The Canadian Women Director’s Catalogue A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF WOMEN DIRECTING IN CANADA Copyright © 2011 Nightwood Theatre and the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without written permission from the publishers. ISBN – 10: 0-921129-46-7 ISBN – 13: 978-0-921129-46-2 Nightwood Theatre 55 Mill Street, Suite 301 Case Goods Warehouse, Bldg. No. 74 Toronto ON Canada M5A 3C4 Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) 215 Spadina Ave, Suite 555 Toronto, ON M5T 2C7 Photo of Maggie Huculak, Gemma James-Smith, Dylan Smith, Sarah Dodd and Clare Coulter by Guntar Kravis Welcome I am so pleased to present to you with The Canadian Women Director’s Catalogue. In 2002, I co-spearheaded Equity in Canadian Theatre: the Women’s Initiative to examine the status of women in Canadian theatre. Over the last ten years Nightwood Theatre has partnered with the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres to continue research and advocacy for our country’s female practitioners. One of a number of disconcerting fi ndings, revealed the lack of female Artistic Directors at the country’s larger theatres. Yet another fi nding showed that those women who were Artistic Directors had better track records of hiring female playwrights and directors in their theatres. The solution seemed obvious: promote more women into AD positions across the country. But the monkey wrench, as I saw it, was that unless women had the opportunity to direct on the bigger stages they would never be considered “eligible” when those jobs came up. This in part is the motivation behind this catalogue. Gender aside, here are some of Canada’s most talented established and independent directors. Peruse these pages, get to know a wider pool, and next time you ask that fateful question “who might be a good director for this?” think of The Canadian Women Director’s Catalogue. Did you know that women are the primary ticket buyers in our theatres? It would be great to match that statistic with more representation on our stages. Let’s get more women working in Canadian Theatre. Happy reading! Kelly Thornton Artistic Director Nightwood Theatre Dedication The Canadian Women Director’s Catalogue is dedicated to the memory of Gina Wilkinson, an extremely talented director and a beautiful human being. In her application she described her work which, in essence, is a perfect summation for all of us in our role as directors. “My focus is the rigor and discipline of clear storytelling. Collaboration is all. I come from a background of dance and visual art, and in my work with designers, my desire is to ignite the fi re of confl uent imaginations. Out of that union must come the space for the ultimate alchemy - the actors’ process. I’m there to safeguard Story, yes, but beyond that, to help the artists, and therefore myself, defeat the limitations of fear.” SPECIAL THANKS The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and the PACT Diversity Committee, Lucy White and Boomer Stacey, Nightwood Theatre, Denyse Karn, Monica Esteves, Hilary Green, Michelle Alexander, Kelly Straughan and Hope McIntyre (Co-Chair, Equity in Canadian Theatre). Women Director’s Catalogue Lynda Adams (Established Artist) Red Deer, Alberta 407, 4805-45 Street Red Deer, Alberta T4N 7A9 [email protected] | (403) 341-4418 Union Affi liations: Non-Equity Language (s): English Lynda Adams is an award winning director, dramaturge, choreographer and performer. Over the last twenty years she has directed, choreographed and/or created for Prairie Theatre Exchange, Catalyst Theatre, Northern Light Theatre, Free Will Players and numerous post secondary theatre programs across Canada. Lynda was artistic associate at Northern Light Theatre in Edmonton for six years, where she received the ‘outstanding choreography’ Sterling Award for Daniel McIvor’s 2-2 Tango. She is dedi- cated to directing new works by Canadian playwrights and continues to collaborate with other theatre professionals creating provocative movement based work. MA – Movement for the Actor, City University of London (Laban Centre) SHOW COMPANY PLAYWRIGHT YEAR Wuthering Heights Red Deer College Vern Thiessen 2010 Thy Neighbour’s Wife Prime Stock Theatre Tara Beagan 2009 Dada Play Red Deer College Mieko Ouchi 2007 The Oedipus Project Northern Light Theatre Adams/Folkmann/Schultz 2001 File O – a Theatre Poem Northern Light Theatre Mou Sen 1999 1 Women Director’s Catalogue Vikki Anderson (Established Artist) Toronto, Ontario Agent-Catalyst TCM 100 Broadview Avenue, Suite 310, Toronto, ON M4M 3H3 [email protected] | (416) 645-0936 Direct: [email protected] (416) 504-3898 Union Affi liations: Non-Equity Language (s): English A theatre director, designer and producer, Vikki is the founder of DVxT Theatre Company. Vikki’s work for DVxT includes the multi award-winning production of Ibsen’s The Doll House adapted by John Murrell, the acclaimed Soulpepper production of Happy Days starring Martha Burns and most recently, a site- specifi c production of The Turn of the Screw at the Campbell House Museum. DVxT has received 19 Dora Nominations