Gavin McDonald has been a Lighting Designer and Production Manager for theatre, dance, music, exhibitions, events, and a bit of opera across the country for over 20 years as well as the United States and UK. Gavin will be joining the faculty of Theatre Department as an Assistant Professor in Lighting and Media Design as of July 1st!
Category Archives: Theatre
4 Questions: Rohan Kulkarni
Rohan Kulkarni (BA Honours Double Major Theatre & Political Science, 2014) lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta, as dramaturg, academic, arts administrator, public speaker, and instructor. As part of his responsibilities at the Edmonton Opera, he involves people in the arts, be it theatre, music, dance, or opera. He initiates projects, seminars, performances, and collaborations between arts companies to reach new audiences, especially those belonging to diverse communities.
4 Questions: Amy Bowman
Amy Bowman (BA Theatre Studies, 2013) has worked as a dramaturg, stage manager, and voice actor. She currently works at Pirate, an audio production and design house based in Toronto in Client Services. Additionally, since 2016, she has been the co-host and co-producer of Broken Picture Podcast, which reviews the very best and the very worst film can offer.
4 Questions: Mary Spyrakis
Mary Spyrakis (York BFA 1986) runs the prop shop at Canadian Stage, where she has worked for twenty-two years. She has also worked at YPT, Tarragon, TWP, and continues to work for Studio 180 and Musical Stage.
4 Questions: Paul Halferty
Paul Halferty is a theatre historian and a queer theatre and performance studies scholar. He is Assistant Professor in Drama Studies in the School of English, Drama and Film at University College Dublin, where he is also the director of the UCD Centre for Canadian Studies.
4 Questions: Julia Pileggi
Julia Pileggi is a published writer, touring spoken word poet, interdisciplinary creator, and educator. In 2017 she ranked in the top ten at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam and released a poetry chapbook. She is also co-founder (with fellow Yorkie, Sasha Singer-Wilson) of the on-going writing project www.thesefiveminutes.com, through which they host readings, writing groups, and writer’s workouts across Canada.
4 Questions: Foster Freed
Foster Freed is a Minister with the United Church of Canada. Though he left the world of theatre many years ago, he says that “the extent to which my four years at York continues to shape the work I do—in ways expected and in ways surprising—as a preacher, as a designer-of and presider-at weekly worship, as a small-group facilitator and as a pastoral-care provider” cannot be denied.
4 Questions: Dave Deveau
Dave Deveau (BFA Creative Ensemble/Playwriting, 2005) is an award-winning Vancouver-based playwright. His plays have been produced across North America and in Europe, with a primary focus on intelligent work for young people. His plays for young audiences have toured extensively over the past seven years through Green Thumb Theatre, Roseneath Theatre, Young People’s Theatre, To Be Determined Theatre and nephesh theatre (Israel).
Spotlight on Faculty: David Rayfield
David Rayfield is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice combines theatre production, performance, installation and visual art. He has taught Scenic Painting in the 1110 labs and more recently, he’s taught Drawing for the Theatre.
4 Questions: Chris Dupuis
Chris Dupuis (BFA Directing and Playwriting 2000) works as a curator, presenting film screenings and exhibitions, while maintaining a busy career as an arts journalist and pursuing graduate studies in Brussels, Belgium.