Debbie Patterson - Ableism In Theatre: An Open Conversation

12/11/23 • 43 min

Debbie Patterson is our final guest speaker of the season! What better way to close the series than with this invigorating lecture where Debbie reminds us that by bringing disability into our practice, we open our practice to endless possibilities. This season, T+T Productions has collaborated with the Canadian Guild of Stage Directors and Choreographers (CGDC) to bring you a series of episodes centred around assistants and associates directors and choreographers. This series is for EVERYONE and shares all the behind the scenes magic of theatre creation from the industry’s very best. In today's episode Debbie speaks on the history of ableism in theatre, shares stories of her work as a disability consultant and dramaturg, and calls us to recognize that we are all temporarily abled.

Debbie Patterson is a Winnipeg based playwright, director and actor. She trained at the National Theatre School of Canada, is a founding member of Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR), served as Theatre Ambassador for Winnipeg’s Cultural Capital year, was the Carol Shields Writer in Residence 2012 at the U of W, and the Playwright in Residence at Theatre Projects Manitoba in 2013/14. She served as Artistic Associate at Prairie Theatre Exchange from 2012 to 2018 and a former member of the PTE Playwrights Unit. Debbie is a proud advocate for disability justice through her work as founding and current Artistic Director of Sick + Twisted Theatre, and was most recently a cast member of Richard 2 and Grand Magic in the 2023 Stratford Festival season.
Thank you to Canada Council for the Arts for their generous support in this project.

Previous Episode

Stephanie Graham - Developing, Producing, and Pitching Your Own Work

Stephanie Graham is a director, choreographer and producer. She encourages us all to sit in that producer seat at least once, so let’s dive in and learn how! This season, T+T Productions has collaborated with the Canadian Guild of Stage Directors and Choreographers (CGDC) to bring you a series of episodes centred around assistants and associates directors and choreographers. This series is for EVERYONE and shares all the behind the scenes magic of theatre creation from the industry’s very best. In today’s episode Steph shares detailed knowledge for producing theatre, from getting the rights to a show, to the different types of engagement agreements, to finding sponsorship within your circle of influence, and much more.
Links for this episode:
https://www.caea.com/Theatre/Agreements-Policies
https://fringefestivals.com/festivals/
https://www.mtishows.com/annie

Stephanie Graham has over twenty-five years in the industry, and is one of Canada’s most sought-after Director/Choreographers. Stephanie has directed and choreographed at theatres across the country, including Globe Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Neptune Theatre, Grand Theatre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Stephenville Festival, Capitol Theatre and more. She is a passionate educator and mentor and has worked at Sheridan College, Randolph College for the Performing Arts, George Brown Dance and Queens University. She is the Artistic Producer for Torrent Productions, the co-founder of Theatre Making Movement, was an Intern Artistic Director for The Musical Stage Company and Artistic Associate at the Globe Theatre. Stephanie won the 2015 Dora Award for outstanding choreography Opera/Musical for The Wild Party and has been nominated three times for a Merritt Award for outstanding choreography on Neptune Theatre’s productions of Peter Pan, Cinderella and The Addams Family.
Thank you to Canada Council for the Arts for their generous support in this project.