BIO
Dean Gabourie, MA
[gey-bree] (he-him)
Dean Gabourie has been creating provocative theatre in Canada and abroad for over thirty years. Gabourie is a director, facilitator, educator, actor, writer & founding Artistic Director of the award-winning ACME Theatre Co. Gabourie has earned acclaim for his direction for such diverse companies as; Buddies in Bad Times, Kazan CO-OP, Neptune Theatre, Shakespeare in Detroit, Shakespeare In the Rough, Tarragon Theatre, and the Stratford Festival. Gabourie’s career-long examination of the process of ensemble theatre creation has led to invitations to observe the practice of; the Steppenwolf Theater Company from the late Martha Lavey; the Royal Court Theatre from Stephen Daldry and The Wrestling School from playwright Howard Barker.
Education / Training
Gabourie holds a master's degree in theatre studies from the University of Guelph and is an alumnus of the Theatre School at Toronto Metropolitan University, (highlighted as one of the top graduates of the first forty years, 2014; Chairman's Award, 1989). Dean was a member of Soulpepper Theatre's, inaugural Directors Training program in 1999; the 2000 World Stage, Master Class for Directors; Middlesex University's, Directing Shakespeare Module in London, England 2002, and in 2008 was invited to the Stratford Festival, International Directors Summit. Gabourie has studied the crafts of creation & direction with such theatre luminaries as; Mike Alfreds, Howard Barker, John Barton, Lilo Baur & Stefan Metz of Theatre Complicite, Peter Brook, William Gaskill, Garry Hynes, Jonathan Kent, Flora Lauten, Des McAnuff, Richard Monette, Yoshi Oida, One Yellow Rabbit, The Second City, Michael Shurtleff, Polly Teale & Dame Janet Suzman. A much-sought guest director and educator, Dean has facilitated learning at institutions such as the Tisch School of the Arts, University of Guelph, Ohio Northern University, Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Performance, the University of Victoria, Wayne State University, and has been a regular respondent at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
ACME Theatre Co.
Founding Artistic Director
Founded by Gabourie in 1989, the ACME Theatre Co. was at the vanguard of Toronto's 'second wave' of Independent Theatre in the early 1990s receiving two Dora Mavor Moore nominations and one award in their first season for their groundbreaking production of Edward Bond’s SAVED. (making Gabourie one of the youngest Artistic Directors to receive a Dora Award in their inaugural season). A company ‘renowned for doing important work’, the ACME Theatre Co. has mounted rarely produced texts with some of Canada's finest directors. ACME Theatre Co. has mounted two World Premieres, three Canadian Premieres, and one North American Premiere in their production history.
[for a detailed history please see History & Production History pages]
Stratford Festival
Assistant / Associate Artistic Director 2008 - 2012
Gabourie has worked as a member of the Stratford Festival for 10 seasons under 3 Artistic Directors. In 2008 he was appointed Assistant Artistic Director of the Festival and in 2011 became Associate Artistic Director. Gabourie's directing credits for Stratford include The Thrill, The Best Brothers, Two Gentlemen of Verona & Bereav'd of Light. He has been assistant director to Des McAnuff, Antoni Cimolino & Richard Monette. While working at Stratford Dean received the Tyrone Guthrie, Jean Gascon Award, and Artistic Director Richard Monette personally nominated Gabourie's body of work for the Canada Council, John Hirsch Directors Award. Gabourie considers the founding of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Theatre Direction in 2010 to be his greatest contribution to the Festival.
[for details please see Stratford Festival page]
the CO
Founding Co-Artistic Director / Associate Artistic Director 2000 - 2005
Conceived as a ‘theatrical laboratory’, Gabourie co-founded the performance ensemble, ‘the CO', in 2000. the CO's adaptation of Vaclav Havel's, Vanek Trilogy, Audience/Unveiling/Protest, was invited to the 2004 Pilsen International Theatre Festival.
[for a detailed production history please see the CO page]