Alisa Palmer
{{Short description|Canadian playwright and theatre director}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Alisa Palmer
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = New Brunswick, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Playwright, theatre director
| nationality = Canadian
| period =
| genre =
| subject = Theatre
| movement =
| notableworks =
| spouse = Ann-Marie MacDonald{{cite news |author=Cole, Susan G.|title=Ann-Marie MacDonald|newspaper=Now Toronto |date=September 25 – October 1, 2003|url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-09-25/cover_story.php|accessdate=2007-09-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929123458/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-09-25/cover_story.php|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}{{cite web |title=Ann-Marie Macdonald |publisher= Random House of Canada |url=http://www.randomhouse.ca/author/results.pperl?authorid%3D54001%26view%3Dfull_sptlght |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112123801/http://www.randomhouse.ca/author/results.pperl?authorid=54001&view=full_sptlght}}
| signature =
| website =
| alma_mater = McGill University
}}
Alisa Palmer is a Canadian theatre director and playwright. She was the artistic director of Nightwood Theatre from 1993 to 2001. Palmer served as the artistic director of the English section of the National Theatre School of Canada for eleven years, departing the school in 2024.
Early life
Born and raised in New Brunswick, Canada, Alisa Palmer completed a degree in history at McGill University.{{Cite news|last=Van Paassen|first=Kevin|date=October 19, 2012|title=Alisa Palmer named to National Theatre School|work=Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/alisa-palmer-named-to-national-theatre-school/article4623815/|access-date=2020-06-02}} Her theatre education was based in Montreal and included training with Philippe Gaulier of L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq (Bouffon and Masque Neutre), Cirque du Soleil (acrobatics), L'École de Mime Corporel de Montréal under Jean Asselin as well as periods of study with Brazilian director Augusto Boal.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
Career
Palmer's first interaction with Toronto-based Nightwood Theatre was at the 1987 Groundswell Festival, where she performed with the improv group, Hysterical Women. Following that festival, Palmer directed two shows before joining Nightwood's leadership team. In 1993 Palmer and Diane Roberts were appointed co-artistic directors of Nightwood Theatre, succeeding Kate Lushington. In 1995, Palmer was appointed the sole artistic director of the company. Palmer's leadership at Nightwood was instrumental in confirming the company's move away from a collective to a "legitimate" theatre company.{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Shelley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqCoOSsnOeEC&q=nightwood+theatre+groundswell+festival&pg=PA52|title=Nightwood Theatre: A Woman's Work is Always Done|date=2010|publisher=Athabasca University Press|isbn=978-1-897425-55-8|pages=159–161|language=en|via=Google Books}}
In 1995, Palmer directed the play The Attic, The Pearls, and Three Fine Girls, which she co-created with Ann-Marie MacDonald, Leah Cherniak, Jennifer Brewin, and Martha Ross. The play was performed by Theatre Columbus, a clown-inspired company created by Leah Cherniak and Martha Ross, and co-starred MacDonald, Cherniak, and Ross.{{Cite news |last=Wagner |first=Vit |date=March 1, 1995 |title=The Attic's material often quite funny The Attic, The Pearls And 3 Fine Girls 538-0988 Created by Leah Cherniak, Ann-Marie MacDonald and Martha Ross. Directed by Alisa Palmer. Set and costumes by Dany Lyne. Lighting by Andrea Lundy. Music by Allen Cole and John Millard. To March 19 at Theatre Centre West, 1032 Queen St. W.: [Final Edition] |page=D1 |work=Toronto Star |issn=0319-0781}} The Attic was nominated for several Dora Mavor Moore awards in the Small Theatre division, including for Outstanding New Play or Musical and for Outstanding Direction. In 2011, Palmer and all of the original cast members except Cherniak, staged a sequel to The Attic called More Fine Girls. More Fine Girls was performed at Tarragon Theatre.{{Cite news |last=Ouzounian |first=Richard |date=March 14, 2011 |title=These Fine Girls haven't aged well |page=E.3 |work=Toronto Star |issn=0319-0781}}
