Kevin Loring

Kevin Loring (born November 24, 1974) is a Canadian playwright and actor. As a playwright, he won the Governor General's Award for English-language drama,[1] the Herman Voaden Playwriting Competition[2] and the Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script,[3] and was nominated for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play,[4] for Where the Blood Mixes in 2009. His 2019 play, Thanks for Giving, was short-listed for the Governor General's Award for Drama.[5]

Kevin Loring
Born (1974-11-24) November 24, 1974
Lytton, British Columbia, Canada
Occupationplaywright, actor
NationalityCanadian
Period2003–present
Notable worksWhere the Blood Mixes

As an actor, his credits include roles in the television series Da Vinci's Inquest, Arctic Air and Health Nutz, and the film Pathfinder, as well as stage roles including Michel Tremblay's Saint Carmen of the Main, George Ryga's The Ecstasy of Rita Joe and Edmund in an all-First Nations production of William Shakespeare's King Lear at the National Arts Centre in 2012.[6]

A Nlaka'pamux from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia,[7] he studied theatre at the prestigious Studio 58 theatre program at Langara College.[7] In June 2017, Loring was selected by the Hnatyshyn Foundation as a recipient of the REVEAL Indigenous Arts Award, which honours Indigenous Canadian artists across disciplines.[8] Kevin Loring created the Songs of the Land Project in collaboration with five separate organizations in his home community.[9] This project aimed to bring traditional Nlakap’amux songs and stories, which where recorded on wax cylinders in the beginning of the 20th century by anthropologist James Teit, to contemporary audiences.[10] This work informed The Battle of the Birds, a play which debuted at the Lytton River Festival in 2015,[10] and which was restaged in Ottawa in 2019.[11] It also spurred The Boy Who Was Abandoned, a second production which debuted in Lytton in September 2016.[10]

On June 15, 2017, Loring was announced as the first artistic director for Indigenous Theatre at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa (NAC).[12] In early 2019, the NAC was denied $3.5 million dollars of requested federal funding, a decision which would have a significant impact on the inaugural season.[13] The first production, “The Unnatural and Accidental Women” by Métis playwright Marie Clements opened on September 11, 2019.[14]

Works

References
  1. "WCT collaborator wins Governor General's award". Kamloops Daily News, November 23, 2009.
  2. "The classes and the damage done". The Globe and Mail, June 2, 2008.
  3. "Playhouse Theatre Company nabs five wins at 27th Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards". The Georgia Straight, June 15, 2009.
  4. "Jersey Boys, Agokwe, Eternal Hydra Are Among Nominees at June 29 Dora Awards in Toronto". Playbill, June 29, 2009.
  5. "Governor General's Literary Awards". Governor General's Literary Awards. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  6. "A 'King Lear' in need of a king ". The Globe and Mail, May 13, 2012.
  7. "Where the Blood Mixes draws on healing power of stories" Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. The Georgia Straight, May 28, 2008.
  8. "Langara. News & Events: Langara News: 2017: Studio 58 alumni receive REVEAL Indigenous Art Award". langara.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  9. "Kevin Loring | Biographies". nac-cna.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  10. "Songs of the Land". New Pathways to Gold Society. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  11. Hosein, Lise (September 11, 2019). "Battle of the Birds tells a mighty story of epic struggle (and very human realities)". CBC Arts. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  12. "Kevin Loring named NAC's 1st head of Indigenous theatre". CBC News, June 15, 2017.
  13. Friend, David (April 2, 2019). "National Arts Centre's Indigenous Theatre denied $3.5M federal funding". The Canadian Press. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  14. "'It's about time': Ottawa's Indigenous Theatre prepares to launch first season". Global News. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  15. Loring, Kevin (2009). Where the Blood Mixes. Canada: Talonbooks. ISBN 9780889226081.
  16. Paleja, Shaker (2013). Native Americans: A Visual Exploration. Canada: Annick Press. ISBN 978-1554514854.
  17. Loring, Kevin (2019). Thanks for Giving. Canada: Talonbooks. ISBN 9781772012187.
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