 | |
 | |
| |||||
| |
Directions In This Issue ... • Through the Eyes of an Elephant |  | |||||
A New Face at Theatre Direct INTRODUCTION I have a new home at Theatre Direct. I was recently invited to be a part of the company by Lynda in (what I believe was) an extraordinary act of kindness and collaboration! I am thrilled, humbled, and honoured to be a part of Theatre Direct’s team. To introduce myself, I am a Toronto-based director, playwright, fight/movement choreographer, dramaturg and instructor. I have had the great fortune of working across Canada as well as in Ireland, and the United States. I received my formal education at the University of Guelph (B.A.) and the University of Toronto (M.A.). From 2002-2007 I was a company member of the Charlottetown Festival, including Associate and Head of Acting for the Young Company and Director Drama Education Programs. In the land of TYA my musical Arianna received three productions in French by le 3e oeil danse theatre, and I am instructor of Teaching Drama to Children at the University of Guelph-Humber. My recent freelance collaborations have been with Cahoots Theatre Projects, Modern Times Stage Company, Shakespeare in Action, and OneHeart Productions (New York City). In Fall 2007 I directed and dramaturged the world premiere of Anusree Roy’s Pyaasa, a story about an untouchable girl in India’s former caste system (recently awarded two Dora Mavor Moore Awards!) I am also proud to be a full member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. The 2007-2008 season has been blissfully full to the brim with new play development. In recent months playwrights and artists were invited to take part in The Hot House, a day of readings from playwrights supported by Theatre Direct through the OAC’s Theatre Creator’s Reserve program. Gathered artists listened to excerpts of new scripts, provided feedback, and following a delicious lunch engaged in an afternoon long discussion into the current climate of TYA through inter-generational discussions between established and emerging playwrights. Abhimanyu, a new work by Sharada K. Eswar under co-commission with the National Arts Centre received a one-day developmental workshop under the dramaturgy of Lynda with an incredible group of actors. This play, an adaptation of a story from the epic Indian Mahabharata, will be presented in workshop once more next season before its scheduled co-production with the NAC in the 2009-2010 season! We were also thrilled to see a first draft of D’Alaska by Sébastien Harrison through a wonderful new translation by Leanna Brodie. Following her time at the Banff Centre, Leanna and Sébastien will be welcomed to an in-house rehearsal reading of the work in August, 2008, followed by a public reading in October, 2008. In the upcoming season Theatre Direct will be launching their new play development initiatives including readings of four new plays, a festival of new and established TYA performances, and an experimental creators unit for multi-disciplinary creation. If you would like email updates to these exciting new readings and events, please feel free to send me an email and I will place you on a contact list. I look forward to meeting new artists and audiences, and welcome any questions you may have as well. You can reach me at: thom[at]theatredirect.on.ca In addition to new play development, look for news on our upcoming education and outreach, including Round Trip Home, our year long in school residency program, weekend classes, after school programs, and summer camps! My life in the theatre before Theatre Direct has had a passionate focus on TYA and teaching. I believe in the theatre and education outreach created at Theatre Direct, and to be able to continue my growth at a company whose mission, mandate, and dedication to development are so focused and inspired is both an inspiration and a joy. I look forward to the months ahead, and look forward to meeting new faces and collaborators! | ||||||
 |  | |||||
| | | | | | |
