INDUSTRY SESSIONS ARCHIVE
DIRECTOR AS DRAMATURGE
WITH NINA LEE AQUINO
Monday, September 28, 2020
How do you approach the dramaturgical process on a new play, and facilitate a healthy development of a script? Taught by multi-award-winning Canadian director and dramaturge Nina Lee Aquino (Artistic Director of Factory Theatre, founding AD of fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company, former AD of Cahoots Theatre), this session explored dramaturgy and new play development through a variety of processes. Nina shared lessons on how to navigate the relationship between dramaturge and creator from beginning to end, including choosing the right projects to work on; how to create and maintain meaningful relationships with playwrights; how to facilitate different kinds of new play development workshops; and how to navigate dramaturgy in the rehearsal process. We also explored her experiences from a storied career in new play creation and discuss her dedication to collaborating with Canadian playwrights and BIPOC artists.
THE BIZ OF THE SHOW
WITH STAFFORD ARIMA
September 21, 2020
Acclaimed international theatre director Stafford Arima (Artistic Director for Theatre Calgary, with credits from the Broadway, West End, and Off-Broadway) lead a session on the business side of theatre, from developing and directing new musicals, to working in the U.S. and the U.K. as a Canadian artist, and running one of Canada’s largest regionals! Arima shared experiences from a career spanning over 20 years and hundreds of rehearsal halls and venues, focusing on creating new work and supporting theatrical productions in all stages of development.
DIRECTING FOR MUSICAL THEATRE AND OPERA
WITH ASHLIE CORCORAN
September 14, 2020
The director is at the centre of a wheel, working with imaginative, talented people who are passionate about what they do. We joined Canadian director Ashlie Corcoran (Artistic Director of the Arts Club Theatre Company, former Artistic Director of the Thousand Island Playhouse, and Co-Founder and Artistic Producer of Theatre Smash) as she explored the various differences and similarities between directing Musical Theatre and Opera. She investigated how music informs both of these genres, and how she preps for large scale projects, leads large teams, runs busy rehearsal halls, and keeps tech processes on track.
TECHNIQUES TO JUMPSTART YOUR NEXT PLAY
WITH LAUREN YEE
August 31, 2020
Award-winning American playwright and screenwriter Lauren Yee (Cambodian Rock Band, King of the Yees, The Great Leap) will guide you through techniques to jumpstart your next play. Come in with nothing and leave with a couple more tools in your toolbelt, whether you’re a seasoned writer or a complete novice.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEHAVIOUR – THE POWER OF SIMPLY “BEING” ONSTAGE
WITH JACKIE MAXWELL
August 24, 2020
Using scenes from playwrights as varied as Erin Shields and Anton Chekhov, Jackie discussed the mining of scenes for the possible actions that surround and are prompted by the text. We discovered how the most mundane task can add a whole new layer to a scene, how a conversation can be blown open by a simple action, how pauses and silences can become truly revelatory… how simply “being” can become three dimensional, brave, and truthful.
GOOD LIGHTING FOR THE STAGE: A PROCESS ORIENTED APPROACH TO MAKING ART
WITH MARCUS DOSHI
August 17, 2020
American lighting designer Marcus Doshi discussed his approach to designing lighting for live narrative performance. Using his manifesto “Good Lighting for the Stage,” as a framework, he will first discuss his theoretical approach to lighting for the stage as an art form, after which he will delve into the more practical aspects (making a light plot, best practices for tech, lighting different skin tones) via a dissection of his design process.
COME FROM AWAY AND BEYOND
WITH IRENE SANKOFF & DAVID HEIN
August 10, 2020
A discussion and Q&A with Irene Sankoff and David Hein, the multi-award winning, married, Canadian writing team behind Come From Away. Pre-Covid-19, Come From Away had 5 productions running in the U.S., in Toronto, The West End, Australia – and more productions in the works. While theatre waits to return, they continue to work on the screenplay for the Come From Away movie adaptation as well as on several upcoming television and film projects with Disney and with Warner Brothers. In conversation with Citadel Artistic Director Daryl Cloran, David and Irene discuss the importance of day jobs, the art of writing with your spouse without bloodshed, and the lessons they learned while raising both a little girl and a new Canadian musical.
