Kate Trotter, a celebrated actress of theatre, cinema and television was presented with the “Distinguished Alumni Prize for the Humanities” on March 31, 2012 at Brock University. Ms. Trotter graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Dramatic Literature, First-Class Standing, in 1975 and the National Theatre School of Canada in 1978.
During the past 37 years Ms. Trotter has established an international reputation as a lead actress in film, television and stage production. Roles in theatre have included significant work in both classics and modern pieces: she has performed in Canadian plays by Anne Chislett, Tmothy Findley, David French, John Murell and Sharon Pollock among others as well as various Shakespeare, comic, tragic, and lyric theatre productions. She has collaborated with Canadian luminaries such as Martha Henry, Bill Hutt, Brent Carver, Robin Phillips, Richard Monette, RH Thompson, Al Waxman, Bill Shatner and Donald Sutherland.
Roles in cinema include Marie Currie in Glory Enough for All, and working alongside actors such as Charles Bronson, Angelina Jolie, James Woods, the three Carradine brothers, Claire Bloom, Clive Owen, Gary Sineese, Whoopi Goldberg, Edward Woodward, Jon Voight and Sophia Loren, to name a few.
Her numerous roles in television include Being Erica, The Murdoch Mysteries, The Jane Show and CSI.
She has also directed for the National Film Board and for women in the director’s chair as well as for the stage. Ms Trotter has taught Shakespeare at George Brown College, is co-founder of a program supporting kids at risk called youth and the law and for several years has been part of training programs for Canadian judges teaching communication skills in the courtroom.
The “Distinguished Alumni Prize for the Humanities” was founded in 2002 to celebrate the achievements of Brock’s finest graduates. The award is conferred upon alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their field of study and the larger Brock community, as both a scholar and role model.
On March 30, 2012 from 7pm-9pm the Department of Dramatic Arts hosted a special event (studio location TBA) to introduce Ms Trotter to our current students and aspiring artists. All DART students and faculty were welcome to join the Department as we celebrate her success and raise a glass to toast this alumna of Brock Theatre.
For more information see Ms Totter’s YouTube DEMO REEL or her entries in the Internet Movie Database and Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia (last updated 2009).
Internationally renowned New York City director and playwright Richard Maxwell of the New York City Players recently Skype chatted with students of DART 4F90 Critical Theory and Practice about his touring production of “Ads” and responded to questions of liveness, performer presence, and commodity culture.
On January 26 and 27, 2012, Fujimoto Takakyuki – pioneer of stage design with LED lighting – visited the Department of Dramatic Arts to give a demonstration and creative workshop with this innovative technology.
As an endowment, the funds provided by CIBC will support this award in perpetuity. The first presentation of the CIBC Leaders Award is expected to take place in the 2012-2013 academic year.