Kevin Orr
Associate Professor, Department of Theatre
Member of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and thereby authorized to supervise theses.
Office: 210
Telephone: 613-562-5800, ext. 1258
E-mail: korr@uOttawa.ca
Kevin Orr is an associate professor in the Department of Theatre of the University of Ottawa, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate theatre courses. He holds an MFA in directing from The University of British Columbia (1990) and a BFA in performance from Concordia University (1987).
In the fall of 2010 Kevin created Theatre 4.669 as a research vehicle to develop new plays in new ways in the Ottawa region. The ambition of the company is to tour new work in Canada and abroad. Their first project; Bifurcate Me was invited to both the Undercurrents and Wildside Theatre Festivals in Ottawa and Montreal respectively. Bifurcate Me was nominated for Best Direction and won Best New Creation at Les Prix Rideau Awards 2011. During the summer months Theatre 4.669 undertakes a creation lab and begins work on three or four new works in different styles with different collaborators. Bread develop in the summer of 2012, has been invited to the 2013 edition of Undercurrents.
Between the fall of 2005 and the spring of 2007 Kevin was Artistic Director of Montreal's Repercussion Theatre. During his tenure at Repercussion, Kevin began to augment the Company's large-scale summer Shakespeare in the Park event with play development and year round theatrical offerings. For Repercussion he wrote and directed Third Spacing which was performed by Jean Louis Roux, directed Greek by Steven Berkoff, which won Best Production and Best Director at Les Prix Rideau Awards 2007 as well as creating and directing adaptations of Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Other directing credits include: Don’t Blame the Bedouins (UofO and Magnetic North Theatre Festival, 2009) Look Back in Anger (Third Wall Theatre, 2008) Le Langue-à-langue des chiens de roche (University of Ottawa 2004), Marriage Play and Kreskinned (Ottawa Lunchbox 2003/04), The Tempest (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival 2003), The Dragonfly of Chicoutimi (Factory Theatre 2002), and La Raccourcie (Théâtre français de Toronto 2000).
As well, he has directed new play readings for the Great Canadian Theatre Co., for the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, Festival Zone Théâtrale and Théâtre la Catapulte. Kevin’s brush with fame came when he directed a stage production for the musical trio of Sharon Lois and Bram.
University degrees
1990 – MFA in Directing, University of British Columbia
1987 – BFA with specialization in Performance, Concordia University
Fields of interest
- Directing
- New play creation
- Artistic Direction
- Actor and Director training
Awards
2011 – Best New Creation for Bifurcate Me, Prix Rideau Awards
2011 – Best Director Nomination for Bifurcate Me, Prix Rideau Awards
2007 – Best Director for Greek, Prix Rideau Awards
2007 – Best Production for Greek, Prix Rideau Awards
2005 – Best Professional Production Award for Greek, Capital Critics Circle Awards
2002 – Dragonfly of Chicoutimi was nominated for a Dora Award, Best Actor
1995 – Nominated for Teacher of the year McMaster University
Research - practical
New play creation with Theatre 4.669
Over twenty-five professional directing projects
Four plays and two adaptations – written or co-written
2006 – Co-chair Mid-American Theatre Conference, Chicago
2003-2006 – Member Directors and Choreographers Committee, CAEA
2005 – Symposium chair, Mid-American Theatre Conference, Kansas
2005 – Juror, Magnetic North Playwrighting competition
2004 – Atelier sur la mise en scène, Theatre Action
2003 – Symposium panelist Magnetic North Festival
2003 – Artistic Consultant, Salamader Theatre
Current research
Preparing a French language, site specific, production of Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love 2013
Developing new work with Theatre 4.669