THEATRE MACHINE
(AN INTROSPECTION INTO THE CONCEPT OF WRITING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE)
WITH NASSIM SOLEIMANPOUR
July 27, 2020
Who is a “global playwright,” and why you shouldn’t only write plays: an introduction to the idea of making machines out of words, and bringing them to life by blowing a bit of human soul into it. Join us for Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s wild story of touring his plays (NASSIM, White Rabbit Red Rabbit) for over 10+ years in more than 50 countries and 30 languages, alongside vital tips and tricks one might learn living their life on the road for hundreds of days.
THE POLITICS AND POETRY OF QUEER THEATRE
WITH EVALYN PARRY & TAWIAH BEN M’CARTHY
July 20, 2020
We joined Evalyn Parry (award-winning Artistic Director of the largest and longest running LGBTQ theatre company in the world: Buddies in Bad Times) and Tawiah Ben M’Carthy (an award winning queer actor/playwright/creator/director) for a discussion about their practices of developing, promoting, and preserving queer stories and perspectives for the stage.
MANIFESTING PERFORMANCE
WITH DANIEL MACIVOR
July 13, 2020
Acting is not about making art, acting is about digging holes in hopes that the art may have somewhere to pool. Here’s a shovel. Daniel MacIvor believes that performance is not generated by an actor reaching outside themselves, rather the energy of performance already exists within us. The journey to character is not about building up it is about letting go. It is not about becoming other than who we are, it is about fully becoming ourselves. In Manifesting Performance MacIvor attempts to demystify the actor’s craft by facing our ego and embracing our weakness.
TOWARD A WHOLISTIC SCENOGRAPHY: SYNTHESIZING THE ELEMENTS OF THEATRE MAKING
WITH LORENZO SAVOINI
July 6, 2020
Led by award-winning Scenographer Lorenzo Savoini, this presentation brought to light the importance of the designer as “theatre maker” – synthesizing text, space, material, performer and audience into a wholistic language. Participants examined design as a dramaturgical tool for storytelling, as well as exploring designs place in the rehearsal process.
PLAY ON PAPER: GETTING A CLEAR VISION WITH YOUR COLLABORATORS
WITH JILLIAN KEILEY
June 29, 2020
Using Alice Through the Looking-Glass (Citadel Theatre, 2016), award-winning director Jillian Keiley (Artistic Director for English Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre) went from script from text on a page to a blueprint for a full production. Participants learned how Jillian infuses a script with proposals for all sound, lighting, set, costume, choreography, and dramaturgical ideas, informing her rehearsal and creation process along the way.
TWO HATS, ONE ROOM
WITH KIMBERLEY RAMPERSAD
June 22, 2020
A theatre dance class led by award-winning actor, director, and choreographer Kimberley Rampersad (The Color Purple, Matilda, and Shaw Festival Associate Artistic Director), with guest artists Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks and Julio Fuentes and living-room-appropriate choreography! The session included a discussion between Artistic Director Daryl Cloran and Miss Kimberley about her process as a director/choreographer, and wearing two hats during the creation of a show.
PLAYWRITING FOR ACTORS BY AN ACTOR
WITH MICHAEL HEALEY
June 15, 2020
Led by actor and Governor General’s Award winning playwright Michael Healey (The Drawer Boy, Generous, Courageous, Proud), this presentation included the advantages actors who turn to playwriting possess as creators, as well as an examination of some of the pitfalls experienced by new playwrights.
