Notes on Contributors
- Notes on Contributors
2BOYS.TV
Since 2002, as the collective 2boys.tv, Stephen Lawson and Aaron Pollard have pursued a collaborative practice that traverses disciplinary boundaries and political frontiers. Active locally, nationally, and internationally, their beginnings as a performance duo emerged from Montreal’s wildly eclectic cabaret scene. Subsequently, they have toured and taught across the country, to museums, galleries, theatres, artist-run centres, universities, and festivals. Their ongoing collaborations with colleagues abroad at various intersections of performance and politics have brought them into a dialogue with audiences in Europe and throughout North and South America.
Aluna Theatre
Beatriz Pizano is the artistic director of Aluna Theatre: a leading Latin-Canadian company in intercultural and interdisciplinary theatre. She has written and directed a trilogy of plays about women and war in Colombia (For Sale, Madre, La Comunion) that received a total of four Doras and thirteen nominations. As a director, Beatriz has been recognized with the prestigious 2009 John Hirsh Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. The jury said: “Beatriz Pizano is one of the most important directorial innovators in a landscape of new developing artists in Canada. We recognize her ability to galvanize her community into productive, proactive commitment to process and production. She is guided by a strong directorial vision that is continually expanding her breadth of theatrical knowledge.” Trevor Schwellnus is a Toronto-based scenographer, designing sets, lighting, and video for performance with independent artists. He is developing a focus on both the integration of diverse artistic disciplines, and intercultural practices. He is artistic producer of Aluna Theatre, and in 2009–10 was designer-in-residence at the Theatre Centre. He directed, designed, and dramaturged Nohayquiensepa (No one knows) for Aluna, and designs most of their shows. He has collaborated in theatre and dance with Modern Times, Jumblies, Alameda, Cahoots, Buddies in Bad Times, Obsidian, Tarragon, Small Wooden Shoe, One Reed, Marie-Josée Chartier, Ame Henderson, Susie Burpee, and others. He has three Doras, a Harold, and a Children’s Choice Award.
Nina Arsenault
Nina Arsenault is a Toronto-based transdisciplinary artist. Her solo theatrical performances have played across Canada to sold-out houses and critical raves. Her visual art has been presented at the National Gallery of Canada as part of a lecture called Beauty, Art and the Female Form. In May 2012, Intellect Books will publish TRANS(per)FORMING Nina Arsenault: An Unreasonable Body of Work, an international volume of artists and scholars commenting on Nina’s exploration of beauty, image, and queerness.
Claudia Bernal
After graduating in Philology and Languages from the National University of Colombia, Claudia Bernal immigrated to Quebec in 1991. She graduated in 1999 with a BA in Visual Arts/Creation from the University of Quebec in Montreal. She participated in many performance art workshops, with actor and director Marc Zammit, choreographer and dancer Mariko Tanabe, and artistic director René Migliaccio, among others. Claudia Bernal has developed a particular approach focused on the fragmentation of urban space and its impact on society and culture. The concepts of movement, migration, space, and identity are recurrent in her artworks. As an interdisciplinary artist, she has presented both collective and solo exhibitions in Quebec, Canada, and abroad.
Madeleine Blais-Dahlem
Madeleine Blais-Dahlem is a bilingual playwright from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Primarily produced in French by La Troupe du Jour, her latest play, La maculée/sTain, merited the Outstanding Playwright award at the Saskatoon and Area Theatre awards. It is currently shortlisted for the Women Playwrights International Conference slated for Sweden 2012.
Daniel Brooks
Daniel Brooks is one of Canada’s most accomplished theatremakers. As a writer, director, performer, and teacher, he has worked with some of the country’s finest talents and produced a body of daring and original work. He is currently the artistic director of Necessary Angel, and an associate artist at Soulpepper. He has won many awards, including the Siminovitch Prize. His work has toured across Canada and around the world.
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell was for many years the producer at Nightswimming, DVxT Theatre, Mammalian Diving Reflex, and Civilized Theatre, among others. More recently she has worked at Magnetic North and Luminato, and consults with independent...
