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Jennifer Brewin

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Jennifer Brewin
OccupationArtistic director
Education
Notable worksThe Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls

Jennifer Brewin is a Canadian writer, director, and artistic director. She is known for co-creating The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls and her other work with Common Boots Theatre, formerly known as Theatre Columbus and the Caravan Farm Theatre. In 2020, she was appointed the artistic director of the Globe Theatre in Regina.

Career

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After graduating from Queen's University she joined Toronto's Common Boots Theatre as the indie theatre company's first general manager. It was there she developed a theatre practice rooted in physical theatre and collaborative creation.

In 1994, she directed Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros at the Harbourfront Centre.[1]

The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls, a collective creation with Brewin, Martha Ross, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Alisa Palmer, and Leah Cherniak, premiered in 1995. Brewin was credited as a dramaturg of this production.[2] By the time the show was re-staged in 1997, Brewin was referred to as a "contributing artist".[3]

Brewin directed Larry Lewis's Irreleva in 1996 at Theatre Centre West.[4] Between 1998 and 2005, Brewin was co-artistic director of Caravan Farm Theatre in British Columbia.[5] While working with Caravan Farm Theatre, Brewin wrote and directed twelve outdoor theatre productions.[6]

In 2010, Brewin succeeded Cherniak and Ross and became artistic director of Common Boots Theatre, formerly known as Theatre Columbus.[7] As artistic director, Brewin initiated The Public Servant, a collective creation centering Canadian public sector workers. Brewin acted as dramaturge for the projects final script, which premiered in 2015.[5] Brewin also initiated a yearly family holiday "walkabout" show at the Evergreen Brickworks, partly inspired by her outdoor work at Caravan Theatre.[7] The first walkabout show was Ross's The Story, a retelling of the Nativity, in 2011.[8] The Story was repeated as the company's 2012 outdoor holiday show.[9]

Brewin, alongside Palmer, MacDonald, Cherniak, Ross, created a sequel to The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls called More Fine Girls, which premiered in 2011.[10] Brewin assistant directed the premiere at Tarragon Theatre.[11]

In 2013, Brewin directed Natasha Greenblatt's The Peace Maker.[12] The Common Boots 2013 holiday show was Weather The Weather, Or How We Make it Home Together written by Haley McGee and directed by Brewin.[9] In 2014, Common Boots, under Brewin's artistic direction, launched their first Minister’s Play, a take on The Vicar of Dibley, as a fundraised for the company's new play development program.[13] This fundraising initiative was reprised in 2015, featuring another version of the play, this time, by Arthur Milner.[14] Brewin directed Ross' The Dog and the Angel as Common Boots' 2014 walkabout holiday show.[15] In 2015, Brewin directed Linda Griffiths' Age of Arousal at Factory Theatre.[16] Later that year, she directed Tails From The City (by Marjorie Chan) as Common Boots' outdoor holiday show.[17]

At the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival, Brewin co-directed (with Alex Bulmer) Scadding, a show consisting of six short audio plays, including one written by Brewin herself.[18] Later in 2019, Brewin directed Natasha Greenblatt and Yolanda Bonnell's The Election at Nightwood Theatre.[19]

Brewin was appointed artistic director of Regina's Globe Theatre in fall 2020, succeeding interim artistic director, Geoffrey Whynot.[20] Much of her premiere season was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.[21] Her first live theatre production as artistic director was a series of ghost tours.[22] Brewin created a purely audio version of Ross's The Story, which she had previously directed with both Caravan Theatre and Common Boots.[23]

Plays

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Personal life

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Brewin is working on her MFA in radio drama at the University of Calgary.[20][25] She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan with her husband, Arthur Milner.

References

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  1. ^ Wagner, Vit (1994-02-20). "Play's absurdist conventions more like lame running gag". Toronto Star. p. C4 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ Kate, Taylor (1995-03-03). "A remarkable balancing act of comedy and drama". The Globe and Mail. p. D9 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ Cushman, Robert (1997-03-08). "Sisters wrestle skeletons in attic". The Globe and Mail.
  4. ^ Walker, Susan (1996-11-24). "Can a critic carry a play? Not this one". Toronto Star. p. C3 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ a b Salisbury, Jenny (Spring 2016). "Political Acts and Public Voices: Paying Time and Attention to The Public Servant". Canadian Theatre Review (166): 72–77 – via Ebsco Host.
  6. ^ DeMara, Bruce (2011-12-11). "Nativity story told outdoors: Moving Christmas scenes at Brickworks". Toronto Star. p. E4 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ a b Kaplan, Jon (2015-05-06). "Feature: Renewing Theatre Columbus". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  8. ^ Crew, Robert (2013-12-15). "Pointless new play a silly, chilly exercise". Toronto Star. p. E11.
  9. ^ a b Kaplan, Jon (2013-12-05). "Braving Haley's comet". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  10. ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (2011-03-09). "They can go home again". The Globe and Mail. p. R1. ISSN 0319-0714.
  11. ^ Ouzounian, Richard (2011-03-14). "These Fine Girls haven't aged well". Toronto Star. p. E3 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ Kaplan, Jon (2013-01-07). "The Peace Maker". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  13. ^ "Enterprising indies". NOW Magazine. 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  14. ^ "Stage scenes: George Brown bravos". NOW Magazine. 2015-04-22. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  15. ^ Kaplan, Jon (2014-12-21). "Review: The Dog And The Angel". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  16. ^ Morrow, Martin (2015-10-27). "The Raw and the Undercooked". Torontoist. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  17. ^ Kaplan, Jon (2015-12-23). "Review: Tails From The City". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  18. ^ Sumi, Glenn (2019-07-06). "Fringe review: Scadding". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  19. ^ Morrow, Martin (2019-10-13). "The Election is insightful but too insipid to offer a compelling debate". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  20. ^ a b Martin, Ashley (2020-07-04). "Theatre is an 'opportunity': New Globe artistic director has big plans". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  21. ^ "Globe Theatre cancels remainder of 2020/2021 season". CBC. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  22. ^ Martin, Ashley (2020-10-06). "Globe Theatre presents a ghostly farewell tour in unusual programming". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  23. ^ Martin, Ashley (2020-12-22). "Globe Theatre presents a fresh take on Jesus' nativity in radio play". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  24. ^ Maga, Carly (2016-03-20). "Funny skits, little impact". Toronto Star. p. E3 – via ProQuest.
  25. ^ Martin, Ashley (2020-06-26). "Regina's largest arts organizations adapting for COVID-19 long run". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
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