SHARING SPACE IN CREATION
WITH JAMES LONG & MAIKO YAMAMOTO
June 8, 2020
How do you work together or apart, with new collaborators or long-time friends? We joined 2019 Siminovitch Prize-winning collaborators James Long and Maiko Yamamoto of Vancouver’s Theatre Replacement for a presentation on making some of Canada’s most authentic, playful, hopeful theatrical experiences including MINE, Clark & I Somewhere in Connecticut, and Winners & Losers (Citadel Theatre, 2015). James and Maiko were joined by Nadien Chu, Amy Rutherford, Jonathon Young, and Conor Wylie.
PLAYWRITING THROUGH ADAPTATION
WITH ERIN SHIELDS
May 4, 2020
Led by Governor General Award-nominated playwright Erin Shields (If We Were Birds, Paradise Lost, Jane Eyre).
Through guided exercises in identifying, owning and reimagining plot, structure, character and image, participants learned the basics of writing a theatrical adaptation.
FROM FRINGE TO BROADWAY
WITH TOBY MARLOW AND LUCY MOSS
May 11, 2020
A Question-and-Answer period with Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, co-creators, composer, and director of the world-acclaimed musical Six.
In conversation with Citadel Artistic Director Daryl Cloran, Marlow and Moss offered insight into their process creating this ground-breaking musical, and the hits and misses they made guiding its innovative ascent from student show at the Edinburgh Fringe, to the West End, through its North American debut, and into its soon-to-be opening on Broadway!
REACTING AND THE ART OF LISTENING
WITH RAVI JAIN
May 18, 2020
Taught by multi-award-winning director, playwright, actor, and theatre-maker Ravi Jain (A Brimful of Asha), founding artistic director of internationally acclaimed Why Not Theatre.
Through ensemble-building exercises participants explored the concept of status as it relates to expanding character relationships, choice-making, and different ways of listening. Through conversation with long-time collaborators, participants learned how this type of ensemble-building feeds the innovative, bold, political, and accessible work Jain is known for.
FUNDAMENTALS OF STORY / STORY STRUCTURE
WITH HANNAH MOSCOVITCH
May 25, 2020
Led by celebrated Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch (East of Berlin, The Russian Play, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story).
This masterclass focused on the mechanics of story and narrative for playwrights, directors, and theatre creators. These technical skills can be elusive and they form the building blocks to truly great storytelling.
INSTRUCTORS
NINA LEE AQUINO
With a string of firsts in Asian Canadian theatre, Nina Lee Aquino was the founding Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company, organized the first Asian Canadian theatre conference, edited the first (2-volume) Asian Canadian play anthology, and co-edited the first (award-winning) book on Asian Canadian theatre. She became Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre, currently holds the same position at Factory Theatre and is now the youngest President of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres. She has directed world premieres and revivals at theatres across the country and has won the Ken McDougall Award, the John Hirsch Prize, and three Dora Awards for Outstanding Direction. Nina co-wrote Miss Orient(ed) and her monologues have been published in Beyond the Pale (edited by Yvette Nolan) and She Speaks (edited by Judith Thompson). Nina has lectured, taught and directed innovative projects at Canadian educational institutions and was recently appointed Adjunct Professor at York University’s Department of Theatre. Her leadership has extended into mentoring emerging artists as well. She was the 2019 winner of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Margo Bindhart and Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award.
