Black Theatre Workshop Announces Dian Marie Bridge as New Artistic Director

Black Theatre Workshop has announced the appointment of Dian Marie Bridge as the new Artistic Director of BTW. Dian is an award-winning theatre maker, writer, director and creative producer who holds a degree in Theatre Arts and Dramatic Literature from Brock University. She attended the University of Minnesota's Theatre and Dance program and has spent the last two decades in theatre practice, working with arts organizations nationally and internationally. Dian's exceptional theatre experience and her long-time support of BTW makes her the perfect choice to take BTW into its next 50 years. The BTW Board is excited to bring Dian into the ever-growing BTW fold as of September 2022.

"With a passion and focus on professional development for artists, Dian is an accomplished artistic leader that the Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome to our Company," stated Andréa Springer, BTW President. "Dian's extensive theatre background and business administration skills will see BTW further its mission to promote and produce outstanding theatre, as well as to develop strategic alliances that will expand the representation of Black Canadian artists locally, regionally, and nationally."

Dian is currently the Associate Artistic Director at Luminato Festival Toronto, and Artist in Residence at Necessary Angel Theatre. She is the recipient of the inaugural Strombergs Family Realization Fund, through Nightwood Theatre, the Stratford Festival's Elliott Hayes Guthrie Award for Playwriting, and SummerWorks' RBC Professional Award. Dian was also a part of the Stratford Festival's inaugural Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction. Her mentorship experience includes the Paprika Festival, AMY Project, Speak Sudan, B Current's RaizinArtz, Only One You workshops, and the Boys and Girls Club of Vancouver.

"Stepping into the role of Black Theatre Workshop's next Artistic Director is an opportunity that I embrace with great humility and heaps of excitement! BTW is a company that has long been a source of inspiration and admiration for me. A huge part of the work I have done in the past decade and a half has been dedicated to balancing my support of emerging artists, project development, producing and directing. I am so excited to see the growth in the Black arts community in this time, and especially excited to get to know and work with artists both in Montreal and nationally."

"The impact of BTW's artistic and professional development programs has been undeniable for multiple generations of Black Canadian theatre artists, particularly under the leadership of the Board of Directors and former Artistic Director Quincy Armorer. It is an honour to be a part of this conversation and to work with and support Black stories on Canadian stages." Dian Marie Bridge, Artistic Director Designate, Black Theatre Workshop.

Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) is Canada's longest running theatre company dedicated to the works of Black and diasporic communities. BTW's mission is to promote and produce outstanding theatre that educates, entertains and inspires. The company strives to create greater cross-cultural understanding by challenging its audience and the status quo. Expanding the representation of Black Canadian artists, BTW bridges cultural divides - uniting hearts, minds and communities.

The artistic policy is to prioritize plays by Afro-Canadian playwrights in their programming, however plays are selected primarily on the basis of their artistic merit and their relevance to Black society and culture. This addresses the growing need among the multitude of Black communities in Canada to see themselves reflected in the stories they watch and to further answer the need for general audiences to better understand and participate in the many varied aspects of Black culture.

www.blacktheatreworkshop.ca

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