Judith Thompson is one of Canada’s most celebrated playwrights and this November she is bringing her play Lion in the Streets to the University of Guelph.
Thompson is an Officer of the Order of Canada, two-time winner of the Governor General’s Award for Drama, and professor at the University of Guelph since 1993.
“Not many practitioners are lucky enough to have a position at a university, but it was really fortunate that the senate and the dean were really focused on getting a practitioner of theatre,” said Thompson.
This semester theatre students at the U of G are getting the chance to work with Thompson as she is directing the theatre department's annual full-on production, Lion in the Streets.
Lion in the Streets has been performed around the world and is a staple in academic settings.
“We always have to remember that it is a course ... my responsibility as an educator is help them through it,” said Thompson. “In this case, I’m able to educate and it also happens to be a very strong cast, and people who are quite suited to the roles.”
Thompson has entered a time in her career where she is now a part of Canadiana, something that Thompson considers to be an incredible privilege.
“I wrote my first play The Crackwalker at the right time,” said Thompson. “If you break ground you are more likely to have a larger success, because you’re doing what hasn’t been done before, so people pay attention.”
Thompson is also the director of Rare Theatre in Toronto. Working with eight emerging writers that haven written a one act play, Thompson will thread the pieces together to create the play Welcome to my Underworld.
While none are scheduled, Thompson is open to the idea of a Guelph tour of one of her companies shows in the future. This November you can catch her collaboration with the University of Guelph called Lion in the Streets; her harrowing play about the ghost of murdered girl who is piecing the past together.
Shows are Nov. 10, 15, 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 18 at 2:30 p.m. at the U of G's George Luscombe Theatre.
Tickets are $10 and are available online or at the door before each performance.
