James MacDonald (actor)

James MacDonald is a Canadian theatre director, actor, and the Artistic Director of Western Canada Theatre.[1] He was the first Artistic Director of Edmonton's FreeWill Shakespeare Festival [2](1997-2001) and helped found the company in 1989. In 2006 he accepted the position of Associate Artistic Director of the Citadel Theatre, where he also served as Program Director of the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Training program until 2016.

Early years

MacDonald was born in Montreal and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1986, he began a Bachelor of Arts (History) at the University of Alberta before transferring to the Bachelor of Fine Arts program. He trained at the Banff School of Fine Arts, and worked primarily as an actor until 1995 when he began to establish himself as a director. In 1989 he helped found the Freewill Shakespeare Festival,[2] formerly known as the River City Shakespeare Festival, and then became the companies first Artistic Director. He helmed the company for six years producing full-scale plays by William Shakespeare every summer from late-June to mid-July, with performances in the 1,000-seat Heritage Amphitheater in Hawrelak Park in Edmonton. In 2001 he was a member of the Shaw Festival's directors project, in 2002 directed The Old Ladies by Rodney Ackland and then made his Citadel Theatre directing debut in 2004, with Marie Jones, Stones in His Pockets starring John Ulyatt and John Kirkpatrick.

Career

Over the course of his 25-year career in the professional theatre, MacDonald's work as a director, dramaturge, actor, and educator has taken him across Canada.[3] His work as a director includes productions at the Stratford Festival (Julius Caesar), the Shaw Festival (The Old Ladies), the Canadian Stage Company (Fire, Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like It), The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (A Few Good Men, Sherlock Holmes and the case of the Jersey Lily, and over 15 productions at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre (Clybourne Park, Vimy, God of Carnage, Venus in Fur).   As a director, dramaturge, and actor, MacDonald has been involved in the development of over 35 new Canadian plays, including his direction of Vimy (Citadel Theatre), Miss Shakespeare (Musical TheatreWorks), With a Twist (Lunchbox Theatre), Calgary), and Conni Massing's Myth of Summer (Alberta Theatre Projects) and dramaturged the Firehall Arts Centre's production of Chelsea Hotel: the Songs of Leonard Cohen, which has toured nationally, most recently to the Belfry Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Theatre Calgary and the Banff Centre.

As an actor he has worked for theatre's across Canada and Internationally, and originated the role of Einstein in Einstein’s Gift at The Citadel Theatre.  He played the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Citadel Theatre's annual production of A Christmas Carol from 2011-2015. He is a regular guest instructor/director for the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting Program[4] and teaches workshops in Shakespearean text[5] and the audition process. MacDonald is a former national Councillor for the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, and former Secretary of the Edmonton Performers’ Branch of ACTRA.   

Awards

Stage productions

Director (select)

Actor (select)

References

  1. ↑ "HOME: | Western Canada Theatre". www.wctlive.ca. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  2. 1 2 "Freewill Shakespeare Festival". Freewill Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  3. ↑ Encyclopedia, Canadian Theatre. "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia". www.canadiantheatre.com. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  4. ↑ "Episode 14: Interview with Actor and Director James MacDonald". Dramatic Impact: Acting and Theatre in Alberta. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  5. ↑ "James MacDonald, Artistic Associate, Talks Shakespeare with the Young Companies". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  6. 1 2 "Dora Awards". TAPA. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  7. ↑ "Betty Mitchell | Bettys – The Betty Mitchell Awards". www.bettymitchellawards.com. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "THE ELIZABETH STERLING HAYNES AWARDS". www.sterlingawards.com. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  9. ↑ "Curious Incident to open Bob Baker's final season at Citadel". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  10. ↑ "Edmonton's Citadel Theatre announces 2016-2017 season". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  11. ↑ "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? back in superb form at Citadel". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  12. ↑ Citadel Theatre (2016-01-13), WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Video #1, retrieved 2016-04-07
  13. ↑ "Home". Miss Shakespeare. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  14. ↑ "Vancouver Theatre: Miss Shakespeare". Review From The House. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
  15. ↑ "Press". Miss Shakespeare. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  16. ↑ "Theatre preview: Venus in Fur a funny, fast, sexy play". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  17. ↑ "MacLean: Venus in Fur at Edmonton's Citadel Theatre is marvelous". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  18. ↑ Citadel Theatre (2014-01-08), Interview with James MacDonald - Director of Clybourne Park, retrieved 2016-04-11
  19. ↑ "Salute to Sorkin". www.winnipegfreepress.com. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  20. ↑ Encyclopedia, Canadian Theatre. "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia". www.canadiantheatre.com. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  21. ↑ Canoe.com. "Shakespeare gets French dressing". canoe.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  22. ↑ Canoe.com. "CANOE -- JAM! - 'Vimy' fights to go beyond the war". jam.canoe.com. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
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