Kevin Loring

Last updated
Kevin Loring
Born (1974-11-24) November 24, 1974 (age 50)
Lytton, British Columbia, Canada
Occupationplaywright, actor
Nationality Canadian
Period2003–present
Notable worksWhere the Blood Mixes

Kevin Loring (born November 24, 1974) is a Canadian playwright and actor. As a playwright, he won the Governor General's Award for English-language drama, [1] the Herman Voaden Playwriting Competition [2] and the Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script, [3] and was nominated for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, [4] for Where the Blood Mixes in 2009. His 2019 play, Thanks for Giving , was short-listed for the Governor General's Award for Drama. [5] In June 2021 Kevin Loring received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Arts. [6]

Contents

As an actor, his credits include roles in the television series Da Vinci's Inquest , Arctic Air and Health Nutz , and the film Pathfinder , as well as stage roles including Michel Tremblay's Saint Carmen of the Main , George Ryga's The Ecstasy of Rita Joe and Edmund in an all-First Nations production of William Shakespeare's King Lear at the National Arts Centre in 2012. [7] Loring was a writer and co-producer for the documentary War: The Untold Story in 2009. [8]

A Nlaka'pamux from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia, [9] Loring first began his studies at Cariboo College known now as Thompson Rivers University (TRU). He was a 1997 university transfer student enrolled in an arts program. In 2015 TRU recognized Loring as a distinguished alumni awarding him with the Arts and Culture Award, in recognition of his impact on Canadian arts and culture as a playwright, actor, instructor, and mentor. [10] Loring then studied theatre at the prestigious Studio 58 theatre program at Langara College until 2000. [9] In June 2017, Loring was selected by the Hnatyshyn Foundation as a recipient of the REVEAL Indigenous Arts Award, which honours Indigenous Canadian artists across disciplines. [11] Kevin Loring created the Songs of the Land Project in collaboration with five separate organizations in his home community. [12] This project aimed to bring traditional Nlakap’amux songs and stories, which were recorded on wax cylinders at the beginning of the 20th century by anthropologist James Teit, to contemporary audiences. [13] This work informed The Battle of the Birds, a play which debuted at the Lytton River Festival in 2015, [13] and which was restaged in Ottawa in 2019. [14] It also spurred The Boy Who Was Abandoned, a second production which debuted in Lytton in September 2016. [13]

On June 15, 2017, Loring was announced as the first artistic director for Indigenous Theatre at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa (NAC). [15] In early 2019, the NAC was denied $3.5 million dollars of requested federal funding, a decision which would have a significant impact on the inaugural season. [16] The first production, “The Unnatural and Accidental Women” by Métis playwright Marie Clements opened on September 11, 2019. [17]

Works

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References

  1. ↑ "WCT collaborator wins Governor General's award". Kamloops Daily News , November 23, 2009.
  2. ↑ "The classes and the damage done". The Globe and Mail , June 2, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Playhouse Theatre Company nabs five wins at 27th Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards". The Georgia Straight , June 15, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Jersey Boys, Agokwe, Eternal Hydra Are Among Nominees at June 29 Dora Awards in Toronto". Playbill , June 29, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Governor General's Literary Awards". Governor General's Literary Awards. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  6. ↑ "uOttawa announces the recipients of Spring 2021 honorary doctorates". University of Ottawa Web Site. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  7. ↑ "A 'King Lear' in need of a king ". The Globe and Mail , May 13, 2012.
  8. ↑ Canyon War: The Untold Story (2009) - IMDb . Retrieved 2024-05-08– via www.imdb.com.
  9. 1 2 "Where the Blood Mixes draws on healing power of stories" Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine . The Georgia Straight , May 28, 2008.
  10. ↑ "2015 Distinguished Alumni – TRU Newsroom". inside.tru.ca. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  11. ↑ "Langara. News & Events: Langara News: 2017: Studio 58 alumni receive REVEAL Indigenous Art Award". langara.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  12. ↑ "Kevin Loring | Biographies". nac-cna.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  13. 1 2 3 "Songs of the Land". New Pathways to Gold Society. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  14. ↑ Hosein, Lise (September 11, 2019). "Battle of the Birds tells a mighty story of epic struggle (and very human realities)". CBC Arts. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Kevin Loring named NAC's 1st head of Indigenous theatre". CBC News, June 15, 2017.
  16. ↑ Friend, David (April 2, 2019). "National Arts Centre's Indigenous Theatre denied $3.5M federal funding". The Canadian Press. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  17. ↑ "'It's about time': Ottawa's Indigenous Theatre prepares to launch first season". Global News. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  18. ↑ Loring, Kevin (2009). Where the Blood Mixes. Canada: Talonbooks. ISBN   9780889226081.
  19. ↑ Paleja, Shaker (2013). Native Americans: A Visual Exploration. Canada: Annick Press. ISBN   978-1554514854.
  20. ↑ Loring, Kevin (2019). Thanks for Giving. Canada: Talonbooks. ISBN   9781772012187.
  21. ↑ "Books » Talonbooks". talonbooks.com. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  22. ↑ "Lytton by Peter Edwards and Kevin Loring". Penguin Random House Canada. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
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