Coleen MacPherson

I am an international theatre artist, deviser, director and playwright who spends my time in Canada and the UK developing work through my company, Open Heart Surgery Theatre. I have directed several plays with my company including: devising a play based on the poet Wisława Szymborska called This Is Why We Live which had a US premiere at internationally renowned Off Off Broadway theatre La MaMa. I am currently creating a 6-episode podcast series called Wild Women, which brings to life paintings by female painters.

I am interested in work by artists like Katie Mitchell, Ivo Van Hove and Complicité. Having attended the Lecoq school, I am intrigued by innovative and new approaches to devised theatre practice and new writing. In Canada I have been teaching workshops in Playwriting in Movement and I would like to further explore these ideas with new writing theatres and as an assistant director on a team. I am looking to develop and expand my community and skills in devised theatre practices with larger venues that use these methodologies alongside a broader design team.

As a Parsi-Indian and half Irish theatre maker, I am intrigued by creating work that is is cross-cultural and brings artists of diverse backgrounds together. In 2016 I brought my play 'First Draft' to Cairo Egypt where the work was performed in Arabic and English. I would love to take part in work that is about intercultural and collaborative theatre practice.

My pronoun is she/her.

My company: www.openheartsurgerytheatre.com

Credits

DIRECTOR / This Is Why We Live / Miłosz Festival, Poland; La MaMa, New York City (2016-2019)
DIRECTOR What If If Only by Caryl Churchill, Langham Program, Stratford Festival of Canada
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Richard III by Shakespeare / Stratford Festival of Canada
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Trout Stanley by Claudia Day / Factory Theatre
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje / Necessary Angel Theatre
PLAYWRIGHT/ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, First Draft / Camden People's Theatre / 2014
PLAYWRIGHT Erased / La MaMa Experiments Readings 2020
PLAYWRIGHT MH 370 / FuGen Theatre Commission

Training

University of Toronto Honours B.A. Drama and English Literature
Ecole Jacques Lecoq (2012-2014)