Katrina Dunn
Encyclopedia
Katrina Dunn is an actor, director, and producer. She has been the Artistic Director of Touchstone Theatre
in Vancouver, Canada since 1997.
and at the National Theatre School of Canada
. In 1989, Dunn helped found Ruby Slippers Theatre and was its initial Artistic Director. Dunn was appointed as Artistic Director of Touchstone Theatre in 1997. Under her direction, Touchstone has developed a focus on Canadian plays.
In 2003, Dunn co-founded the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
along with Norman Armour, a performing arts
festival held every January in Vancouver.
Dunn served as an intern director for five months during the 2005 Shaw Festival
. In addition to assisting other directors, Dunn was given the opportunity to direct a production of J.M. Synge's In the Shadow of the Glen.
Dunn was also an organizer of the Vancouver Wrecking Ball, a loose organization of theatre companies and artists advocating for the arts through cabarets featuring short plays and performances with strong political themes.
In addition to directing and producing, Dunn teaches theatre at the University of British Columbia
. Through Touchstone Theatre, she also teaches a course recognized by the Law Society of British Columbia on theatre techniques applicable to a legal practice.
's Palace of the End. In 2010, Dunn was recognized by the Women’s Caucus of the Playwrights Guild of Canada
, who awarded her with its "Bra D'Or" (Golden Bra) for supporting and promoting the work of Canadian female playwrights.
Touchstone Theatre
Touchstone Theatre is a professional theatre company in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1976 by a group of University of British Columbia theatre graduates. Touchstone's focus is on the development and production of Canadian works. The current Artistic Director is Katrina Dunn, who...
in Vancouver, Canada since 1997.
Training and work
Dunn trained in dance at Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
and at the National Theatre School of Canada
National Theatre School of Canada
The National Theatre School of Canada is a private college located in Montreal, Quebec.Established in Montreal in 1960, the National Theatre School of Canada offers professional training in English and French in a setting that unites all the theatre arts: acting, playwriting, directing, set and...
. In 1989, Dunn helped found Ruby Slippers Theatre and was its initial Artistic Director. Dunn was appointed as Artistic Director of Touchstone Theatre in 1997. Under her direction, Touchstone has developed a focus on Canadian plays.
In 2003, Dunn co-founded the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is held in Vancouver, British Colombia each year. Produced over 20 days each January, the PuSh Festival presents work in the live performing arts: theatre, dance, music and various hybrid forms of performance...
along with Norman Armour, a performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
festival held every January in Vancouver.
Dunn served as an intern director for five months during the 2005 Shaw Festival
Shaw Festival
The Shaw Festival is a major Canadian theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the second largest repertory theatre company in North America...
. In addition to assisting other directors, Dunn was given the opportunity to direct a production of J.M. Synge's In the Shadow of the Glen.
Dunn was also an organizer of the Vancouver Wrecking Ball, a loose organization of theatre companies and artists advocating for the arts through cabarets featuring short plays and performances with strong political themes.
In addition to directing and producing, Dunn teaches theatre at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. Through Touchstone Theatre, she also teaches a course recognized by the Law Society of British Columbia on theatre techniques applicable to a legal practice.
Awards
Dunn's work has garnered numerous nominations and awards. Over a number of years, she has been nominated multiple times for Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards in several categories. She has won twice for direction: in 2001 for Michael Healey's Kicked and in 2010 (as co-director) for Judith ThompsonJudith Thompson
Judith Clare Thompson, OC is a Canadian playwright who lives in Toronto, Ontario. Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail once declared that "...in this country, a playwright as good as Judith Thompson is a miracle." She has twice been awarded the Governor General's Award for drama, and is the...
's Palace of the End. In 2010, Dunn was recognized by the Women’s Caucus of the Playwrights Guild of Canada
Playwrights Guild of Canada
Playwrights Guild of Canada is a non-profit national association of professional and emerging playwrights. It was founded in 1972 as Playwrights Co-op...
, who awarded her with its "Bra D'Or" (Golden Bra) for supporting and promoting the work of Canadian female playwrights.
Representative work
Dunn has directed works for numerous theatre, dance and musical companies, such as Grinning Dragon Theatre, Battery Opera, Current Sound Opera(tions), The Hard Rubber Orchestra and Mascall Dance. Dunn's work has included:.- A Christmas Story, director (Arts Club Theatre Company)
- Julius Caesar, director (Bard on the BeachBard on the BeachBard on the Beach is Western Canada's largest professional Shakespeare festival, which is held every year in open-ended tents on the waterfront in Vanier Park in Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
) - The Merchant of Venice, director (Bard on the Beach)
- Cymbeline, director (Bard on the Beach)
- The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Studio 58Studio 58Studio 58 is an intensive theatre school located in Vancouver, British Columbia. A part of Langara College's Theatre Arts Program, the school offers professional theatre training for actors and production personnel. It is the only conservatory-style theatre training program in Western Canada...
) - At the Black Pig's Dyke (Studio 58)
- Unity (1918) (Touchstone Theatre)
- Kicked (Touchstone Theatre)
- Palace of the End (Touchstone Theatre/Felix Culpa/Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre)
- In the Shadow of the Glen (Shaw FestivalShaw FestivalThe Shaw Festival is a major Canadian theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the second largest repertory theatre company in North America...
) - Prodigal Son (Pacific Theatre)
- Pink Sugar (Solo Collective)
- PuSh International Performing Arts FestivalPuSh International Performing Arts FestivalThe PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is held in Vancouver, British Colombia each year. Produced over 20 days each January, the PuSh Festival presents work in the live performing arts: theatre, dance, music and various hybrid forms of performance...
, co-producer/co-curator