STAFFORD ARIMA
Stafford Arima is the Artistic Director at Theatre Calgary. Born and raised in Toronto, Arima thrived in the New York theatre scene for over 20 years. In 2015, he became the first Asian Canadian to direct a musical on Broadway when Allegiance opened at the Longacre Theatre, starring George Takei and Lea Salonga. Arima was also nominated for a 2004 Olivier Award for his direction of the West End premiere of the musical, Ragtime. Additional directing credits include productions of Altar Boyz (Off-Broadway), Carrie (MCC Theater, Off-Broadway), Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris (Stratford Festival), The Tin Pan Alley Rag (Roundabout Theatre Company), The Secret Garden – In Concert (Lincoln Center), Abyssinia (Goodspeed Musicals), A Tribute to Sondheim (Boston Pops), Poster Boy (Williamstown Theatre Festival), and Mary and Max – A New Musical, The Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol (2019), and Billy Elliot (Theatre Calgary). Arima has shepherded new musical development at the Toronto Fringe Festival, New York Musical Theatre Festival, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, New York Stage and Film, and the SPF Festival. He is a graduate of York University, where he was the recipient of the Dean’s Prize for Excellence in Creative Work. He also serves as Artistic Advisor for Broadway Dreams, and is an Adjunct Professor at UC Davis. staffordarima.com
ASHLIE CORCORAN
Originally from White Rock, British Columbia, Ashlie is a theatre and opera director who works across Canada and internationally, at such companies as the Canadian Opera Company (The Magic Flute), the Shaw Festival (Me & My Girl), Opera Philadelphia (The Magic Flute), the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Don Giovanni), Soundstreams Canada (Electric Messiah), Canadian Stage (Kiss, Das Ding [The Thing]), Centaur Theatre (Bed & Breakfast), Tarragon Theatre (The Ugly One, Mustard), the Gateway Theatre (Don’t Dress for Dinner), as well as many productions at Western Canada Theatre. Ashlie is currently the Artistic Director of the Arts Club Theatre Company in Vancouver. She is the co-founder and Artistic Producer of Theatre Smash, for which she has directed seven productions, including the critically acclaimed The Ugly One, which received a Dora Award for Outstanding Production and a nomination for Outstanding Direction. From 2012-2017, Ashlie was the Artistic Director of the Thousand Islands Playhouse, where she directed sixteen productions. Ashlie’s theatrical interests are broad – from staging large-scale opera and music theatre, to seeking out contemporary post-dramatic international theatre never before seen in Canada, to developing of new works with writers and creators.
MARCUS DOSHI
Marcus Doshi designs lighting and sets for theatre, dance, opera, and collaborates with artists and architects on non-performance-based work. In New York his work has been seen on Broadway, off-Broadway including work with Second Stage, Juilliard Opera, Lincoln Center Theatre, the Public Theatre, the Vineyard Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, and Theatre for a New Audience (where he has designed 11 productions) among many other venues. He is also a frequent collaborator with Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where he has designed the world premieres of Linda Vista, Mary Page Marlowe, and Visiting Edna, as well as several others including Pass Over, which was later filmed for Amazon by Spike Lee. His work has been seen at virtually every U.S. regional theater and internationally he has designed for Canadian Opera Company, La Comedie Francaise, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, La Monnaie in Brussels, the National Theater of Sarajevo, and the Sydney Festival among many other venues. He is a graduate of Wabash College and Yale University and is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University. marcusdoshi.com
MICHAEL HEALEY
Michael Healey trained as an actor at Toronto’s Ryerson Theatre School in the mid-eighties. He began writing for the stage in the early nineties and his first play, a solo one-act called Kicked, was produced at the Fringe of Toronto Festival in 1996. The Drawer Boy, his first full-length play, premiered in Toronto in 1999, winning the Dora Award for best new play, the Chalmers Award and the Governor General’s Award. It has been translated into German, French, Japanese and Hindi and continues to be produced regularly across North America and internationally. Healey’s other works include The Road to Hell (co-authored with Kate Lynch), Plan B, Rune Arlidge, The Innocent Eye Test, The Nuttalls, Are You Okay, and 1979. His trilogy focussing on Canadian values and politics, entitled Generous, Courageous, and Proud, met with great critical success and have had multiple productions. In all, his plays have won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for best new play five times. He has also adapted works by Chekhov, Molnar, Hecht & MacArthur, Dürrenmatt, and Shaw for Soulpepper, and the Stratford and Shaw festivals. He continues to find work as an actor occasionally.
