Calgary Fringe: 1000 Monkeys Project is playwriting at its purest

It is one of the simplest, and yet one of the most prescient events at Calgary Fringe: 1000 Monkeys produced by the Alberta Playwright’s Network (APN) is an hour’s worth of readings of what could be the full productions of tomorrow.

The entire show features an ensemble of four to five actors at music stands, bringing words off the page for the first time.

“We like to call it an appetizer platter for your brain,” says APN executive director Trevor Rueger, who also narrates the stage directions. “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry — maybe even get a little spooked.”

There is no theme, the selected pieces span genres: supernatural horror, absurdist comedy, sci-fi speculation, and quiet rumination. One play imagines two scientists stranded in a space station; another takes a surreal twist through everyday absurdity.

“This format gives writers a chance to actually hear their work out loud,” Rueger says. “And that’s huge. You can feel the rhythm, the pauses, the places where a laugh lands—or doesn’t.”

For APN, participating in Calgary Fringe is a yearly coming out. The organization, now marking its 40th anniversary, has long worked behind the scenes to nurture Alberta’s playwrights, offering everything from script development to mentorship.

“We don’t produce the plays you see,” Rueger explains. “But we make the plays you see better.”

The free nature of Fringe allows the writers to really flex and experiment,

“There are no limits at Fringe. You can say what you want, write what you want. That kind of freedom is a gift for playwrights — especially emerging ones.”

The project didn’t always look like this. In its early days, APN literally locked a group of writers in a room for 24 hours, fed them caffeine, and waited to see what emerged.

“It was chaos,” Rueger laughs. “And a lot of fun. But also kind of brutal.”

The old format meant only a handful of writers saw their work presented, leaving others behind after all of that effort. The shift to a curated format allows more time to write and a better chance at quality.

Now, playwrights have a month to submit, a jury selects the best five, and everyone gets their moment in the spotlight.

BONUS EVENT — SO YOU WANNA WRITE A PLAY?

Want to try it yourself? Rueger is also leading a two-hour intro to playwriting workshop at the Fringe called So You Wanna Write A Play?!?

“It’s a crash course on everything you need to know about writing a play,” he says. “Plot, character, outlines, conflict — we cover it all.”

The session is open to new and emerging writers and offered by donation. If you’ve ever had the itch to write but didn’t know where to begin, this is your cue.

1000 Monkeys

Festival Hall (Fringe Venue 6)
Monday, Aug. 4 · 1:00–2:30 p.m.
90-minute staged reading | Age 14+
Tickets $20
Get Tickets

So You Wanna Write a Play?!?

Festival Hall (Fringe Venue 6)
Sunday, Aug. 3 · 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Intro workshop | Class size limited to 25
Register Here