has learned, and continues to learn, the practice of creating a character from the inside out, creating unique voices for characters that contribute to meaningful and memorable performances for all audiences, with the emphasis and drive of creating representation and inclusivity for BIPOC and neurodiversity in theatre and film.
Zoë Bonk (any pronouns) is a longtime performer and recent graduate of the University of Toronto and Sheridan College’s Theatre and Drama Studies specialist program.
As a genderfluid actor, Zoë’s primary interest in theatre is performing in roles that reflect the full spectrum of her gender identity: not just female characters, designed and intended for female performers, but male and non-binary characters as well. She believes that theatre is at its core about the suspension of disbelief; about telling the audience a story and leaving them with something to think about. For this reason, Zoë enjoys performing in pieces that offer these opportunities, to either play characters who exist outside of the traditional male/female gender binary, or to bring something new to an established character. She is also a major musical fan (which should come as no surprise).
Above all, Zoë loves to create, and is excited to share the results of this program with an audience. Much love to cast members and a giant thank you to the AMY team!
Zoë Bonk
2024/2025 Cohort Participant
Milo Holliwell
2024/2025 Cohort Participant
Milo Holliwell (they/them) is a queer 17-year-old who loves writing, horror movies, and The Muppets.
Bessie Cheng
Program Director
Bessie Cheng is an award winning queer Chinese-Canadian writer and actor. She graduated from the Playwriting and Devised Theatre program at York University. Her first play received an award from the Ontario Arts Foundation and was nominated for the RBC Emerging Playwright Award from Playwrights Guild of Canada. Bessie’s is named one of 30 theatre-makers that will help shape the next 30 years in Canadian theatre.
They have also worked with companies including Stratford, Soulpepper, Tarragon, Factory, Cahoots, fu-GEN, Theatre Direct, and Studio 180.Bessie is a co-founder of Silk Bath Collective, an ad-hoc theatre group with a focus on telling Chinese-Canadian stories. Most recently, they premiered Woking Phoenix and won the Audience Choice Awards at the Dora’s in 2024. They are currently prepping for a tour across Canada in 2027.
Celia Green
Program Director
Celia Green’s practice includes choreography, direction, writing, performance, and facilitation. They create highly physical, intimate performances that explore bodily sensation, mess, and the pursuit of freedom. Grounded in care and rigor, their collaborative practice and creations draw on their experiences as a queer, trans-masculine person and their background in care work with children and families. Celia’s work has been presented by OFFTA, The SummerWorks Festival, English Theatre Berlin, the Toronto Dance Love-In, and The Rhubarb Festival. Most recently they presented their solo, Jason, at OFFTA and the SummerWorks Festival. They are thrilled to be returning to The AMY Project for another year.