Aluna Theatre

Aluna’s vibrancy and artistic excellence is directly related to its artistic leaders Beatriz Pizano and Trevor Schwellnus and their strong artistic vision: one that emphasizes alternative creative processes and an ongoing investigation of theatre practices. Prioritizing the artistic practice and maintaining a light administrative framework has permitted us to build Aluna into an international company recognized for its unique approach to creation and its daring political work, as well as one that produces large-scale projects and international artistic exchanges with modest budgets.

Both Beatriz and Trevor are leading artists in their fields with numerous awards.

Beatriz is an accomplished director and playwright. She is also an actor with more than twenty years of experience on stage, film and television. She is the 2009 winner of the prestigious John Hirsch Prize for direction from the Canada Council for the Arts. She has been a recipient of numerous awards and internships including : The Ken McDougall Award for direction, The Chalmers Fellowship, The Urjo Kareda Award (Tarragon Theatre), and the Metcalf Performing Arts internship. She has been an associate artistic director for Theatre Revolve and Nightwood Theatre. As a writer/director her multi-award winning trilogy about women and war comprised of For Sale, Madre, and La Comunión, have received a total of 13 Dora Mavor Moore nominations and have won four of these.

She has created and led a number of youth programs both in Canada and Colombia. Most recently she facilitated a theatre/photography workshop with child ex-combatants in and youth victims from the armed conflict in her native Colombia.

“Colombian-born Beatriz Pizano is one of Canada’s important Latin-Canadian writer/directors”. ~ Paula Citron, Classical 96.5 FM

Trevor Schwellnus is a Scenographer – designing sets, lighting, and video with independent artists in Toronto – and is Artistic Producer of Aluna Theatre. His most recent work is as Director and designer of Aluna’s Nohayquiensepa (tour to Bogotá Nov.2010, premiere in Toronto March 2011). He has recently collaborated with Ame Henderson’s publicrecordings (300 Tapes, relay, /dance/songs/), Aluna Theatre (La Comunión, Madre, For Sale), Dancemakers (Double Bill #1 and #2), Buddies in Bad Times (Silicone Diaries), Small Wooden Shoe (Dedicated to the Revolutions), Susie Burpee, Meagan O’Shea, Tarragon Theatre, Alameda, Modern Times, and others. He has 2 Dora Awards for his work with Aluna, among 9 career award nominations. Also upcoming: Marie-Josée Chartier (Stria), Liza Balkan (Out the Window).

Blog: www.trevschwell.blogspot.com