Gail Packwood is currently Executive Director for the Associated Designers of Canada. She shares her career trajectory with us, including a positions in company management and production for Mirvish Production, Associate Producer for the Canadian Stage Company, and as an Arts Management Fellow at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Author Archives: earmstro
4 Questions: Lucy Powis
Dramaturg Lucy Powis (BA Theatre 2015) joins us to talk about her path since leaving York, which has taken her to Columbia University and a number of important theatres in the US, plus what was most striking about her time at York. Lucy credits opportunities she had in the Devised Theatre series of courses, as well as what she learned as one of the co-artistic directors of playGround, that forced her to broaden her skill set.
Spotlight on Faculty: Erika Batdorf
Movement and Performance Creation teacher Erika Batdorf joins us this month to discuss her current work and research. She talks about the artists that inspire her, the architecture that moves her, and her plans for the year ahead, including her performance work.
4 Questions: Stafford Arima
Stafford Arima (BFA Theatre 1992) was appointed the artistic director of Theatre Calgary last year. Prior to that, he had a thriving career in the New York theatre scene for nearly 20 years, including being the first Asian Canadian to direct a musical on Broadway with Allegiance played at the Longacre Theatre, starring George Takei and …
4 Questions: Molly Thomas
This week we’re joined by Molly Thomas, who graduated from York 2 years ago, having specialized in Devised Theatre and Playwriting/New Play Dramaturgy. She tells us about the impact of her work at York, and how it helps her in day-to-day work as an historical interpreter.
4 Questions: Sky Gilbert
This article continues our series 50 Years of Disruption, in celebration of the Department of Theatre’s 50th Anniversary. In it, we’ll ask each participant four questions about themselves and their time at York. 1. Who are you? Sky Gilbert (BFA Theatre 1976) is a poet, novelist, actor, playwright, filmmaker, theatre director, and drag queen extraordinaire. He was …
Spotlight on Faculty: Marlis Schweitzer
1. Who are you? I’m Marlis Schweitzer, and I’m a theatre and performance historian and love spending time in archives looking at scrapbooks, photographs, letters, and other documents from the nineteenth and early-twentieth century. The weirdest “object” I’ve encountered during my time researching at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC was a well-preserved piece …
Spotlight on Faculty: Eric Armstrong
1. Who are you? My name is Eric Armstrong, and I’m an associate professor in the Department of Theatre. When people ask me what I do, I like to tell people that “I teach actors how to use their voices.” At York, I work with the actors in the BFA and MFA Acting programs, and …
4 Questions: Jeannette Lambermont-Morey
This week, we’re joined by director and theatre maker Jeannette Lambermont-Morey, who currently is teaching scene study for the winter semester of the third year Acting Conservatory at York. In answering our four questions, she shares “mind-blowing” experiences, and fond memories of the most impactful moments of studying Theatre at York in the mid-seventies. This …
4 Questions: Robert Benedetti
Dr. Robert Benedetti is a renowned and award-winning theatre educator, writer, and three-time Emmy and Peabody Award-winning film producer. On top of being chairman at the Department of Theatre at York in the early 70’s, he was Chairman of the Acting Program at the Yale Drama School, and for eight years Dean of Theatre at The …
