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James MacDonald is a Canadian theatre director, actor, and the artistic director of Western Canada Theatre. [1] He was the first artistic director of Edmonton's FreeWill Shakespeare Festival [2] (1997-2001). From 2006-2016, he was the associate artistic director of the Citadel Theatre.
MacDonald was born in Montreal and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He was trained at the Banff School of Fine Arts, and graduated from the University of Alberta's Bachelor of Fine Arts acting program in 1989. In 1989, he was a co-founder of the Freewill Shakespeare Festival. [2] In 2002, he directed The Old Ladies by Rodney Ackland and then made his Citadel Theatre directing debut in 2004 with Stones in His Pockets, starring John Ulyatt and John Kirkpatrick.
MacDonald works as a director, actor, educator, and dramaturge for new Canadian stage plays. [3] His work as a director includes productions at the Stratford Festival ( Julius Caesar), the Shaw Festival (The Old Ladies), the Canadian Stage Company (Fire, Much Ado About Nothing , As You Like It ), The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (A Few Good Men, Sherlock Holmes and the case of the Jersey Lily), and over 15 productions at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre (Clybourne Park, Vimy, God of Carnage, Venus in Fur). As a director, dramaturge, and actor, MacDonald has been involved in the development of over 35 new Canadian plays, including his direction of Vimy (Citadel Theatre), Miss Shakespeare (Musical TheatreWorks), With a Twist (Lunchbox Theatre, Calgary), and Conni Massing's Myth of Summer (Alberta Theatre Projects), and his dramaturgy for Firehall Arts Centre's production of Chelsea Hotel: the Songs of Leonard Cohen—which has toured nationally, most recently to the Belfry Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Theatre Calgary and the Banff Centre.
As an actor, he has worked for theatres both across Canada and internationally. He created the role of Einstein in Einstein’s Gift at The Citadel Theatre. He played the main role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Citadel Theatre's annual production of A Christmas Carol from 2011-2015. He is a regular guest instructor/director for the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Program [4] and teaches workshops in Shakespearean text [5] and the audition process. MacDonald is a former national Councilor for the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, and former Secretary of the Edmonton Performers’ Branch of ACTRA.
Canada's contemporary theatre reflects a rich diversity of regional and cultural identities. Since the late 1960s, there has been a concerted effort to develop the voice of the 'Canadian playwright', which is reflected in the nationally focused programming of many of the country's theatres. Within this 'Canadian voice' are a plurality of perspectives - that of the First Nations, new immigrants, French Canadians, sexual minorities, etc. - and a multitude of theatre companies have been created to specifically service and support these voices.
The Freewill Shakespeare Festival is produced by The Free Will Players Theatre Guild (FWP) in Edmonton and is one of the longest running outdoor Shakespeare Festivals in Canada. FWP was formed as a not-for-profit theatre company in 1989 by a group of seven recent graduates of the U of A in a truly cooperative, pass-the-hat spirit with the mandate to produce the works of William Shakespeare. Since then, FWP has grown to an organization that employs over 50 artists, administrators, and support staff at the height of the summer season of plays and has drawn over 250,000 people to its productions. In addition, the summer season down at the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park also has over 150 volunteers assisting with the afternoon and evening shows and special events. These volunteers put in over 4000 hours each summer.
The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada.
Vern Thiessen is a Canadian playwright.
Alberta Musical Theatre Company, based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is the major touring Theatre for Young Audiences company in Alberta. It has been presenting original musical theatre adaptations in schools in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta since 1984 and its repertoire includes such fairytales as Rapunzel, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rumplestiltskin, The Frog Prince, The Red Shoes, and the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award-winning Jack and the Beanstalk. Besides exploring traditional themes with contemporary eyes, Alberta Musical Theatre Company offers 16 students the chance to actively participate in each production as actors and stagehands.