RAVI JAIN
Toronto-based stage director Ravi Jain is a multi-award-winning artist known for making politically bold and accessible theatrical experiences in both small indie productions and large theatres. As the founding artistic director of Why Not Theatre, Ravi has established himself as an artistic leader for his inventive productions, international producing/collaborations and innovative producing models which are aimed to better support emerging artists to make money from their art. Ravi was twice shortlisted for the 2016 and 2019 Siminovitch Prize and won the 2012 Pauline McGibbon Award for Emerging Director and the 2016 Canada Council John Hirsch Prize for direction. He is a graduate of the two-year program at École Jacques Lecoq and was selected to be on the roster of clowns for Cirque du Soliel. He was the inaugural artistic-director-in-residence at The Theatre Centre and for a short time was an Associate Artistic Director at Soulpepper Theatre company. Currently, Ravi is working on a new adaptation of The Mahabharata with Why Not Theatre and the Shaw Festival and a new piece entitled What You Won’t Do for Love, starring David Suzuki. For more information on Why Not Theatre at theatrewhynot.org.
JILLIAN KEILEY
Jillian Keiley is an award-winning director from St. John’s, Newfoundland and founder of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland. Jillian has directed and taught across Canada and internationally. She received her BFA in Theatre from York University and was awarded Honorary Doctorates of Letters from both Memorial University and York University. She was the winner of the Siminovitch Prize for Directing in 2004 and the Canada Council’s John Hirsch Prize in 1997. Jillian assumed her role as NAC English Theatre Artistic Director in August 2012, and her productions at the NAC have included Between Breaths, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, A Christmas Carol, Twelfth Night, Metamorphoses: Based on the Myths of Ovid, Tartuffe, and Oil and Water. She also directed Bakkhai, The Diary of Anne Frank, and As You Like It for the Stratford Festival, as well as The Neverending Story and Alice Through the Looking-Glass, both produced as collaborations between the Stratford Festival and the NAC. Tempting Providence, her collaboration with Robert Chafe for Theatre Newfoundland Labrador, toured internationally for 12 years and will be the inaugural production at the launch of the Nurse Myra Bennett Theatre in Cow Head, Newfoundland.
JAMES LONG
James Long artistic directs Theatre Replacement with fellow artist Maiko Yamamoto. Recent freelance work outside the company includes Morko and its partner piece, Loch — both site oriented performances created with visual artist and animator Cindy Mochizuki as well as directing King Arthur’s Night, a new incarnation of the King Arthur story as told by Niall McNeil and Marcus Youssef of Neworld Theatre. In addition to creating new works of performance for national and international audiences, James teaches performance, methods of creation and performance structures to established artists and students across Canada. He is a graduate of SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts and holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Studies, also from SFU. James is the recipient of the 2019 Siminovitch Prize in Directing, with Maiko Yamamoto.
TAWIAH BEN M'CARTHY
Tawiah M’Carthy is a Ghanaian born, Toronto based Theatre artist; playwright, actor, director, curator and facilitator. Tawiah draws from multiple cultural theatre practices, often intersecting his African and Black Canadian identities. Tawiah trained at York University (BFA Acting Conservatory Program). His playwright/performer credits include Obaaberima (Buddies in Bad Theatre, 2013 Dora Award winner for Best Production); Black Boy (SagaCollectif); and MaaNomaa (Blue Bird Theatre Collective). He is currently the Metcalf Artistic Director Intern at Canadian Stage and the Programing Curator for the 2020 Festival of Ideas and Creation. Tawiah has worked with arts organizations across the country, including Obsidian Theatre, Shaw Festival Theatre, Stratford Festival Theatre, Factory Theatre, The NAC, The Cultch, and Buddies in Bad Times. Tawiah is a Dora Nominated Playwright and Performer.
