Polyamorous Play Development Panel

Theatre, at its core, is a collaborative endeavor. Why do we insist that creating new work be such a solitary act? Can we imagine a new system where theatre companies collaborate and combine their strengths, where we overcome regional isolation and self-imposed silos? Join leaders of Canadian Theatre for a frank and funny discussion about getting into bed with many partners. We’ll chat about rolling premieres, national and international collaborations and how to ignite a theatre revolution!

Host: Kelly Thornton Panelists: Brenda Leadlay, Jillian Keiley, Mary Vingoe, Nina Lee Aquino

Brenda Leadlay has been involved in theatre for the last 30 years; she has been as an actor, director, co-creator, dramaturge, movement teacher and artistic producer. She is currently the AD of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival and before that, the AD of Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver. Previous to that, she has been Artistic Director of the Norman Rothstein Theatre where she founded the Chutzpah Festival, as well as Tamahnous Theatre from 1993 to 1996 and has been nominated 3 times for Jessie Richardson awards for her work as a director and co- creator. Recent directing credits at Presentation House Theatre include: 9 Parts of Desire and The Edward Curtis Project. Over the course of her career, Brenda has been a co-creator on four new plays including Paper Wheat, Coming Apart, Raw Materials and Wet Dreams.

Jillian Keiley is the Artistic Director of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland. Selected touring productions include TNL's Tempting Providence and Stars in the Sky Morning, Artistic Fraud's Afterimage, Fear of Flight, Emile's Dream, Under Wraps and Oil and Water; Sheila's Brush's Jack Five Oh! and Shallaway's Ann and Seamus. Jillian has created productions in St. John's, Calgary, Toronto, Regina, Ireland, Australia and Italy. Jillian was the winner of the 2004 Siminovitch Prize for Directing, she holds an Honorary Doctorate from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and is a regular instructor with the National Theatre School of Canada.

Kelly Thornton has been the Artistic Director of since 2001. Directing credits include The List, That Face, Wild Dogs (all associated with Canadian Stage), The Danish Play (Toronto premiere 2002: toured Aveny- Teatret, Copenhagen, Magnetic North Theatre Festival & National Arts Centre, remounted in Toronto 2007); The Comedy of Errors (Canadian Stage’s Dream in High Park), This Hotel (Theatre Passe Muraille/Planet 88, Dora Nomination, Outstanding Direction). Kelly received the Pauline McGibbon Award for outstanding work as a Director in 2003 and was named a 2008 YWCA Woman of Distinction. In the new year Kelly is directing The Penelopiad at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, The Happy Woman at the Berkeley Street Theatre, Downstairs

Mary Vingoe, Recent directing credits include the world premiere of Bev Brett’s Out the Meadow (Ship’s Company Theatre), Alden (Notable Acts in Fredericton) and Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People (Mount Allison). Mary is the founding Artistic Director of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival. She is a co-founder and past Artistic Director of Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre and founding Artistic Director of The Eastern Front Theatre in Halifax as well as co-founder and past Co Artistic Director of The Ship’s Company Theatre in . She is currently Crake Fellow in Drama at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB. Mary is the recipient of the The Robert E. Merritt Award for Achievement in Theatre, () and a Dora Mavor Moore Award for best production, Toronto. In 2011 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Nina Lee Aquino is a director, dramaturge and playwright. She is the Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre Company and an Artistic Associate of the Factory Theatre. She is also the editor of Canada’s first Asian-Canadian 2- volume drama anthology titled love & relasianships (Playwrights Canada Press, Spring 2009) and the co-editor of New Essays on Canadian Theatre Volume One: Asian Canadian Theatre (Playwrights Canada Press, Spring 2011). Other credits include awards for directing include the Ken McDougall Award 2004, the Canada Council John Hirsch Prize 2008, a Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding direction 2011 (paper SERIES, Cahoots Theatre Company).

*We would like to thank The Mill Street Brewery and Chateau des Charmes for sponsoring the Groundswell opening reception, happening tonight from 5‐7pm!