From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Donovan King is a performance activist and experimental theatre artist from Montreal, Canada
who juggles acting, teaching,
directing, dramaturgy, and theory,[1] and
is a columnist for Indie Theatre Times and Review.[2]
Background
King holds an Masters of Fine
Arts degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Calgary, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama in
Education from Concordia University, and a Diplome
d’Études Collegiales in Acting from John Abbott
College.[1] He
is the author of Optative Theatre: A Critical Theory, and
he facilitates various activist campaigns and drama classes in
Montreal.[3] He
has been known to collaborate with other theatre activists
internationally such as Augusto Boal, Andrew Boyd of the Billionaires for Bush, Reverend Billy (aka Bill Talen), Stephen
Duncombe, Larry Bogad, Kathryn Blume, Kurt Schneiderman, Jason C.
McLean, Gary St. Laurent, and many others.[4][1]
As the co-founder of the Optative Theatrical Laboratories (OTL)
and creator of the international Infringement Festival,[5] King
strives to revitalise theatre as an agent for social change through
experimental practice, critical theory, and sustained
performance.[3][6][7] The OTL
designs interconnected theatrical campaigns such as Car
Stories,[8][9] that
target instances of oppression, and employs a diversity of
cutting-edge activist performance techniques: culture-jamming,
Viral Theatre, Sousveillance Theatre, meme-warfare, Electronic
Disturbance Theater, and Global Invisible Theatre, to name a
few.[3]
King recently took issue with racism inherent in what has been
called “Canada’s First Play” – the 1606 The Theatre of
Neptune (Le Théâtre de Neptune) by Marc
Lescarbot,[3][10]
and staged a counter-performance called “Sinking Neptune” in Annapolis Royal on the day of the “400th
Theatre Anniversary” (November 14, 2006),[11][12] in
order to protest the original.[13][14]
Career
- Grease', JPPS, Montreal, 2006
- The Lysistrata Project, OTL, Montreal, 2003
- Miss Julie: a theatrical experiment into the psychosis of
a. strindberg, University of Calgary, 2000
- Waiting For God, Nickel & Dime Productions,
Calgary, 1999
- Call Me, Infinitheatre, Montréal, 1999
- MECCA Award – Best Production (semi-professional)
- Godspell, Lewisham Operatic Society, London, England,
1996
- Mrs. Fieldstone’s Water Retention Problem, Greene
Pressure Theatre, Montréal, 1995
- The Tinker’s Wedding, Wahoo Family Theatre, 1994
- The Misanthrope, Wahoo Family Theatre, 1993
- Tiger Mouth, Kindergarten Players, Montréal, 1993
Filmography
- My Grad Date (2004)
- Death by Latté (2004)
- The Legend of Jackie Robinson (2003)
- La Grande Masquerade, Groupe-Conseil L’Entracte,
2007-present
- Les Fantômes du Vieux-Montréal, GuidaTour,
2006-present
- Sinking Neptune, OTL, Montreal, 2005-2006
- Car Stories, OTL, Montreal, 2001 - present
- Wal*Jam, OTL, Montreal, 2003
- Quartier des contre-Spectacles, OTL/Place des Arts,
Montreal, 2003
- Stones Scandal, Galway Arts Festival, Ireland,
2001
- FJOLZ!, Elvagel Performance Festival, Elsinore,
Denmark, 2001
- CorporACT, Auckland, New Zealand, 1997- 1998
- Monsterworld Inc., Chateau Greystoke, Montréal,
1994
Partial traditional
theater
- The Captives]], Knebworth House, England
- Ever After, Out Of Our Heads & One Yellow Rabbit,
Calgary
- The Tempest, Stage 2 Productions, Auckland, New
Zealand
- Anne of Green Gables, Montreal Concordia Players &
ACT, Hong Kong
- Manhattan, Je Vous Dis, Theatre 21st Century,
Montréal
- Who Ran Off With Dr. Seuss?, Wahoo Family Theatre Co.,
Montréal Fringe Fest.
- The Misadventures…., Concordia University Theatre
Department
- Rising of the Moon, Wahoo Family Theatre Co.,
Montréal
- St. George & the Dragon, Christmas Mummering
Company, Montréal
- L’Avare (The Miser)', Cleante Thé à l’âtre, Montréal
Fringe Festival
Bibliography
- A Dramaturgical Toolbox for Sinking Neptune, Optative
Free Press, 2005
- Optative Theatre: a critical theory for challenging
Oppression and Spectacle, University of Calgary, 2004
- The Warders Bible, Vardon PLC, London, 1997
- Strategies to enhance live entertainments at London and
York Dungeons, Vardon PLC, London, 1996
- Doing Theatre in Montreal, Quebec Drama Federation,
1995
References
- ^ a
b
c
"Donovan King bio at
Theatrummundi". Theatrummundi. http://theatrummundi.net/performance.html. Retrieved
2009-05-22.
- ^ "Donovan Jing". Canadian
Theatre Encyclopedia. http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=King%2C%20Donovan. Retrieved May 22,
2009.
- ^ a
b
c
d
Worton, Maria (2006-04-19). "Optative Theatrical
Laboratories". Montreal Serai. http://montrealserai.com/archives/2006_Volume_19/19_4/Article_16.htm. Retrieved January 3,
2009.
- ^
Beljaars, Irkar (2006-04-19). "Native Solidarity News
interview". CKUT. http://www.optative.net/neptune/neptune2ckut.mp3. Retrieved November 27,
2007.
- ^
Brownstein, Bill (2004-06-20). "A cultural kaleidoscope on
the Main". Montreal Gazette cover story. http://www.infringementfestival.com/press/aculturalkaleidoscope.htm. Retrieved January 3,
2009.
- ^
Brownstein, Bill (2005-10-27). "Terror isn't for the
tiny". Montreal Gazette.
http://optative.net/carstories/comments/terrorisnt.html. Retrieved January 3,
2009.
- ^
"Sounds Like Canada interview
with Jerry Wasserman". CBC Radio One. 2006-11-16. http://www.optative.net/neptune/wasserman.ram. Retrieved
2009-01-03.
- ^
Lawson, Catherine (June 26, 2004). "Slip into the backseat for
some unusual Car Stories". Ottawa Citizen cover story. http://www.infringementfestival.com/press/slipintothebackseat.htm. Retrieved January 3,
2009.
- ^
Luse, Mimi (September 7th, 2004). "Fringe rejects start their
own club: The Infringement Festival kicks off to much
incircumstantial pomp". McGill Daily. http://www.mcgilldaily.com/view.php?aid=2741. Retrieved May 22,
2009.
- ^ Pinto, Ken. "Nova Scotia: Birthplace of
Canadian Theatre, 1606-2006". Atlantic Fringe. http://www.atlanticfringe.ca/theatre400/. Retrieved January 15,
2009.
- ^
Sloan, Carolyn (November 7, 2006). "Play challenges Eurocentric
perspective of 1606 masque". Nova News.
http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-50116-Sinking-Neptune.html. Retrieved January 15,
2009.
- ^
Lightstone, Michael (2006-11-14). "Altering the course of history". Halifax Chronicle-Herald. http://optative.net/neptune/herald.jpg. Retrieved January 3,
2009.
- ^ "400-year-old play stirs
controversy in Nova Scotia". CBC News. November 14, 2006. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2006/11/14/theatre-neptune.html. Retrieved May 22,
2009.
- ^
Posner, Michael (2006-11-14). "Is it racist screed or
legitimate history?". The Globe and Mail. http://optative.net/neptune/globeandmail.jpg. Retrieved January 3,
2009.
External
links