ABOUT
Jack (he, him, his) is an award-winning theatre maker whose work and practice have taken him across Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and around the world. Projects have ranged from contemporary devising, multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural, and multi-lingual experiences to new works & texts, contemporary approaches to classical theatre and main stages. Shows under his direction have garnered over thirty theatre award nominations with many wins including “Outstanding Production”. He is a recipient of “The Ray Michal Outstanding Body of Work Award”, “The Cole Foundation Award for Emerging Translators”, and “The John Moffat & Larry Lillo Award for Outstanding West Coast Artist”.
He trained at leading international theatrical institutions including Circle in the Square (NYC, USA), GITIS The University of Performing Arts (Moscow, RU), SENI Indonesian Institute of the Arts (Bali, INA) and received his Masters in Fine Arts from the renown East 15 Acting School and University of Essex (London, UK).
In Vancouver, he is the founder of multi-award winning Mad Duck Theatre Collective for whom he adapted and directed Vancouver’s first female Prospero in The Tempest and the Vancouver premieres of Titus Andronicus, Coriolanus and Shakespeare’s R&J. He is currently the Co-founder and Creative Producer of BoucheWHACKED! Theatre Collective bridging local, national, and international artists and audience separated by distance, language, and culture. He is also the co-founder and creative producer with Global Hive Labs., an international network of theatre makers working together in shared creation.
TOTAL & FUSION THEATRE
On Practice
I have been fortunate to a career to date that has spanned multiple approaches to contemporary and tradition theatrical creation. As a result, accoss my practice, I aim for a colaborative ensemble based inclusive “Total” approach – one where all techniques, forms, disciplines, pedagogies and philosophies can share the playing space in conversation and combination. Our objective is what is most effective towards a given moment or expression and what new is created when opposing forms, disciplines and ideas are put in combination.
Bring extensive training and practice in multiple approches, fusion forms have included the American Methods (Meisner, Adler, Strasberg, Chekov), creation and site specific practices, classical text First Folio Work, Physical theatre (such as Viewpoints, Laban and Biomechanics) with contemporary new writing; international traditional practices with western devising; contemporary dance and cross cultural practices with literary translation; and application of contemporary sculpture, installation and media practices to traditional theatre.
As a professional theatre maker who has been fortunate to travel extensively in my practice, I am often working with new ecologies, new companies and new artists with approaches and world views far different from my own. From professional mainstages to a beach in Bali, and from the large festival resources to emerging new companies and independent artists, I have focused my work on identifying the strength of my collaborators, building upon them and working together create high calibre work unique to the place, time and those who made it.
Practices include:
“See, touch, feel: the global commitment breaking down barriers.” – Startupitalia.eu (Italy)
TOTAL THEATRE
Total Theatre is an ultimate collaboration, designed to create space for multiple voices in creation and reflect this diversity of perspectives in performance. All techniques, forms, disciplines, pedagogies, philosophies, and worldviews can share the stage. Democratic creative decision-making further embeds the capacity for independent and unique voices interacting with each other. Projects include Atlantide (IT), After Ibsen (CAN), and Odyssey (UK).
CROSS CULTURAL EXCHANGE & CREATION
Nowhere is it more evident that your way is only one of many than international collaboration. These projects examine what new is sparked when distinct cultural rivers come together in equal respect. Through creative exchange of knowledge, content and forms are selected by the ensembles in multi-lingual and multi-disciplinary events. Projects include Wayang 4D, Found Object Folk Tales (ID), and 再⻅ GOODBYE (UK).
ACTIVE ACCESS DESIGN & CROSS SENSORY TRANSLATION
Imagine an essential moment from any production that moved you and ask: What (if any) element of this moment is inaccessible to an artist or audience? What is essential and how can we explore the same “experience” differently? Collaborating closely with stakeholders in the community, Active Access Design & Cross Sensory Translation integrates access tools directly into the generative process. Projects include Palazzo del Mondo (IT), The Medusa Projects (UK & & USA), and The Ballad of Georges Boivin (CAN).
CREATIVE TRANSLATION
Often misunderstood, translation for theatre falls into the professional category of “Creative Translation”. Not a word for word substitution, the source is a point of reference to create an equally compelling work in the target language. The result may often not seem like the original but will generate an equivalent impact. For this to sucees, a unique cross cultural creative partnership between playwright and translator is crucial.
French Language Premiere of Karen Hines’ Crawlspace (Théâtre Français de Toronto , 2023)
OUTREACH
MY SUCCESS IS MEASURED IN THE SUCCESS OF OTHERS
“Our production would not have been possible without the passion and dedication of the New Translation Canada team in partnering playwrights and translators, commissioning the new translations, and developing the texts to make to them rehearsal ready.” – Karine Ricard, Artistic Director (Théâtre français de Toronto, CAN)
I am happy to report that following showcases of Canadian works and artists have directly resulted from my activities and outreach:
• 2024 English Language Alberta premiere of Martin Bellemare’s The Ballad of Georges Boivin (Lunchbox Theatre, Calgary)
• 2024 English Language publication of Nathalie Boisvert’s Antigone in Spring (Talon Books)
• 2024 English Language workshop presentation of Marie-Ève Milot and/et Marie-Claude St-Laurent’s Still Life (Talisman Theatre & The Centaur Theatre WildSide Festival, Montreal)
• 2023 Italian Language staged reading of Nathalie Boisvert’s Facelift (Teatro Trieste 34, Piacenza IT)
• 2023 French Language workshop of Mishka Lavigne’s Shorelines (Theatre Action, Ottawa)
• 2023 French language workshop of Joseph Shragge’s Ricki (Scapegoat Carnival, Montreal)
• 2023 Italian Language staged reading of Nathalie Boisvert’s Facelift (Festival della Satira, Piacenza IT)
• 2023 French Language Premiere of Karen Hines’ Crawlspace (Theatre Francais de Toronto, Toronto)
• 2023 Italian Language Podcast broadcast of Marie-Claude Garneau, Marie-Ève Milot & Marie-Claude St-Laurent’s La Coalition de la robe (PKD, IT)
• 2022 & 2023 Italian language presentations of Trina Davies’ Silence (ChezActors, IT)
• 2022 publication of Italian excepts from Trina Davies’ Silence in SuperAbile digital and print magazine (EU)
• 2022 English language workshop of Eric Noel’s Ces regards amoureux de garçons altérés (PWM, Montreal)
• 2021 Presentation by playwright Denneh’Cho Thompson at flausen+ Kongress (Cologne, Germany)
• 2021 South African English Language Premiere of Marie-Claude Verdier’s I’m Not Here (Free State University)
• 2021 English language presentation of Marie-Ève Milot & Marie-Claude St-Laurent’s Chienne(s) (Artists in Conversation – Studio Theatre, Washington, USA)
• 2021 Publication of English language translations of Maris-Claude Verdier’s Andy’s Gone
• 2021 Publication of Sébastien Harrisson’s From Alaska
• 2016 London UK premiere of Marie-Claude Verdier’s I’m Not Here (Voila Festival)
• 2015 inclusion of Canadian playwrights in Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway’s Audition Speeches for BAME (bipoc) Actors (Bloomsbury Methuen), sold at leading UK & International theatre bookshops. Playwrights include Camyar Chai, Anosh Irani, Ravi & Asha Jain, Sheila James, Sunil Kuruvilla, Anita Majumdar, Wajdi Mouawad, Mala Sinha, Djanet Spears, Jordan Tannahill, Guillermo Verdecchia, and Marcus Youssef.
English Language workshop of Ces regards amoureux de garçons altérés (Playwrights” Workshop Montreal, 2022)