of Victoria
BA York University, MFA University of Alberta
Performance: acting, movement for actors, devised theatre
Areas of Research and Creative Activity
Conrad Alexandrowicz is a director, writer and choreographer, and the artistic director of Wild Excursions Performance. He specializes in the creation of varieties of interdisciplinary performance that address subjects central to the human journey: issues of relationship, gender and power, and the nature of the performance event itself. Drawing from a number of genres and disciplines, which are deconstructed and then recombined in startling ways, the work is often subversive, interrogating conventional theatrical procedures and forms. This includes work that is dance-based, but makes significant use of theatrical elements; work that is theatre-based but contains significant movement or other non-naturalistic components; and work adapted from the standard play repertoire that is staged in innovative ways.
Between 2012 and 2016, he explored the staging of poetry with actors, dancers and musicians by means of a substantial grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, in collaboration with noted Canadian poets Lorna Crozier and Erín Moure.
“Since his appointment at UVic he has turned to academic writing, and his articles have been published in journals such as Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, Studies in Theatre and Performance, and Theatre Topics. His first book, Acting Queer: Gender Dissidence and the Subversion of Realism, was published by Palgrave in February 2020. He is currently committed to exploring the possibilities for transformation of theatre education in response to the climate crisis. The co-edited collection that he instigated, and to which he contributed, entitled Theatre Pedagogy in the Era of Climate Crisis, was published by Routledge in May 2021.”
Brief Biography
Conrad Alexandrowicz holds a B.F.A. in Dance from York University, and an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Alberta. Originally from Toronto, he performed with a number of Canadian dance companies, principally Dancemakers, where he began to produce his own work, much of which featured original text. He left the company in 1987 to choreograph, direct and perform independently. In 1995 he founded Wild Excursions Performance as the vehicle for his creative ventures. Over the course of his professional career he created over forty-five dance and physical-theatre works, some of which have been presented across Canada, in New York City, France and the U.K. He and his work have been recognized with Jessie, Sterling and Dora Awards.
Previous to his appointment at the University of Victoria in 2008, he taught at Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver Film School and Capilano College, and directed at Douglas College, Studio 58 and United Players, as well as creating and producing work for the company he founded, Wild Excursions Performance.
Selected Publications
“Making The Wines of Tuscany,” Canadian Theatre Review, (1999) Eds. Skip Shand and Ric Knowles.
“Pretty/Sexy: Impacts of the Sexualization of Young Women on Theatre Pedagogy.” Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, Volume 3, Number 3 (2012): 288-301.
“Reflections on Impossible Pursuits: Staging Harry Partch.” Canadian Journal of Practice-Based Research in Theatre. (on line only) Volume 5, Number 1 (Spring 2013): n. pag.
“Dancing the Page: Reflections on Staging Poetic Text.” Studies in Theatre and Performance, Vol. 35, No. 2 (2015): 120–139.
“Straight-looking, straight-acting: Countering Effemiphobia in Actor Training.” Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, Volume 8, Number 1 (2017): 5-18.
Accepted for publication by Palgrave MacMillan in 2019: Acting Queer: Gender Dissidence and the Subversion of Realism.