DANIEL MACIVOR
Daniel is originally from Cape Breton and currently divides his time between Toronto and Nova Scotia. For twenty years Daniel ran da da kamera an international touring company that brought his work extensively through Canada and the US and to Israel, Norway, Holland, Australia and throughout the UK. With Daniel Brooks he created the solo shows House, Here Lies Henry, Monster, Cul-de-sac, This Is What Happens Next, and Who Killed Spalding Gray?. Daniel received the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama for his collection of plays, I Still Love You. Daniel was awarded the Siminovitch Prize for Theatre. He is also the recipient of an Obie Award and a GLAAD Award for his play, In On It. Daniel is currently touring and performing in his play New Magic Valley Fun Town and his solo Let’s Run Away. Also a screenwriter Daniel has written the films Marion Bridge, Wilby Wonderful, Trigger, and Weirdos for which he won a Canadian Screen Award for best original screenplay. With Marcie Januska, Daniel runs reWork Productions; developing new theatre and film.
TOBY MARLOW
Toby is the composer and co-writer of SIX. Following the show’s debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, it has been performed in London’s West End, a UK Tour, three cruise ships, a North American Tour (including Edmonton!), Australia, and Broadway. Toby is also the co-writer and co-performer of the award-winning Hot Gay Time Machine, which has enjoyed runs in London’s West End and at both the Edinburgh and Brighton Fringe Festivals. Toby studied English at the University of Cambridge (where he met friend and colleague, Lucy Moss) and his previous co-writing and composing credits include SIX, Hot Gay Time Machine, Courtney Act’s Christmas Extravaganza, and Fluid. Twitter/Instagram: @thetobymarlow
JACKIE MAXWELL
Jackie Maxwell is one of Canada’s most celebrated artists—well-known as a director, Artistic Director, dramaturge and teacher. She has directed for theatres across the country including The Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, The Citadel, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Mirvish Productions, Theatre Calgary, Canadian Stage, The LSPU Hall and more. She has also worked for several theatres in the United States. Jackie served as Artistic Director of The Shaw Festival for 14 seasons—2002-2016. She directed over 25 productions there including Uncle Vanya, Sweeney Todd, The Divine (world premiere), Juno and the Paycock, Major Barbara, Ragtime, Come Back Little Sheba, Saint Joan, Rutherford and Son, and The Coronation Voyage. Recent productions include the World Premiere of Erin Shields’ Paradise Lost for the Stratford Festival—recently remounted at The Centaur. World Premiere of Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise and Ayad Akhtar’s Junk for Arena Stage DC. August Osage County for Soulpepper Theatre Company. Her most recent production, The Playboy of The Western World at the Shaw Festival remains sadly unfinished due to the Covid19 Pandemic lockdown.
HANNAH MOSCOVITCH
Hannah Moscovitch is an acclaimed Canadian playwright, TV writer, and librettist whose work has been widely produced in Canada as well as around the world. Past stage work includes Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, East of Berlin, Little One, This is War, Bunny, What a Young Wife Ought to Know, and Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story (co created with Christian Barry and Ben Caplan). Hannah has been the recipient of numerous awards for her work, including the Trillium Book Award, the Dora Mavor Moore Award, the Nova Scotia Masterworks Award, both The Scotsman Fringe First and The Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Festival, and the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize administered by Yale University. She has also been nominated for a number of awards including the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Drama Desk Award. She is a Playwright-In-Residence at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto.