While working at Nightwood, Palmer directed such shows as Bridget McFarthing's Blatantly Sexual (1993), Lisa Walter's Difference of Latitude (1994), Sabina Fella's Fed by Fairies (1996), Diane Flacks's Random Acts (1997), a workshop production of Caryl Churchill's The Skirker (1998), and Alex Bulmer's Smudge (2000).{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Shelley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqCoOSsnOeEC&q=nightwood+theatre+groundswell+festival&pg=PA52|title=Nightwood Theatre: A Woman's Work is Always Done|date=2010|publisher=Athabasca University Press|isbn=978-1-897425-55-8|pages=256–266|language=en|via=Google Books}} Palmer also acted and wrote while with Nightwood. Palmer's play Wearing the Bone was performed by Nightwood Theatre as part of the 1993–94 season. In 1996, Palmer acted in Baņuta Rubess's Froth: a spectacle about shopping & hysteria. Palmer co-wrote the book for the musical Anything That Moves with Ann-Marie MacDonald; Anything That Moves premiered at Nightwood under Palmer's direction as part of the 1999–2000 season. Palmer left Nightwood in 2001.{{Cite web|title=Production History|url=https://www.nightwoodtheatre.net/about/production_history|website=Nightwood Theatre|access-date=June 1, 2020}}
Palmer has directed with the Shaw Festival for eight seasons from 2005 to 2012. At the Shaw Festival, Palmer directed several shows including Ann-Marie MacDonald's Belle Moral: A Natural History (2005),{{Cite news|last=Alec|first=Scott|date=2005|title=THEATRE|volume=39|work=Toronto life|issue=8|issn=0049-4194}} Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George (2009),{{Cite web|last=Citron|first=Paula|date=August 10, 2009|title=Shaw Festival 2009 – Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George|url=http://www.classicalfm.ca/arts-reviews/2009/07/10/sunday-in-the-park-with-george/|access-date=June 2, 2020|website=www.classicalfm.ca|language=en}} Clare Boothe Luce's The Women (2010),{{Cite news|last=Zinoman|first=Jason|date=August 17, 2010|title=In Canada, Shaw Plays Well With Others|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/theater/22shaw.html|access-date=June 2, 2020|issn=0362-4331}} and Githa Sowerby's A Man and Some Women (2012).{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Kaplan (theatre critic) |date=July 26, 2012 |title=A Man And Some Women |url=https://nowtoronto.com/stage/story.cfm%3Fcontent%3D187859 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025221754/http://www.nowtoronto.com/stage/story.cfm?content=187859 |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=June 2, 2020 |website=NOW Magazine |language=en-us}}
In 2007, Palmer directed Caryl Churchill's Top Girls for Soulpepper Theatre.{{Cite news|last=Cameron|first=Leah|date=2007|title=Women on Top|volume=41|page=124|work=Toronto Life|issue=7|issn=0049-4194}} She won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play for her direction of Top Girls.{{Cite news|last=Posner|first=Michael|date=July 1, 2008|title=Canstage shines at the Dora Awards|page=R2|work=Globe and Mail|issn=0319-0714}} Palmer later directed Marsha Norman's 'night, Mother for Soulpepper in 2008.{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Johnnie|date=May 28, 2008|title=Middle-Aged Suicide (Don't Do It!)|url=https://torontoist.com/2008/05/middleaged_suic/|access-date=June 2, 2020|website=Torontoist}}
