The Great Canadian Playwright Showcase will be coming to the Peace Country in May of 2023, but a big part of the event coming to the area was having the support of the municipalities. Sexsmith Mayor Kate Potter says that when Jen England, the playwright behind the conference, came and presented the idea to the Sexsmith town council, her passion and vision made you want to be on board and help reach the goals they are trying to achieve.
Potter says that she knows when people think of Sexsmith or the Peace Country, they don’t usually think of playwrights and the arts, but the unique thing about this conference is at the core it is about everyone having a story to tell. She thinks that the same can be said for the region.
“When you think of some of the stories throughout history, especially in Alberta and Canada, about innovation and a pioneering spirit,” Potter says. “Being a part of the land, so those are great stories to tell from our region.”
Potter says one of the things she is looking forward to about the conference being in the peace country is it will show different parts of the region people don’t otherwise see. Adding that yes the region’s roots lie in agriculture, and forestry, but allows the region to show off their different cultural facilities.
“I love that because it means that any region, just like any person, isn’t limited just to what the public sees them as. There is so much potential there, that they can explore. And for us, for Sexsmith, and our region I really think about the diversification.”
Potter says that plans for the daily details of the event are underway.