"This opportunity gave me a chance to step up into the type of writer I want to be."

"The 2023 Katie Lees Fellowship has been such a fulfilling and unforgettable experience.

The theatre industry can feel competitive, but the Fellowship was above all incredibly supportive and generous, and I'm so grateful to have had this once in a lifetime opportunity to be mentored and to develop a play that really reflects my voice. Taking on this opportunity gave me a chance to step up into the type of writer I want to be.

I've gained so much confidence in my creative voice by completing this Fellowship. It was really special and validating to be trusted with this opportunity and I've grown so much throughout this development process in my communication, teamwork, leadership skills, writing ability and trust in myself. 

It feels surreal and like such a huge gift to have seen my own work come to life on stage at Flight Path Theatre, but this achievement is something I can always carry with me and I'm so thankful to the Fellowship for that. 

It was the best investment ever in my skills and voice, it was so much fun and I got more out of it than I could have even imagined. I hope I will go on to give that generosity back to the theatre community in other ways. 

I also met an incredible new network of talented creatives through the Fellowship, and I know I'll be working with them again. This process has really inspired me to continue developing my playwriting skills. I will be making new edits to the play I produced through the Fellowship, but I also plan to write new plays and keep growing my writing voice professionally."