Hope McIntyre, © Uniter by Daniel Crump
After an extensive search, The University of Winnipeg Department of Theatre and Film is delighted to announce the appointment of Hope McIntyre as assistant professor in performance, beginning July 1, 2019.
McIntyre was the star out of several applicants that came from across the country and beyond, including the United States and the United Kingdom, to compete for the position.
In addition to performing and directing, McIntyre is an accomplished playwright with a focus on social activism and engaging community collaboration. Her skill set ranges from traditional, to experimental, to transformative. She has acted as dramaturg for hundreds of scripts, and has taught performance and play writing to a range of students for many years.
“I relish the opportunity to spark students’ interest in the possibilities provided by the performing arts,” said McIntyre. “I’ve spent a great deal of time exploring the role of the arts in a modern context, and I’m excited to continue the pursuit of the question: what are we preparing students for, and how can we best train them for a changing ecology? It is an exciting time of change in the performing arts, and I believe we are well positioned to evolve in such a way that it is not only responding to the changing climate, but helping to prepare students for much needed renewal on stage, screen and new media.”
As the founding artistic director of Sarasvàti Productions, McIntyre has spent 20 years building and maintaining one of the very few feminist theatre companies in Canada. The company’s foundational mandate is to promote social change and human understanding, provide support and education for emerging artists, and to experiment with new forms of theatre presentation. Its work encompasses the production of workshops, cabarets, and fully mounted plays. Artist mentoring programs support diverse groups such as youth in high schools, at-risk and incarcerated women, new immigrants and Indigenous populations. Its core event, FemFest, is now an annual festival of national stature celebrating and promoting the work of female playwrights.
Through her plays, and her work with Sarasvàti , McIntyre has shown her passionate commitment to, extensive skills in, and deep empathy for working with marginalized communities to find and exercise their own voices through theatre in a collaborative, inclusive, and safe environment.
McIntyre has served on many national and local boards, including appointments with the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the North End Women’s Centre, and has chaired and coordinated numerous national conferences related to independent theatre, play writing, and the role of women in Canadian and international theatre. Her work has been recognized through numerous local and national grants and honours such as the Soroptimist International of Winnipeg Women Helping Women, the YWCA/YMCA Winnipeg Women of Distinction, and the Playwrights Guild of Canada Bra D’Or Awards, as well as the first J. E. A. Crake Drama Fellowship at Mount Allison University.
Even with her daunting community and professional activities, McIntyre has demonstrated a deep commitment to the education of young artists having taught for Prairie Theatre Exchange and UWinnipeg’s Department of Theatre and Film over the past 14 years.
McIntyre has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting (USaskatchewan), a Master of Fine Arts in Directing (UVictoria), and studied in England at the renowned ARTTS International School. She has been an associate of Rare Gem Productions, Toronto and an international commercial theatre producer before settling in Winnipeg in 2000.
Based in the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film at The University of Winnipeg, the Department of Theatre and Film offers concentrations in Acting, Design, Drama in Education, Filmmaking, Play writing, and Production/Stage Management. Our classes are small and our approach is practical. Our faculty is comprised of highly respected and award-winning professionals who are experienced teachers and remain active in their disciplines, bringing relevant and up-to-date instruction to our students.
MEDIA CONTACT
Tim Babcock, Department of Theatre and Film, University of Winnipeg
T: 204-786-9455, E: t.babcock@uwinnipeg.ca
