Bob White Honoured For Lifetime Achievement In Dramaturgy

The Stratford Festival extends congratulations to Bob White, Director of New Plays, who has been honoured for his body of work by LMDA (Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas).

On June 22, White received the G.E. Lessing Award for Career Achievement in recognition of the role he has played bringing hundreds of new plays to the stage.

"Bob White is the dean of new play creation in Canada," says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. "His love of playwrights and new plays has made him an invaluable resource to our arts community and by extension our audiences. His mentorship has moved the state of new play creation forward. For all of this, and for his support as a colleague and friend, we say not only congratulations but an enormous heartfelt thank you."

White has worked as a dramaturge and director for more than 40 years, serving as Artistic Director of Playwrights Workshop Montreal, Artistic Director of Factory Theatre and Artistic Director of Alberta Theatre Projects. He was also co-director of the Banff Playwrights Colony from 1997 to 2009.

White has been with the Stratford Festival for 10 seasons, becoming Director of New Plays in 2013. His tenure has seen the development of a number of exceptional plays, including Judith Thompson's The Thrill, Kate Hennig's The Last Wife and The Virgin Trial, Hannah Moscovitch's Bunny, Colleen Murphy's The Breathing Hole, Jordi Mand's Brontë: The World Without, and Erin Shields's Paradise Lost, which will have its world première on August 17.

Under his direction, the Festival currently has roughly 15 plays in various stages of development, including the third part of Hennig's Tudor trilogy and a new musical by Steven Page and Daniel MacIvor.

White was named to the Order of Canada in recognition of his mentorship and promotion of Canadian Theatre and received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. He also has an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary.