Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith met in 1978 while studying at the School of Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France. In 1980, they formed Theatre Smith Gilmour and have since created 30 shows,16 of which have been original plays. The company has toured across Canada several times and to 14 countries throughout Europe and Asia. Their work has been nominated for 27 Dora Awards (winning 10) as well as being nominated twice for the Chalmers’ Best Canadian Play Award.
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AS I LAY DYING
Adapted from William Faulkner
2013 Dora Mavor Moore Award Nominee – OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY
The highly esteemed multiple Dora Award winning Theatre Smith-Gilmour presents a darkly comic tour-de-force, in an original adaptation of AS I LAY DYING, the Southern gothic chronicle of the Bundren family odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury their wife and mother. Farce and tragedy meld together in a 40-mile funeral procession, an absurdly tragicomic journey through the grotesque intersection of character and circumstance.
AS I LAY DYING transgresses triumphantly all the principles of good taste – it is a rich and unsettling tale that takes us to the edge of sanity as each member of the family struggles in their own way with the promise made to Addie Bundren. A dying Addie watches her eldest son build the coffin she’ll soon occupy. The family – including Addie herself, speaking from beyond the grave – reveal their foibles and secrets in overlapping narratives chronicling the journey, marked by flood and fire and family discord. There aren’t any angels aboard this wagon – just humanity, with all of its virtues and vices, beneath an ominous halo of circling vultures.
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CHEKHOV’S SHORTS
Based on a selection of short stories by Anton Chekhov and adapted by Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith with the company, this first installment of the Chekhov Cycle has toured successfully to Vancouver, Edmonton, Hong Kong, Dartmouth and Montreal and was invited to the Chekhov International Theatre Festival. The show has won three Dora Mavor Moore Awards: Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Director, and Outstanding Production.
“****! A perfect gem! 24 karat charmer… a marvel” – Toronto Star
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CHEKHOV LONGS… IN THE RAVINE
In 2002, Theatre Smith-Gilmour produced their second installment of the series, the DoraAward winning Chekhov longs… In The Ravine, at the Factory Theatre in Toronto. Based on a Chekhov novella, In the Ravine tells the darker story of a turn-of-the-century Russian family, through the company’s unique physical performance style and comic mastery.
“An ensemble from acting heaven…one of the best plays of the season” – Classical 96.3FM
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LU XUN BLOSSOMS
Lu Xun Blossoms is based on five short stories of Lu Xun: a great writer and teacher. Considered by many to be the father of contemporary Chinese literature, Lu Xun wrote about China at a time of great change. He wrote about “The Living City” of his time, using deeply etched characters and riveting images, documenting the early urbanization of China and the conflicts and joys in the early 20th century. With a cast & crew of 6 Canadians and 4 Chinese, Lu Xun Blossoms is two cultures and two languages (English & Mandarin) dancing together – a cultural exchange on a very profound level. Lu Xun Blossoms premiered to great acclaim in Shanghai in 2007 and was featured at the 2011 Luminato Festival in Toronto.
“LU XUN blossoms, the first Sino-Canadian coproduction in theatre, is a cross-cultural coup.” – NOW Magazine.
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SPENT
An absurd account of falling off the corporate ladder.
Created by Michele Smith, Dean Gilmour, Ravi Jain and Adam Paolozza
2010 Dora Award Winner! Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role/Ensemble
Don’t miss this tour de force team made up of two hot young emerging artists and two seasoned veterans of Canadian theatre who bring you the funniest and most topical show of the season. Spent brings together two generations of Canada’s most exciting independent theatre artists in this hysterical new clown and bouffon inspired show. SPENT has recently finished a sold out run at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe.
“A wonderful combination of incisive satire and sharp physical comedy…” – NNNN! (4 stars) – NOW Magazine
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MEDIA CENTRE
Download high-res image – Shorts
Download high-res image - Longs
Download high-res image - SPENT
Download high-res image - Lu Xun Blossoms
UPCOMING DATES
23-Feb-12 – Rotary Centre for the Arts – Kelowna, BC