Palmer was a resident director of Mirvish Productions' world premiere of The Lord of the Rings in Toronto. In 2016, Palmer directed Nick Green's Body Politic for Buddies in Bad Times.{{Cite news|last=Maga|first=Carly|date=June 2, 2016|title=Body Politic connects Toronto gay community's past and present: review|work=Toronto Star|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2016/06/02/body-politic-connects-toronto-gay-communitys-past-and-present-review.html|access-date=June 2, 2020}} Palmer is also the founder of Vita Brevis, a theatre company involved in the creation and promotion of new works.{{Cite news|date=October 25, 2012|title=Alisa Palmer named National Theatre School's new artistic director|work=National post|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/alisa-palmer-named-national-theatre-schools-new-artistic-director|access-date=June 2, 2020}}
Palmer made her Stratford Festival debut in 2014, directing Noël Coward's Hay Fever.{{Cite news|last=Donnelly|first=Pat|date=August 20, 2013|title=Stratford Festival Opts for Madness, Double Dream and Gershwin in 2014|work=Montreal Gazette|url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/theatre/stratford-festival-opts-for-madness-double-dream-and-gershwin-in-2014/wcm/c0b9dc54-9b16-4dfd-b8e9-446f561ab117/|access-date=June 2, 2020}} Palmer was scheduled to direct Hamlet-911, a modern adaptation of Hamlet written by MacDonald, as part of the 2020 Stratford Festival, but was postponed due to COVID-19.{{Cite news|date=January 3, 2020|title=Tickets go on sale for Stratford Festival's 2020 season|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/stratford-festival-2020-tom-patterson-colm-feore-1.5414052|access-date=June 2, 2020}}{{Cite news|last=Porter|first=Ryan|date=January 20, 2020|title=World premieres, a 'Chicago' coup and a venue to unite acting greats|work=Toronto Star|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/stratford-festival/2020/01/20/world-premieres-a-chicago-coup-and-a-venue-to-unite-acting-greats.html|access-date=June 2, 2020}}{{Cite web|last=Peters|first=Diane|date=May 6, 2020|title=When there's no live theatre, we all lose|url=https://www.tvo.org/article/when-theres-no-live-theatre-we-all-lose|access-date=June 2, 2020|website=TVO.org|language=en}} Palmer's production of Hamlet-911 was moved to Stratford's 2022 season.{{Cite web |last=Keith |first=Tomasek |date=2022-02-11 |title=Stratford Festival 2022 Playbill |url=https://stratfordfestivalreviews.com/blog/2022/02/11/stratford-festival-2022-playbill/ |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=Stratford Festival Reviews |language=en-US}}
Palmer and Hannah Moscovitch co-adapted Ann-Marie MacDonald's novel, Fall on Your Knees for the stage. The National Arts Centre premiered the show, under Palmer's direction, in 2023.{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Brad |date=2022-05-17 |title=The National Arts Centre's upcoming season includes Buffy Sainte-Marie, Bruce Liu and a double dose of Margaret Atwood |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-the-national-arts-centres-upcoming-season-includes-buffy-sainte-marie/ |access-date=2022-06-06}}{{Cite news |date=2022-03-03 |title=Theatre adaptation of Ann-Marie MacDonald's novel Fall on Your Knees to hit stage in 2023 |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/article-theatre-adaptation-of-macdonalds-novel-fall-on-your-knees-to-hit-stage/ |access-date=2022-06-06}}
= National Theatre School =
Palmer first taught at the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) at the age of 23. At the time, Palmer worked primarily with francophone students.{{Cite news|last=Rockne Corrigan|first=David|date=May 29, 2013|title=Q&A: Alisa Palmer hopes to make Canada's theatre community a little smaller|work=National Post|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/theatre/qa-alisa-palmer-hopes-to-make-canadas-theatre-community-a-little-smaller|access-date=June 2, 2020}} In 2007, Palmer directed Edward Bond's Restoration at the NTS.{{Cite news|last=Donnelly|first=Pat|date=October 19, 2012|title=National Theatre School: Alisa Palmer New English A.D.|work=Montreal Gazette|url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/theatre/alisa-palmer-to-lead-english-section-of-nts/wcm/3e3dbea9-05a1-48b7-8911-01a9f598f526/|access-date=June 2, 2020}} Palmer has been the artistic director of the English section of the National Theatre School since 2013.{{cite news |last1= |first1= |date=October 25, 2012 |title=Alisa Palmer named National Theatre School's new artistic director |url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/alisa-palmer-named-national-theatre-schools-new-artistic-director |website=National Post}} Palmer succeeded former director Sherry Bie.{{Cite news|date=October 19, 2012|title=Alisa Palmer named new Artistic Director of the National Theatre School of Canada's English section|work=Canadian NewsWire|publisher=PR Newswire Association LLC|id={{ProQuest | }}}}
