unit
What is it?
The Wildfire Development Unit is a curated dramaturgical opportunity for playwrights and interdisciplinary artists under 30 who seek to develop their work over a year-long period with the Major Matt Mason Collective.
MMMC provides ongoing dramaturgical support, hires artists for workshopping & research purposes, provides producing mentorship, and publicly disseminates the work to help gauge audience response.
Meet our 2026 Development Unit:
Autumn Strom (she/they) - Hold Me Under
Autumn is a transfem, multidisciplinary theatre artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan. Autumn is a graduate of the University of Alberta's BFA in Acting program, and is particularly interested in new work processes, as well as any work that explores gender through a queer lens. In addition to acting, Autumn’s artistic practice includes sound design, stage management, and playwriting. She is also a member of Rapid Fire Theatre’s Main Performing Ensemble.
Ane Zapirain (she/her) - Split Rites/Half Made
With a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Ane Zapirain continues her training in contemporary dance at La Faktoría Centro Coreográfico (Iruña, 2022) and Mutis Espazioa (Leioa, 2023). In 2023, she participated in the Dantzan Bilaka program with Agortu, a project presented at Tzantzan Fest 25, La Escucha Errante 25, and BLV-Art 25. As a performer, she has worked with Olatz de Andres in Time is a Muscle and with DOOS Colectivo. She is currently involved in the research process of Basque creator Natalia García Muro and participated in Mónica Valenciano's Bailadero in L'animal a l'esquena (2025) in August.
Ciarán Volke (he/him) - Saturn Return
Ciarán Volke is a performer, writer, and director based in Mohkinstsis and Treaty 7. He is known for the comedy duo COWBOY, as well as being the co-founder of the award winning theatre company Three Cheese. He has created and performed all across the country, with companies such as the Belfry, Theatre SKAM, Intrepid Theatre, Atomic Vaudeville, Impulse Theatre, Downstage Theatre, Blue Bridge Theatre, Paper Street Theatre, and Ok Dope. He has a BFA in Performance from the University of Victoria.
Max Hanic (he/they) - Split Rites/Half Made
Max Hanic is a queer actor, dancer, singer and instructor who graduated with distinction from the University of Alberta Fine Arts Acting program and studied contemporary dance at La Faktoria Choreographic Centre in Pamplona, Spain for the 2021/2022 period and at Modus Operandi in Vancouver from 2024-2025. He is currently based between Vancouver, Montréal and Edmonton. Max has been given training scholarships by EDAM (Vancouver), The Good Women Dance Collective (Edmonton) and Circuit-Est (Montréal) as well as trained at Tic Tac Art Centre (Brussels), Espacio Tiempo (Madrid) and at the One Body One Career Countertechnique intensive in Amsterdam. He has performed with the Edmonton Opera, Firefly Theatre and Circus, Amoris Projects, Catch the Keys Productions and in his own choreographies; as well as worked with choreographers Susanna Hood, Lin Snelling, Molly Mcdermott, Francesca Frewer, Alexis Fletcher, Minggao Zhang, Jennifer Mcleish-Lewis, Gerry Morita and more. He has been nominated for a Sterling award and is the recipient of the 2025 Gerda Hnatyshyn award for contemporary dance.
Here’s a list of our previous unit participants:
2023 - 2024
Jason Cabueños - Truth and Tales From All Over
Day Chase - Worry
Shyanne Duquette - Skinhead
2022 - 2023
Saeid Asgarian - Absence
Sage Cannon - Un/Welcome
Donovan Hayden - Suitable Climate
2021 - 2022
Ashleigh Hicks - MINE
Vishesh Abeyratne - The Resource
Keira Forde - No More News for Nancy
Faggeur Collective (Wesley Reibeling & Nathaniel Hanula-James) - Flux in the City
2020 - 2021
Makram Ayache - The Green Line
Yousuf Liepert - Messenger
Brett Dahl - Unlimited Intimacy
Morgan O’Neill-Sharp - Hugh, Juko, and Chuck
