Chris Abraham
Chris Abraham (born 1974) is a Canadian theatre director, most noted as the artistic director of the Crow's Theatre company in Toronto, Ontario since 2007.[1]
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, he studied theatre at the University of Toronto and the National Theatre School of Canada.[1] He was subsequently one of the founding partners in Go Chicken Go, a theatre company of recent NTS graduates.[2] Productions he directed for Go Chicken Go included Peter Handke's Offending the Audience,[2] Anton Piatigorsky's Easy Lenny Lazmon and the Great Western Ascension,[3] Darren O'Donnell's Boxhead,[4] and Abraham's own adaptation of Georg Büchner's Lenz.[1]
In 2001 he was the director of Kristen Thomson's stage play I, Claudia.[5] He subsequently also directed a film adaptation, which premiered at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival[6] and was named to TIFF's year-end Canada's Top Ten list.[7]
He took over artistic direction of Crow's Theatre in 2007, following the retirement of the company's founding artistic director Jim Millan.[8]
He is married to actress Liisa Repo-Martell.[9]
Awards[edit]
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dora Mavor Moore Awards | 1999 | Best Direction, Independent Theatre | Easy Lenny Lazmon and the Great Western Ascension | Won | [10] |
| Outstanding Set Design, Independent Theatre | Nominated | [11] | |||
| Outstanding New Play or Musical, Independent Theatre | Lenz | Nominated | |||
| 2001 | Best Direction, Independent Theatre | Boxhead | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Best Direction, General Theatre | Russell Hill | Nominated | [12] | |
| 2006 | Best Direction, Independent Theatre | Cringeworthy | Nominated | [13] | |
| 2007 | Best Direction, General Theatre | Insomnia | Nominated | [14] | |
| 2009 | I, Claudia | Nominated | [15] | ||
| Best Direction, Independent Theatre | Eternal Hydra | Won | [16] | ||
| 2013 | Best Direction, General Theatre | The Little Years | Won | [17] | |
| Someone Else | Nominated | ||||
| 2020 | Julius Caesar | Nominated | [18] | ||
| 2024 | The Master Plan | Pending | [19] | ||
| Gemini Awards | 2005 | Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series | I, Claudia | Won | [20] |
| Siminovitch Prize in Theatre | 2001 | Protégé | Self | Won | [21] |
| 2013 | Recipient | Won | [22] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Anne Nothof, "Abraham, Chris". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia, May 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Vit Wagner, "Theatre and schnitzel: acting a la carte". Toronto Star, June 19, 1997.
- ^ Ray Conlogue, "Director's road to acclaim began with bottle drives; Toronto's Chris Abraham is getting the attention of stage veterans". The Globe and Mail, October 12, 1998.
- ^ Robert Cushman, "Too much in such a boxy play". National Post, June 10, 2000.
- ^ Robert Cushman, "She, Claudia, has a few thoughts on the subject". National Post, April 5, 2001.
- ^ Katrina Onstad, "Who was that masked actress?: Kristen Thomson reveals the true face of I, Claudia". National Post, October 1, 2004.
- ^ "Best films tells diverse stories; Top Ten Canadian movies honoured New filmmakers being recognized". Toronto Star, December 15, 2004.
- ^ Alison Broverman, "As the crow flies away". National Post, November 21, 2006.
- ^ Aisling Murphy, "The Actor’s Uncle Vanya : In Conversation with Liisa Repo-Martell". Intermission, August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Dora winners list". Toronto Star, June 22, 1999.
- ^ "Dora awards are darkest without the Don ; Soulpepper play a glaring omission from strong field of best show nominees". Toronto Star, June 19, 1999.
- ^ "Dora Award nominees". Toronto Star, May 22, 2003.
- ^ Kamal Al-Solaylee, "Odd couple lead the Dora pack". The Globe and Mail, June 7, 2006.
- ^ Robert Cushman, "The Dora Plethora; Our theatre critic gives his two cents on the nominees and who's likely to win". National Post, June 23, 2007.
- ^ Michael Posner, "Dora nominations announced in Toronto". The Globe and Mail, June 4, 2009.
- ^ Michael Posner, "Play by Ojibwa artist, 23, takes six awards". The Globe and Mail, June 30, 2009.
- ^ J. Kelly Nestruck, "A Cinderella story at the Dora Awards". The Globe and Mail, June 25, 2013.
- ^ Smith, Mae (June 29, 2020). "2020 Dora Mavor Moore Award Winners". Intermission Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ Aisling Murphy, "TAPA announces 2024 Dora Award nominees". Intermission Magazine, May 28, 2004.
- ^ "Eyeballs vs. awards at Geminis". Sudbury Star, November 21, 2005.
- ^ "Siminovitch Prize awarded to Toronto director". Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, October 30, 2001.
- ^ Richard Ouzounian, "When the theatre student becomes the master: $75,000 Siminovitch Prize goes to Crow's Theatre artistic director Chris Abraham, 12 years after he was named protege under initial winner". Toronto Star, October 22, 2013.