Guest Speakers

DAVID DIAMOND

Panelist
Theatre Director ~ Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
www.headlinestheatre.com

Since 1981 David has directed over 350 community specific theatre projects on issues such as racism, gender roles, violence, addiction, self-esteem, First Nations' Residential Schools, globalization, language reclamation and many, many others. David has directed workshops throughout BC, Canada and the USA, as well as in Namibia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Italy, Singapore and Finland. He has also been involved in the writing and/or directing of all of Headlines Theatre's main stage plays, including NO` XYA` (Our Footprints), Out of the Silence, Mamu, Squeegee, Corporate U, Don’t Say a Word, Here and Now and the Legislative Theatre Project, Practicing Democracy. David has pioneered the development of live, interactive Forum Television and web casting.

Diamond is a 1975 graduate of the University of Alberta with a BFA in acting. He worked as a professional actor in theatre, television and film throughout Western Canada until 1981 when he co-founded Headlines Theatre. He is the originator of Headlines' Theatre For Living workshops, which have evolved from Brazilian Director Augusto Boal's groundbreaking Theatre of the Oppressed. In 1996 David was the first individual recipient of the City of Vancouver's Cultural Harmony Award. In 2001 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University College of the Fraser Valley.

In 2004, Don’t Say a Word was honoured with the Red Cross Power of Humanity Award and Practicing Democracy was honoured by the Vancouver Professional Theatre community with Jessie Richardson Awards for “Significant Achievement in demonstrating the power of theatre in the community” and “Outstanding Production”.