Trained in France and Canada, Renee is a bilingual professional performing artist, director, choreographer and playwright who has worked across Canada from performing Persephone with the Victoria Symphony and Kaleidoscope Theatre in BC to directing The Madwoman of Chaillot at SWGC Memorial University Newfoundland. Locally she has worked with Theatre Beyond Words, The Shaw Festival, Showboat, The Albright-Knox Gallery, Spiritsong Productions,Theatre Arts Niagara, Lundy’s Lane cemetery tours, SCAAC, Soundtrack Performance, The Essential Collective, The Folk Arts Council, Haunted Hamilton and Casino Niagara. A professional bilingual Sears and Theatre Ontario adjudicator for over 20 years, she has also taught various aspects of theatre at SWGC Memorial Nfld., McMaster, Brock, Windsor, Moncton and Sheridan. American credits include Dance Theatre Workshop and The Clown Review in New York City and current position as an adjunct professor at Niagara University. Her past work in the DOMS salon series and as a director with “First Draft” in Toronto reiterates her continued support and commitment to new play development.

Carousel Players is a professional theatre company committed to producing plays that entertain, challenge and inspire creativity in young audiences. They tour their work into schools, theatres and other venues in order to stimulate the imagination of all children, regardless of their socio-economic status. Carousel Players develops new plays with professional artists and provides outreach programming for young people and their families. In the 120-seat Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre are Carousel Players performances for family audiences, productions by Niagara’s performing arts companies and special events hosted by Niagara groups who rent the facility. Carousel Players offers an active summer camp program and theatre school activities for children aged 5 to 15 years.

Trained with the National Ballet and in Modern Dance. Studied at the Ontario College of Art and Brock University of the Performing Arts. Performed, Directed and Choreographed for various local theatres including: Stray Theatre, Ex-B, SCCIP Artist in the Community, Carousel Players, Brock Centre for the Arts, Garden City Productions and NAC.

Writing experience:
Editor in Chief, ‘Ireland’s Case’, Innisfree Press. Plays, Short stories, a Cabaret. Children’s books published by Nelson/Canada.

Taught Drama, Creative Movement and Literacy:In Kenya, East Africa, Niagara District School Board, Brock University, Grey Gables private school.

Facilitator, Expressive Art Therapy techniques: Niagara Distress Centre and LYL program, Brock University.

maeve2@mergetel.com
905-684-2017

Most recent productions: “Criminals in Love”, “Possible Worlds”,”True West” in St. Catharines; “A Lie of the Mind”, “Problem Child”, Village Theatre, Waterdown; “Salt Water Moon”, Hamilton Players Guild. Directed over 60 fringe theatre or university productions in NY, Netherlands, UK and Canada (incl. Toronto and Vancouver). Taught theatre courses at 6 colleges and universities, incl. 20 years at Brock University (3 of them as Chair of Dramatic Arts). Was Co-Director of The Open Theatre, the award-winning NY theatre ensemble, and Assistant Director of The Living Theater, NY. Guest leader of acting and directing workshops at many community theatres in ON and universities, e.g., Yale, Kent State, SUNY-Plattsburg. Published articles on acting, theatre training, etc. in Drama Contact, Canadian Theatre Review, Theatre Research In Canada, Theatrum, Theater (formerly Yale Theater), Gestus, The Drama Review. Founding member of Stray Theatre, most of whose actors he trained himself and whom he has directed in plays by Sam Shepard, Samuel Beckett, and Canadian playwrights George F. Walker and Jason Sherman. Subject of articles or chapters in these theatre books: “A Book on The Open Theater”, “Lunatics, Lovers and Poets”, “Modern Drama Onstage”.

About Garden City Productions
Our Company originally started out in 1955 as The Operatic Society of Grantham United Church and became an official entity in 1963 under the name of Garden City Productions. The objectives of the Company were to establish, maintain and operate a permanent Canadian repertory theatrical company: to promote interest and skill in the arts of the theatre by means of the presentation of musicals and other performances and by giving intsruction in and demonstrating the arts of the theatre.

We have had the honour of having top Canadian and New York directors, technical directors, costume designers, set and lighting designers to instruct and demonstrate. We have provided the training ground and can boast of numerous paid alumni, now working in the theatrical field of their choice, having learned from one of the best community theatres in Canada.

Garden City Productions produces two musicals a year, in the Spring and the Fall. To date we have produced 93 top quality Shows. For three summers (2003-2005) we presented the “Shakespeare in the Vineyard” productions, where all funds received were donated to the charity of choice”.
We are “Community Theatre At Its Best”. Information can be obtained from our website www.gcp.ca or by phoning 905-682-1353

MetaPhysical Theatre

Founded in 1987 by artistic director, David Langlois, MetaPhysical Theatre’s mandate is to explore, create, teach and perform physical theatre. Since its creation, the company has created, presented and toured six physical theatre productions to Fringe Festivals and secondary schools across Canada, in the U. S. and to Australia and New Zealand. They are: ‘Emotional Baggage’, ‘No Direction Home’, ‘Earthlings’, ‘Julius Rex’, ‘The Seven Lively Sins’ and ‘Fool’s Gold’. As a college and secondary school curriculum resource, David has taught physical theatre classes and workshops in numerous colleges and secondary schools in Ontario and Alberta, notably, Sheridan College in Oakville, Keyano College in Fort McMurrary, Medicine Hat College in Medicine Hat and Fanshawe College in London.

I was Brock’s first Associate VP, Research and first Dean of Graduate
Studies, retiring in mid 2004, having been at Brock since 1966. I am
now Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and am working for Brock part
time as “Special Advisor on Buildings and Space”. I thus have
significant experience in: the planning and building/renovating
spaces for the fine and performing arts; the research, scholarship,
creative works and advanced education/training in these fields at
both the undergraduate and graduate level; as well as having advised
on possible funding sources and helped with the writing of grant
applications in these fields. I am currently a member of the Board of
Theatre Beyond Words.

Theatre and writing/publishing

Theatre: Director, Actor
Teaching: Acting, Voice
Dramatic Advisor: Toronto Operetta Theatre
Ontario Councillor: Canadian Actors’ Equity Association
Former Artistic Director: Script Lab, Gryphon Theatre
Former: Acting Coach/Production Manager – Canadian Children’s Opera Theatre