and 12 Dora Awards for their work thus far. BFA-University of Calgary SHOW COMPANY PLAYWRIGHT YEAR Romeo & Juliet Canadian Stage Shakespeare 2010 Last Five Years Grand Theatre Jason Robert Brown 2010 The Turn of the Screw DVxT Jeff rey Hatcher/Henry James 2009 Happy Days Soulpepper Samuel Beckett 2003 The Doll House DVxT Theatre John Murrell/Ibsen 2001 2 Women Director’s Catalogue Saniya Ansari (Independent Artist) Toronto, Ontario 256 St. Clair Ave. East , Toronto, ON M4T 1P2 [email protected] | (416) 509-6554 Union Affi liations: Non-Equity Language (s): English/Urdu Saniya is an actor, producer, director and arts educator. Completing her B.Ed from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education, she works with The Torontonians, Mammalian’s Parkdale-based art collective where adults and youth recognize each other’s strengths, abilities and energies, provide opportunities for interaction, information and participation with Toronto’s artists and cultural organizations. In 2000, she co-founded the theatre company Modest Productions to direct Damme, This Is The Oriental Scene for You! adapted by Rehan Ansari from G.V. Desani’s novel All About H. Hatterr, for Theatre Passe Muraille. Most recently, in August 2010, Saniya directed a workshop presentation of Unburdened by Rehan Ansari at CEPA gallery’s Art of War festival in Buff alo, NY. Upcoming: Unburdened has been invited for a reading at Asia Society in New York City in June 2011. BA – University of Toronto, Drama and English SHOW COMPANY PLAYWRIGHT YEAR Unburdened Modest Productions Rehan Ansari 2010 Love and Human Extinction Wide Out Loud Productions Shaista Justin 2009 Damme, This Is The Oriental Modest Productions Rehan Ansari 2000 Scene for You 3 Women Director’s Catalogue Luisa Appolloni (Independent Artist) Toronto, Ontario [email protected] | (647) 567-1066 Union Affi liations: Non-Equity Language (s): English Luisa Appolloni is a director, instructor, writer and dramaturge. She recently conceived and directed Things Base & Weill…Love Can Transpose! at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Luisa has also worked at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Shaw Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Blyth Festival, Stirling Festival Theatre, Driftwood Theatre, Huron Country Playhouse, Stephenville Festival, the National Film Board of Canada, Sheridan College’s Music Theatre – Performing Arts Preparation Program and the Canadian Opera Company. BA(Hon)- Carleton University BEd- Queen’s University Diploma- Sheridan College SHOW COMPANY PLAYWRIGHT YEAR Love You Forever… Stirling Festival Theatre Stephen Colella and Sue Miner 2010 And More Munsch The Last Resort Stirling Festival Theatre Book by Norm Foster 2010 Music & Lyrics by Leslie Arden Things Base & Weill… Theatre Counterpoise / Conceived by Luisa Appolloni 2009 Love Can Transpose! Toronto Fringe Festival Looking Magnus Theatre Norm Foster 2009 The Day Billy Lived Magnus Theatre Chris Craddock 2008 4 Women Director’s Catalogue Maja Ardal (Established Artist) Toronto, Ontario [email protected] | (416) 949-1474 Union Affi liations: Equity Language (s): English and Icelandic Specialist in ensemble work and epic physical theatre using Laban movement with musican actors. Stones in his Pockets by Marie Jones, at Alberta Theatre Projects and The Grand Theatre London. Age of Arousal at Factory Theatre produced by Nightwood Theatre. Threepenny Opera, Good Person of Setzuan, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Hamlet. Midnight Sun Iceland 2001 Artistic Director of Young People’s Theatre 1990-98; Whale (Dora Award) Two Weeks with the Queen; A Christmas Carol; Oliver Twist; Independent; Prisoner of Tehran 2011. Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama 5 Women Director’s Catalogue Caroline Azar (Independent Artist) Toronto, Ontario [email protected] Union Affi liations: Equity, ACTRA Language (s): English and French Caroline Azar hails from the celebrated worlds of punk rock, underground Super 8 Cinema and performance art. Having initially started as a performer and working fi lm historian, she conducts many workshops and story developmental initiatives serving the well known and the novice. BA- University of Toronto SHOW COMPANY PLAYWRIGHT YEAR The Getaway Dumigod Productions / Bruce Hunter 2010 Fringe Toronto You Mean Now? The Question Company The Questions Company Collective 2008 Collective/Fringe Toronto Manorexic Theatre a Go Go/Fringe Toronto Caroline Azar 2005 Premieres of “Perfect Pie, Tarragon Theatre & Canadian Judith Thompson (Asst Director 1999- Habitat, Capture Me” Stage Company to Ms. Thompson) 2004 This Might Help The Cameron House Michael McMurtry 1997 6 Women Director’s Catalogue Renée Baillargeon (Established Artist) Toronto, Ontario 68 Carmine Crescent, St. Catharines Ontario L2S 3M2 [email protected] | (905) 684-6800 Union Affi liations: Equity Language (s): English and French As a specialist in Physical Theatre for over 30 years, Renée conceptualizes and implements her directing style to emphasize the visual aspect of theatre incorporating line, movement and music.