Layne Coleman

Layne Coleman is a Canadian actor, playwright and theatre director, most noted as a former artistic director of Theatre Passe Muraille.[1] Originally from North Battleford, Saskatchewan,[2] he first became prominent as a cofounder and artistic director of the 25th Street Theatre in Saskatoon in the 1980s.[3]

He briefly stepped in as interim artistic director of Theatre Passe Muraille in 1991 following the departure of Brian Richmond,[4] holding the role for about a year before he was succeeded by Susan Serran in early 1992;[5] he stepped in again as interim artistic director in 1997 after Serran left,[6] and was named the permanent artistic director the following year.[7] Coleman established an early success when Michael Healey's The Drawer Boy, the first play he booked for the theatre, went on to become one of the most critically and commercially popular Canadian plays of the decade.[8]

Coleman held the role with Theatre Passe Muraille until 2007.[9]

In addition to 25th Street Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille, he has also directed plays for Factory Theatre, Canadian Stage and the National Arts Centre.[3]

Acting

Coleman’s stage roles as an actor have included productions of Lips Together, Teeth Apart and Oleanna at Canadian Stage, The Life and Times of Mackenzie King, Inquest, Adult Entertainment, The End of Civilization and Escape from Happiness at Factory Theatre, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe for the Western Canada Theatre Company, Goodness for Volcano Theatre and Heaven Above, Heaven Below with Theatre Passe Muraille.[3]

He has also had supporting or guest roles in the television films War Brides,[10] Ready for Slaughter, Best of Both Worlds, A Matter of Sex, The Marriage Bed, Glory! Glory! and Giant Mine, the television series Harvest, Night Heat, Street Legal, E.N.G., Wind at My Back and This Is Wonderland, and the theatrical films Humongous and Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe.

Writing

As a playwright, his plays have included Blue City Slammers,[11] Tijuana Cure[12] and Highway 63.[13]

Coleman cowrote the screenplays for the film adaptation of Blue City Slammers (1987)[14] and The Shape of Rex (2013), with the latter film serving as his own directorial debut.[15]

Awards

He received several Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for his performances in The Al Cornell Story,[16] Public Lies,[17] As I Lay Dying[18] and The Walls of Africa.[19] He has won two honorary Doras, including the George Luscombe Award for mentorship in 2005[20] and the Silver Ticket for outstanding contributions to the development of Canadian theatre.[21]

Personal life

He was married to writer Carole Corbeil;[22] his theatrical play Tijuana Cure is about her treatment for and death of cancer.[12] Their daughter, Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman, is an actor and playwright.[22]

References
  1. Vit Wagner, "Theatre's man for all seasons". Toronto Star, September 19, 1998.
  2. "Local film wins praise at Madrid festival". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, February 28, 2014.
  3. "Coleman, Layne". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia, June 22, 2015.
  4. "Coleman steps in". The Globe and Mail, January 31, 1991.
  5. Christopher Harris, "Passe Muraille names artistic producer". The Globe and Mail, January 7, 1992.
  6. Dierdre Kelly, "Theatre picks acting director". The Globe and Mail, October 3, 1997.
  7. Kate Taylor, "Passing the torch at Passe Muraille". The Globe and Mail, October 17, 1998.
  8. Cam Fuller, "Coleman picks a winner: Award-winning The Drawer Boy his first selection at Theatre Passe Muraille". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, February 7, 2001.
  9. Richard Ouzonian, "Playing with time; Theatre Passe Muraille's outrageous productions stirred Toronto 40 years ago". Toronto Star, October 25, 2007.
  10. Ned Powers, "25th Street director stars in CBC drama". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, September 19, 1980.
  11. "Cuts may give Slammers a hit". Toronto Star, October 20, 1985.
  12. Robert Crew, "Layne's play sadly misses Carole". Toronto Star, March 13, 2009.
  13. Bruce DeMara, "Fort Mac's muddled road trip". Toronto Star, February 11, 2011.
  14. "Blue City hits a bland slam". Toronto Star, April 29, 1988.
  15. "Saskatoon film up for award". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, January 6, 2013.
  16. "Dora Mavor Moore awards: Tamara paces the nominees". The Globe and Mail, October 1, 1982.
  17. "Dora nominations list". Toronto Star, May 18, 1994.
  18. Geoff Chapman, "Canadian Stage, Tarragon lead Dora nominations". Toronto Star, May 17, 1996.
  19. Robert Crew, "Dora names noms ; Tarragon Theatre leads this year's nominations with 16". Toronto Star, May 17, 2002.
  20. Robert Crew, "Urinetown gets stream of Dora nominations". Toronto Star, June 9, 2005.
  21. Richard Ouzonian, "Write-in vote for Evil Dead Dora upset; Musical is favourite of city's audiences though it wasn't one of the jurors' picks". Toronto Star, June 26, 2007.
  22. "A very personal family drama". Toronto Star, October 4, 2008.
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