Jan Derbyshire

Last updated
Jan Derbyshire
Born
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Other namesJD
Children Kacey Rohl
Website www.jdderbyshire.com

Jan "JD" Derbyshire is a Canadian theatre artist, comedian, and writer. She has performed her one-woman show, Certified, across Canada, including in Vancouver where it won two Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards.

Contents

Early life and education

Derbyshire was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. She completed master's degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Inclusive Design in 2014. [1] [2]

Career

Derbyshire's play, Funny in the Head, about their experiences with bipolar disorder, was commissioned by Stage Left Productions, and it premiered at the Balancing Acts Disability Arts Festival in Alberta, Canada in 2008. [3] In 2010, alongside the Paralympic Games, Derbyshire performed her one-woman show Funny in the Head at the Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture Festival, and it was the only show performed at Kickstart. [4]

Derbyshire developed another one-woman show, Certified, in 2018. She has performed Certified for Handsome Alice Theatre (Calgary) in 2018, [5] Touchstone Theatre (Vancouver) in 2019, [6] at One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo (Calgary) in 2020, [7] and at the Progress Festival (Toronto) in 2020. [8]

In 2020, Derbyshire was writer-in-residence at Mount Royal University. [7]

Personal life

Derbyshire and her ex-husband, TV director Michael Rohl, have a daughter, actress Kacey Rohl. [9] [1]

Plays

Awards

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultNotesRef.
2020 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards Outstanding Original ScriptCertifiedWon [11]
Critics’ Choice Innovation AwardWonfor Touchstone Theatre

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Leiren-Young, Mark (2012-07-31). "Talking Turkey About Queer Arts". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2020-11-07 via PressReader.
  2. "About". Jan(JD)Derbyshire. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  3. "Balancing Acts: Calgary's 8th Annual Disability Arts Festival". Balancing Acts. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  4. Johnston, Kristy (2012). Stage Turns : Canadian Disability Theatre. McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 165. ISBN   9780773539945.
  5. Watson, Kari (2018-03-13). "Jan Derbyshire invites you to determine her mental state in solo production Certified – TheYYSCENE". The YYScene. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  6. 1 2 Kai Mak, Danny (2019-11-04). "In Certified, Jan Derbyshire adroitly untangles her experiences in the mental-health system". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  7. 1 2 Hobson, Louis B. (2020-01-21). "High Performance Rodeo selling out fast in last week". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  8. "In Certified, comedian Jan Derbyshire asks the audience to assess her mental health". CBC. 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  9. Derdeyn, Stuart (2015-04-15). "Kacey Rohl likes Working the Engels". The Province. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  10. Johnston, Kirsty (2012). Stage Turns : Canadian Disability Theatre. McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 42. ISBN   9780773539945.
  11. Smith, Janet (2020-06-29). "Noises Off, The Father, and more win big as 2019-20 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards go virtual". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved 2020-11-07.