Svetlana Zylin

Svetlana Zylin (1948-2002) was a Belgian-born Canadian theatre director and playwright. She was also the founder of the Women's Theatre Collective in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Svetlana Zylin
Born1948 (1948)
Belgium
DiedJuly 15, 2002(2002-07-15) (aged 53–54)
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Director
  • Playwright

Biography

Zylin was born in Belgium in 1948. Her family immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1954.[1]

Zylin attended the University of Manitoba and graduated in 1968 with Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] Zylin later received an MFA from the University of British Columbia's directing program.[3] For her MFA thesis, Zylin originally directed Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bemarda Alba with an all female cast. The production was deemed ineligible as her thesis production as her all female cast did not "reflect the human condition."[4] Zylin then directed John Herbert’s Fortune in Men’s Eyes with an all-male cast which was deemed to meet the MFA requirements.[5]

Zylin died in Winnipeg, Manitoba on July 15, 2002.[6]

Career

In 1972, Zylin founded the Women's Theatre Collective in Vancouver, British Columbia.[7] From 1988 to 1991, Zylin ran the Playwright's Workshop in Montreal, Quebec.[1]

Zylin created "Toronto's only continuing, improvised soap", A Wedge Of Night. A Wedge of Night ran in the late eighties at the Midtown Cafe Theatre Society (formerly the Ritz Cafe Theatre) in downtown Toronto and was a live, improvised soap opera. A Wedge of Night featured local actors such as Randy Parker, Sybille Forster, Bill Zaget, and Melanie Brown.[8]

Zylin's play The Destruction of Eve premiered in 1998 with the Company of Sirens at the Annex Theatre in Toronto, Ontario.[9] The Destruction of Eve is a feminist, musical take on the Bible and its female characters. The musical features music and lyrics by Connie Kaldor. The Company of Sirens premiere featured Ellen Rae Hennessy, Alex Fallis, Carol Greyeyes, Kathleen McAuliffe, Simrata Shakla and Shakura S'Aida.[10]

In 1999, Zylin was appointed theatre and dance touring officer for the Manitoba Arts Council. The position was supposed to last for three years[1] but was cut short due to Zylin's death. Zylin died in Winnipeg on July 15, 2002.[6]

Select directorial credits

Plays
  • The Destruction of Eve - written by Svetlana Zylin, music and lyrics by Connie Kaldor
  • Djuna: What Of The Night - co-created by Zylin and Cynthia Grant
  • One on the Way - co-created by Zylin, Mary Vingoe, Nicola Lipman, and Gay Hauser

References
  1. "Arts officer named". Winnipeg Free Press. 1999-09-15. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  2. "U of M Fall Convocation to Present 895 Awards". Winnipeg Free Press. 1968-10-17. Retrieved 2020-06-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Stewart, Ian (2019-06-01). "Memorable Manitobans: Svetlana Zylin (?-2002)". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  4. Paterson, Erika. Ordering Chaos: The Canadian Fringe Theatre Phenomenon. 1997. University of Victoria, PhD Thesis, p. 25.
  5. Paterson, Erika. Ordering Chaos: The Canadian Fringe Theatre Phenomenon. 1997. University of Victoria, PhD Thesis, p. 26.
  6. "Svetlana Zylin". Winnipeg Free Press. 2002-06-24. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  7. Sumi, Glenn; Kaplan, Jon (2002-10-03). "Stage Scenes". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  8. Zekas, Rita (1986-03-07). "Will our soap queen get her cabaret? Stay tuned: [FIN Edition]". Toronto Star. p. D18. ISSN 0319-0781 – via ProQuest.
  9. "The Destruction of Eve by Svetlana Zylin". Canadian Play Outlet. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  10. "[Stage]: [1 Edition]". Toronto Star. 1998-05-07. p. 1. ISSN 0319-0781 – via ProQuest.
  11. Usin, Léa V. (1986). "'A Local Habitation and a Name': Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company". Theatre Research in Canada / Recherches théâtrales Au Canada. 7 – via 2020-06-27.
  12. Knowles, Richard Paul. "AnOther Story: Women's Dramaturgy and the Circulation of Cultural Values at Mulgrave Road". Atlantis. 20: 169–182.
  13. "The Rhubarb Archive". buddiesinbadtimes.com. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  14. Scott, Shelley (1997). "Collective Creation and the Changing Mandate of Nightwood Theatre". Theatre Research in Canada / Recherches théâtrales Au Canada. 18 (2).
  15. Wagner, Vit (1991-05-14). "Djuna a stylish theatre piece: [FIN Edition]". Toronto Star. p. F3. ISSN 0319-0781 – via ProQuest.
  16. "Hamson, Leslie. "Last rites" // Play". Canadian Theatre Review. University of Toronto Press. 75: 56–71. 1993. eISSN 1920-941X. ISSN 0315-0836 – via ProQuest.
  17. Horsey, Jennifer (1993-10-21). "The Suicide is just the beginning" (PDF). Dalhousie Gazette. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
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