Alisa Palmer

Alisa Palmer is an internationally trained, award-winning theatre director, playwright, dramaturge and theatre producer. Her work crosses genres, including the classics, contemporary plays, creation projects, musicals and operas. Ms. Palmer's work is characterized by vivid performances, a bold use of music, powerful visuals and a passionate commitment to the body politic. She is the recipient of numerous awards and has premiered and toured original and provocative theatre creations for over twenty years. Ms. Palmer has taught in conservatories and universities across Canada. She was Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre and was Resident Director for the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings. She has worked in most theatres across Canada including eight seasons at the Shaw Festival. Ms. Palmer continues to explore new projects via Vita Brevis, a company with projects in development at theatres in Canada and the US. Stressing the importance and high expectations of the School's training programs, Alisa Palmer stated that she wishes "to provide leadership that will create a vessel steady enough to hold the vagaries of personal and artistic growth, with teachers and guides who put the goals of the students first. The School needs to be a place where each artist is, above all, a person, unlimited by gender, race or class."