LUCY MOSS
Lucy Moss is one half of Marlow and Moss, the writing duo behind SIX, and is also one half of the show’s directors. Previous writer-director credits include the multi-award winning Hot Gay Time Machine (Trafalgar Studios, Edinburgh Fringe) – with whom she has also written for Courtney Act’s Christmas Extravaganza (Channel 4). Previous directorial credits include Pelican: The Cat Man Curse (Soho Theatre and Bedlam Theatre); Pelican: Fisk (Brighton Fringe and Bedlam Theatre); Wasted (Edinburgh Fringe); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (US Tour). Credits as associate/assistant include Boris: World King (Trafalgar Studios); Monster (Perth Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe); Red/Wolf (Vaults). Lucy studied history at Cambridge University (where she met friend and colleague, Toby Marlow) and trained in Dance and Musical Theatre at Laine Theatre Arts. @mucyloss
EVALYN PERRY
Evalyn Parry is the artistic director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. An award-winning, queer feminist theatre-maker and poly-formal performance adventurer, she is committed to theatre that creates a space for challenging conversations, personal and social transformation. Recent productions as creator/performer include Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools (Edinburgh International Festival, Cervantino Festival Mexico, winner of Dora Award for Outstanding New Play and Music/Sound Composition, co-created by Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Erin Brubacher, Elysha Poirier with Cris Derksen); Gertrude and Alice (nominated for a 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award, co-created with Anna Chatteron and Karin Randoja); and SPIN (a musical exploration of the feminist history of the bicycle). Recent directing credits include Buddies’ acclaimed, queer inter-generational production The Youth/Elders Project, Obaaberima by Tawiah M’Carthy (Dora Award for Outstanding Production), and Mine by Jenna Harris. She is the recipient of the KM Hunter Award for Theatre, the Ken McDougall Award for Directing, and the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award.
KIMBERLEY RAMPERSAD
Kimberley Rampersad is a theatre practitioner from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 Territory. Last season she was featured in the New York Times for her production of Man and Superman (Shaw Festival); directed Intimate Apparel (WJT); directed and choreographed two productions of The Color Purple (Neptune & Citadel/RMTC, respectfully); choreographed Matilda: The Musical (RMTC/Citadel/Arts Club); and appeared as Lila Dixon in Holiday Inn (Shaw Festival). As a dance educator, Kimberley completed her teaching certification at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. She has taught across the country and was a part of the team which developed the K-8 dance curriculum for the Province of Manitoba’s Department of Education. She has been recognized with Merritt, Evie, and Prix Rideau Awards, and Dora, Sterling and Ovation nominations. She is the recipient of the 2017 Gina’s Prize, a Guthrie Award (Stratford) and a Maud Whitmore Scholarship (Charlottetown Festival.) Kimberley is the current Associate Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival and a graduate of the University of Manitoba.
IRENE SANKOFF & DAVID HEIN
David Hein and Irene Sankoff are a Canadian married writing team. Their show Come From Away won three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, four Helen Hayes Awards, five Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical. David and Irene were nominated for Tony Awards for Best Book and Score, Grammy Awards for Best Musical Theatre album, and won the 2017 Outer Critics and Drama Desk awards for Best Book. They are currently writing the screenplay for the film adaptation of Come From Away. Upcoming projects include an adaptation of the book How To Get Runover By A Truck for A Very Good Production (Ellen DeGeneres) and Warner Brothers Television, as well as a musical adaptation of the graphic novel, Roller Girl, for Disney Channel and Disney+. Irene and David are proud members of the Dramatists’ Guild, Writers’ Guild of America, and ASCAP. Their music is published through Concord.
LORENZO SAVOINI
Lorenzo Savoini is an award winning set, costume, lighting and video designer. He has designed over fourty productions for The Soulpepper Theatre Company, numerous productions for The Stratford Festival (Mother’s Daughter, The Front Page, Timon of Athens, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and more), as well as designs for regional theatres throughout Canada from coast to coast. Most recent credits include the award nominated set design for A Streetcar Named Desire (Soulpepper); Mary Poppins (The Grand Theatre); and award-nominated set and lighting design for Julius Caesar (Crow’s Theatre). Ballet credits include Les Grand Ballet Canadian, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, and currently developing designs for The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. He is also the co-creator of Cage, a multi-disciplinary performance art-theatre piece, which he designed and performed in. Cage had its Off-Broadway debut at Signature Theatre’s Pershing Square Theatre. Lorenzo has won three Dora Awards for outstanding set and outstanding lighting design for Of Human Bondage, and outstanding scenic/projection design for Rose. His design for Soulpepper’s Of Human Bondage was selected to represent Canada at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial, the worlds largest theatre design expo. Lorenzo has an MFA from the University of British Columbia, a BA from the University of Guelph, and is a graduate of the inaugural Soulpepper Academy. He went on to develop the curriculum for the design stream of the Soulpepper Academy and mentoring a next generation of young designers. Lorenzo is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.
