Vanessa Porteous named artistic director at Calgary theatre

Vanessa Porteous, a director and dramaturg who is a passionate advocate of contemporary theatre, has been named artistic director of Alberta Theatre Projects in Calgary.

Beginning in May, she will replace Bob White after a one-year search by the 37-year-old theatre company.

"ATP is the most appealing theatre in Canada. Its strength is in its devotion to new and contemporary work," Porteous said in an interview with CBC News. "And also in its eclecticism — we have an audience that expects a wide variety of work and that's a very exciting thing to be doing."

Porteous has been freelancing as a director and dramaturg. Among her projects this year are Queen Lear by Calgary's Urban Curvz theatre and Don Juan: The Greatest Lover in the World with Old Trout Puppet Theatre.

She has worked with many styles of performance, including puppetry, theatre with music and  even opera, directing The Enchanted Child with Calgary Opera.

Ottawa-born Porteous first came to Alberta to attend the University of Alberta's theatre school.

She spent eight years, from 1998 to 2006, as a dramaturg with ATP, where she oversaw the world premieres of over 30 new Canadian plays as part of the annual playRites Festival. The company also gave her her start as a director.

'We are about to usher in a new generation of theatre artists.' —Vanessa Porteous, new artistic director, Alberta Theatre Projects

"I think their support of me as artistic director is the dawning of a new era at ATP," Porteous said.

She said the theatre company is in the midst of refreshing its contemporary mandate.

Porteous refused to say which playwrights or actors she wanted to work with, but said, "I have an enormous list.

"Stay tuned. We are about to usher in a new generation of theatre artists," she added.

Porteous  was on the dramaturgical staff of the Playwrights Colony at the Banff Centre for six years, and participated in opera training and opera integration programs as an assistant stage director.

Most of her projects have been within Alberta, including directing When That I Was for The Shakespeare Company, starring local acting great Chris Hunt, directing the world premiere of the urban cowboy cabaret Don Coyote and producing The Wars.

Her premiere of Pinocchio by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop at ATP earned her the Betty Mitchell Award for outstanding production. She also took the work to the Magnetic North theatre festival.

Porteous takes over as artistic director in May.