Patrick Du Wors

Brief Biography

Patrick is set, costume and lighting designer, working in a wide range performance styles and scales of production.  From site-specific opera, to texts from the classical cannon, to contemporary devised work, Patrick’s work has been recognized across Canada and internationally.  

Collaborators include: The Banff Centre, Canadian Opera Co, Against the Grain, Ghost River, The Arcola (UK), Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, Buddies in Bad Times, Blue Bridge Rep, The Grand, Persephone, The Belfry, Tarragon as well as various independent ad-hoc collectives.

Patrick has worked as assistant or associate designer for some of Europe’s largest theatre, ballet and opera companies including: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Netherlands Opera, Royal Scottish Ballet, Frankfurt Opera, Norwegian National Opera & Royal Opera Covent Garden as well as the London West-End productions of Dirty Dancing & Cabaret.

Patrick has taught and designed for many of Canada’s premier theatre training centers.  As Faculty: University of Calgary, School of Creative and Performing Arts, (Assistant Professor 2013-2016).  As a Course Instructor: York University and the University of Alberta.  As a guest artist: George Brown College, Ryerson University, Sheridan College, University of Victoria and the National Theatre School of Canada.

Patrick designed and curated the Canadian National Exhibition, Shared [private] Space, at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial and was the faculty supervisor overseeing the Canadian student exhibition, Elevations.  Following its successful presentation in Prague, the Canadian Institute For Theatre Technology (CITT) recognized Shared [private] Space with their highest honour for technical achievement.  

Earlier this year, Patrick served on the International Selection Jury, in the Emerging Artist Category for World Stage Design 2017 to be held in Taipei, Taiwan this summer. 

Patrick is an active member of the Associated Designers of Canada (ADC) and served on the board of directors from 2010-2016.

Selected Professional & Creative Achievements 2012-2017

• Exhibitor: World Stage Design 2017, Taipei, Taiwan, Professional Section. Set and Costume Design - the Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst (WSD is organized under the auspice of OISTAT (International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians).
• International Selection Juror, Emerging Artist Section, World Stage Design 2017, Taipei, Taiwan
• Curator & Exhibition Designer: Shared [private] Space Canadian National Exhibition Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Prague, Czech Republic. Re-presented at the Canadian Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences and Annual General Meeting of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT), Calgary Alberta, 
• Set & Costume - The Hollow, Jan Alexandra Smith, Vertigo Theatre, Calgary 
• Set & Costume - Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Brian Richmond, Blue Bridge, Victoria
• Set & Cost – Window, Eric Rose, Ghost River / UCalgary, West Village Theatre, Calgary 
• Exhibitor: Shared [private] Space, Canadian National Exhibition Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Prague, Czech Republic (selected by an independent jury), Set and Lighting Design – Turn of the Screw
• Set & Costume, The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, Eric Rose, ATP/Ghost River, Martha Cohen Theatre, Calgary
• Set, The Telephone & The Medium, Michael Albano & Anna Theo, University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, MacMillan Theatre, Toronto
• Set & Costume (site-specific) - #UncleJohn, Banff Centre, Toronto & Ottawa, Joel Ivany, Against the Grain Theatre & the Canadian Opera 
• Set & Costume – God of Carnage, Jan Alexandra Smith, Theatre Calgary, Calgary 
• Set & Costume – True West, Britt Small, Blue Bridge at the Roxy, Victoria
• Set & Costume - My Fair Lady, Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Blue Bridge Repertory, Victoria
• Set – Falsettos, Robert McQueen, Acting-Up Stage Company, Toronto
• Set – Figaro’s Wedding, Joel Ivany, Against the Grain, Toronto 
• Ring Award Entrant, in collaboration with Director Joel Iavny: international competition for stage direction & design, Graz, Austria, Der Freischütz, by Carl Maria von Weber

Panels and Presentations:

Symposium: Transformations of the Prague Quadrennial since 1999. 
Archa Theatre, Prague, March 16-18, 2016

• Research Presentation: Canadian Perspectives on the Prague Quadrennial: impact, inspiration, representation and future visions. 
• Panel Discussion Moderator: Securing the wealth of the full range of scenographic practice or Rebalancing the PQ in the wake of the now-dominant performative installation.

CITT Rendey-Vous, Vancouver 2015

• Presentation: Designing and Curating Shared [private] Space

Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Prague, Czech Republic, 2015

• Panelist: Contemporary Canadian Scenography, moderated by Dean Emeritus (York) Phillip Silver

Directing in the Preforming Arts, Humber College, in association with Acadia University, Toronto ON, 2013

• Panelist: With director Joel Ivany, the Director-Designer Relationship 

Other Publications

• Compiler/Editor: Shared [private] Space Catalogue, ISBN 978-0-9733865-2-3, published by the Associated Designers of Canada, May 2015

Teaching Awards

• Great Supervisor Award, University of Calgary, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Sept. 2014

Professional awards and honours 

CITT (Canadian Institute for Technical Theatre) 

• The Award of Technical Merit - CanadaPQ2015: Shared [private] Space, 2015

Betty Mitchell Awards, Calgary, AB

• Best Production – The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, 2015 

Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Toronto, ON

• Nomination - Best Set Design (Opera & Musical Theatre) for Figaro’s Wedding, 2014
• Nomination - Best Production (Opera & Musical Theatre) for Figaro’s Wedding, 2014
• Nomination - Best TYA Production for Bird Brain, 2009 

Victoria Theatre Critics’ Choice Awards

• Best Production for Long Day’s Journey Into Night, 2016 
• Best Set Design – My Fair Lady, 2013 
• Best Production for A Streetcar Named Desire, 2010 
• Best Production for Death of a Salesman, 2009 
• Best Set Design & Best Lighting Design for Turn of the Screw, 2008 
• Best Set Design for The Monument, 2002