Wren Brian

Fictional World Projects

I am dedicated to creating characters that can be played by actors of any gender, ancestry, ability, and/or age. By writing characters like this I hope to contribute to equity in the industry while exploring themes and questions important to a wide range of humanity. Since 2009 I have been consistently researching atrocities in recent history both in academic settings and on my own time. This varied and in-depth research influences most of my plays as I firmly believe the more we understand how atrocities happen from all angles, the more likely we are to prevent them (for a partial list of sources that have been of influence over the years, click here!).

In order to explore these issues while writing character who can be played by a wide range of actors I have created an alternate world with its own intricate history and timeline which, depending on the choices of the artistic team, does not necessarily include the same oppressions as our world. However, in this world nothing happens which hasn’t happened in some capacity in our world. This allows my plays to be specific and allows artistic collaborators to use their imaginations while exploring complex issues without being constrained by our world’s history.

• Bystander
• A Fine Line
• The Investigator
• The Weaver
• Meltdown
• Fall Out

Theatre for Young Audiences

Thanks to the Manitoba Theatre for Young People Creators Unit and Sandbox Unit which ran 2016 to 2021 under the direction of Pablo Felices-Luna, Rick Chafe, and Andraea Sartison, I learned a lot about theatre for young audiences and began developing work my own work for this demographic. At the same time from 2017 to 2020 I was a storyteller at the Manitoba Museum and wrote original fairy tales for these sleepover events. I approach these plays and stories by thinking of what lessons I wished I’d learned earlier in life and/or what types of stories I craved to see as a child.

• Billie and the Moon
• Adventures from the Vending Machine
• Micah the Monster Slayer

Commissioned Work

Beginning in late 2020 I got the opportunity to work on two commissions, both completed in 2021. I enjoyed the challenge of writing to specific themes and issues, while still making sure the work could be performed by a wide range of actors. Since then I have completed a couple other short commissions and am keen to do more.

• Situation
• When
• Now
• They Need to Remember