| Four
Outstanding Canadian Directors Make Short-List for 2007 Siminovitch
Prize in Theatre TORONTO,
October 3, 2007 – BMO Financial Group, sponsor of the Elinore & Lou
Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, announced today the names of four exceptional
Canadian theatre directors who have been placed on the short-list for the
$100,000 Prize. The Siminovitch Prize is the largest in Canadian theatre
and will be presented in Toronto on October 29, 2007. “On behalf of BMO Financial Group, I would like to congratulate the extraordinary directors short-listed for the 2007 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. The jury reviewed many impressive submissions this year. I thank each juror for their thoughtful deliberation,” said Gilles Ouellette, President and CEO, Private Client Group, BMO Financial Group. “The four outstanding theatre directors selected by the jury as finalists for this year's Siminovitch Prize clearly exemplify the rich variety of artistry at work in theatres across Canada,” said Leonard McHardy, Jury Chair, Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. “Each director has a unique and personal style which the jury has chosen to recognize and celebrate with this impressive short-list.” Joining Mr. McHardy
on the jury are Geneviève Billette, author,
translator and recipient of the 2002 Siminovitch Protégé Prize;
Katrina Dunn, director and producer; Valerie Moore, director, choreographer
and teacher; and Carlo Guillermo Proto, director, producer and writer. Brigitte Haentjens Brigitte Haentjens is a Canadian theatre director. She studied theatre in Paris before moving to Ontario in 1977, serving as artistic director of the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario for eight years. From 1991 to 1994 she was artistic director of Nouvelle Compagnie Théâtrale in Montréal, and from 1996 to 2006 she was artistic co-director for the Carrefour International de Théâtre de Québec. Ms. Haentjens has also run her own theatre company, Sibyllines, since 1977, intended as a vehicle to further explore her artistic approach with greater freedom. For Sibyllines, she is currently working on a production of Blasted by Sarah Kane, translated by Jean Marc Dalpé with Paul Ahmarani, Céline Bonnier and Roy Dupuis, scheduled to open in the spring of 2008 as well as developing a number of new projects. Ron Jenkins Ron Jenkins is a Canadian director and producer, and founding member of November Theatre. As artistic director of Workshop West Theatre in Edmonton from 2000 to 2006, Mr. Jenkins premiered new Canadian plays every season, often performing as dramaturge. Currently, he is directing a production of What the Butler Saw at the University of Alberta. Next he will direct a show for Ground Zero in Calgary and then he’ll be in New York working on Bash'd, his Off Broadway show that will run in the spring. Alisa Palmer Alisa Palmer is a Canadian theatre director and playwright. Ms. Palmer works across the country as a director in theatres of all sizes, primarily focusing on bringing new Canadian work to the stage. She is the co-founder and co-director of Froth Productions, an award-winning interdisciplinary performance company whose work has been seen in theatres, university seminars and bankrupt stores. Ms. Palmer was also short-listed for the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre in 2004. Currently, she is working on Hannah Moscovitch's premiere East of Berlin at the Tarragon Theatre. Soheil Parsa Soheil Parsa is an award-winning director, actor, writer, dramaturge, choreographer and teacher, whose professional theatre career spans twenty-nine years and two continents. Mr. Soheil’s work is based on his experience in Iran and focuses on oppression and loss of freedom (especially loss of speech). His art is created to empower those who are often marginalized and under-represented. His upcoming directing project will be Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, produced by Modern Times Stage Company at the Young Centre in March 2008. Full biographies and photos of the finalists are available upon request. The Selection Process About the Siminovitch Prize - 30 - Contacts: JoAnne Hayes, Toronto, joanne.hayes@bmo.com,
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