Plays
- Wearing the Bone
- Anything That Moves (musical) — Co-written by Ann-Marie MacDonald (lyrics and book), Alisa Palmer (book), and Allen Cole (music)
- A Play About the Mothers of the Plaza del Mayo
- The Attic, The Pearls, and Three Fine Girls — Co-written by Ann-Marie MacDonald, Leah Cherniak, Jennifer Brewin, Martha Ross, and Alisa Palmer
- More Fine Girls — Co-written by Ann-Marie MacDonald, Leah Cherniak, Jennifer Brewin, Martha Ross, and Alisa Palmer
- Body Politic{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Brad |date=2016-05-29 |title=Director Alisa Palmer on her new play Body Politic and LGBT identities |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/director-alisa-palmer-on-her-new-play-body-politic-and-lgbt-identities/article30191380/ |access-date=2022-06-06}}
- Fall on Your Knees — Co-written with Hannah Moscovitch, adapted from Ann-Marie MacDonald
Personal life
Palmer met Canadian writer Ann-Marie MacDonald at the 1987 Groundswell Festival.{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Shelley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqCoOSsnOeEC&q=nightwood+theatre+groundswell+festival&pg=PA52|title=Nightwood Theatre: A Woman's Work is Always Done|date=2010|publisher=Athabasca University Press|isbn=978-1-897425-55-8|pages=160|language=en|via=Google Books}} Palmer and MacDonald married in July 2003 following the legalization of same sex marriage in Ontario.{{cite web|title=Flying High An Interview with Ann-Marie MacDonald|url=http://www.herizons.ca/magazine/issues/win04/index.html|author=Cassidy, Sara|work=Herizons|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520174526/http://www.herizons.ca/magazine/issues/win04/index.html|archive-date=May 20, 2007|accessdate=September 7, 2007}} The two adopted a baby girl later that year.{{Cite news|last=Nurse|first=Donna Bailey|date=November 24, 2003|title=Send in the clowns|pages=37–38|work=Publishers Weekly|issue=47|issn=0000-0019}} Palmer and MacDonald have two daughters.
Awards
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Award !Category !Work !Result !Notes !Ref. |
| 1994
|General Theatre |A Play About the Mothers of the Plaza del Mayo |{{win}} | |
| rowspan="2"|1995
|rowspan="2"|Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Small Theatre) |Outstanding New Play or Musical |rowspan="2"|The Attic, The Pearls, And Three Fine Girls |{{nom}} |with Ann-Marie MacDonald and Theatre Columbus |
| Outstanding Direction
|{{nom}} | |
| 1998
|rowspan="3"|Dora Mavor Moore Awards (General) |Outstanding Direction of a Play |Quartet |{{nom}} | |
| 2000
|Anything That Moves |{{won}} |With Ann-Marie MacDonald and Allen Cole |
| 2002
|Outstanding Direction of a Musical | |{{won}} | |
| 2004
|Director |n/a |{{nom}} | |
| 2008
|Dora Mavor Moore Awards (General) |Outstanding Direction of a Play |Top Girls |{{won}} | |
References
{{reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Alisa}}
Category:Canadian theatre directors
Category:Canadian women theatre directors
Category:Canadian women dramatists and playwrights
Category:Canadian lesbian writers
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Writers from New Brunswick
Category:Canadian LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights
Category:20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
Category:21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
Category:20th-century Canadian women writers
Category:21st-century Canadian women writers
Category:Dora Mavor Moore Award winners
Category:Academic staff of the National Theatre School of Canada
Category:Canadian artistic directors
Category:McGill University alumni