ERIN SHIELDS
Erin Shields is a Montreal based playwright. Erin’s adaptation of Paradise Lost, premiered at The Stratford Festival of Canada and won the Quebec Writers Federation Prize for Playwriting. Erin won the 2011 Governor General’s Award for her play If We Were Birds, which premiered at Tarragon Theatre. Other theatre credits include Piaf/Dietrich (Mirvish Productions/Segal Centre); Beautiful Man (Factory Theatre); The Lady from the Sea (The Shaw Festival); The Millennial Malcontent, Soliciting Temptation (Tarragon Theatre); and Instant (Geordie Theatre). Current commissions include Queen Goneril for Soulpepper and Ransacking Troy for The Stratford Festival. Upcoming productions, some of which have been cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic: Much Ado About Nothing at The Stratford Festival, Paradise Lost at The National Arts Centre and Bard on the Beach, and Thy Woman’s Weeds at Centaur Theatre produced by Repercussion Theatre/Table D’Hôte. Erin is thrilled that her adaptation of Jane Eyre will premiere at Citadel Theatre in 2021.
NASSIM SOLEIMANPOUR
Nassim Soleimanpour is an Iranian playwright, theatre maker and the Artistic Director of Nassim Soleimanpour Productions. His plays have been translated into more than 30 languages and performed in over 50 countries. Best known for his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit. Written to travel the world when he couldn’t, this work was awarded the Dublin Fringe Festival Best New Performance, Summerworks Outstanding New Performance Text Award, and The Arches Brick Award as well as being nominated for Total Theatre and Brighton Fringe Pick of Edinburgh Award. White Rabbit Red Rabbit had a hugely successful 9 month Off-Broadway run. Nassim’s second play Blind Hamlet commissioned by Actors Touring Company premiered at The LIFT 2014. His third play BLANK premiered in 2015 simultaneously in Amsterdam, Utrecht and London and so far has been performed globally. His most recent play, NASSIM, produced by the Bush Theatre in London was premiered in 2017 and won Fringe First Award followed by more than 300 shows in 12 languages across the world. NASSIM had a fantastic 5 month Off-Broadway run casting celebrated American actors and artists. NASSIM won the 2019 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Unique Theatrical Experience. His recent play, Down by the Creek, was published by New York Times as part of America 2024. He’s currently working on a new play for the audiobook platform Audible.
MAIKO YAMAMOTO
Since 2003, Maiko has been an Artistic Director of Theatre Replacement, a company she formed with fellow artist James Long. The company’s work has focused on building new, experimental and intercultural performances that react to contemporary existence through a highly evolved and extended process of collaboration, and explores unique and challenging ways of using content and staging material. In addition to her work with T/R, Maiko directs, writes, teaches, mentors and creates contemporary performance for and with a diverse range of companies and institutions, including the National Theatre School, Company 605, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the MAKE Artists Residency in Ireland, among others. She holds a BFA in Theatre from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts and a MAA in Visual Art from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Maiko is the recipient of the 2019 Siminovitch Prize in Directing, with James Long.
LAUREN YEE
Lauren Yee plays include Cambodian Rock Band (South Coast Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, City Theatre, Merrimack Rep) and The Great Leap (Denver Center, Seattle Repertory, Atlantic Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, Arts Club, InterAct Theatre, Steppenwolf). Honors: Doris Duke Artists Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, Whiting Award, Steinberg/ATCA Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters literature award, Horton Foote Prize, Kesselring Prize, Primus Prize, Hodder Fellowship, #1 and #2 plays on 2017 Kilroys List. New Dramatists, Ma-Yi Writers’ Lab, Playwrights Realm alum. Television: Pachinko (Apple), and Soundtrack (Netflix). BA: Yale. MFA: UCSD. laurenyee.com