John Patrick Page is an American actor, low bass singer, and playwright. He originated the roles of the Grinch in Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical (2006), Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2011), and Hades in Hadestown (2019–2022), the later of which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
John Newport Caird is an English stage director and writer of plays, musicals and operas. He is an honorary associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, was for many years a regular director with the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and is the principal guest director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Stockholm (Dramaten).
Paul Morgan Donald is a Canadian musician, composer, and actor based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is the musical director of Die-Nasty, Edmonton's long-running improvised soap opera. He has a long-running association with the River City Shakespeare Festival as both an actor and composer, and has worked at most of Edmonton's theatres including the Citadel Theatre. He has twice been honoured with the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award, as Director of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival production of Reefer Madness: the Musical, and as co-composer of Catalyst Theatre's Songs for Sinners.
Robin Phillips OC was an English actor and film director.
William Hawrelak Park is a park in Edmonton, Alberta. Formerly known as Mayfair Park, it was initially going to be developed into a 500-lot subdivision; however, when the Strathcona Land Syndicate forfeited their taxes the city obtained the title for the land in 1922. This land lay unused until 1954, when Mayor William Hawrelak proposed to create a 350-acre (1.4 km2) riverside park in this area as it would “fit into the overall park development of the City along the lines of the zoo, and the golf courses and other picnic areas”. The digging of the man-made lakes began in 1959 and later was completed in 1964 but had few facilities. The official opening day of Mayfair Park was on Dominion Day, July 1, 1967. It was renamed in 1982 for Hawrelak, who died in office in 1975 while serving as mayor of Edmonton.
Réjean Cournoyer is a Canadian actor and singer, and was raised in a bilingual home. Growing up his family was members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Jessie Richardson Theatre Award is given to recognize achievement in professional theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Jessies are presented by the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award Society, at an annual ceremony. The awards are named after Jessie Richardson, co-founder of the Playhouse Holiday Theatre, local actor, director and designer.
Brian Hill is a Canadian/American director and playwright living in New York City.
Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe is a musical that was written, composed, and directed by Jonathan Christenson and designed by Bretta Gerecke. It follows the life of Edgar Allan Poe and the internal and external struggles he faced which are depicted as inspiring his writings. In the play, Poe struggles with tragedies such as death, abandonment, addiction, poverty, and loss. The script contains many references to Poe's poems and short stories. The script fictionalizes true events that took place in his life while also incorporating his creative works and poems. It was originally produced at the Catalyst Theater in Edmonton, Alberta, for an 11-week production that then went on to be performed at theater festivals, theaters across Canada, to the Barbican Theater in London, and the New Victory Theater in New York City.
Shakespeare in the Park is a term for outdoor festivals featuring productions of William Shakespeare's plays. The term originated with the New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City's Central Park, originally created by Joseph Papp. This concept has been adapted by many theatre companies, and over time, this name has expanded to encompass outdoor theatre productions of the playwright's works performed all over the world.
Janice Elva MacDonald is a Canadian writer of literary and mystery novels, textbooks, non-fiction, and stories for both adults and children. She is best known as the creator of a series of comic academic mystery novels featuring reluctant amateur sleuth Miranda "Randy" Craig, all of which are set in Edmonton, Alberta.
Ronald Pederson is a Canadian actor, comedian and theatre director who has worked extensively throughout Canada and in the United States. He has performed at most of Canada's major theatres including The Stratford Festival, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Citadel Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, The Arts Club, The Vancouver Playhouse, The Young Centre, The Canadian Stage Company, The Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Soulpepper and The SummerWorks Festival. Pederson is an alumni of Toronto’s The Second City and has also worked extensively in television and may be best known for his Canadian Comedy Award-nominated work and his three seasons on Fox Television's MADtv.
Daryl Cloran is a Canadian theatre director and, currently, the artistic director of the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta. Formally the artistic director of Western Canada Theatre, in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, he took over as the artistic director of Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, AB, Canada, succeeding Bob Baker, in September 2016.
Wendell Smith is a Canadian actor born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
Robert Kenneth Baker is a retired Canadian theatre director most known for his work as the artistic director of the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta, from 1998 to 2016.