{{short description|Canadian theatre artist and teacher}} {{Infobox person | name = Kate Lushington | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | other_names = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per WP:DOB. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}}. --> | birth_place = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | alma_mater = {{plainlist| *Concordia University *York University }} | occupation = {{plainlist| *Playwright *Theatre director *Teacher }} | years_active = | known_for = Nightwood Theatre | notable_works = | children = 3 | website = {{URL|https://www.katelushington.com}} }} '''Kate Lushington''' is a Canadian theatre artist and teacher. From 1988 to 1993, Lushington was the artistic director of Nightwood Theatre. Lushington has worked with The Clichettes and is the writer of ''The Apocalypse Plays: A Legacy Project''.
== Early life == Lushington studied design at Concordia University and later design and production at York University.<ref>{{Cite book|date=2011|title=The Canadian Women Director's Catalogue: A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF WOMEN DIRECTING IN CANADA|url=https://equityhack.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/pact_cwdc_16may11_v6.pdf|publisher=Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT)|isbn=978-0-921129-46-2}}</ref>
== Career == In the early seventies, Lushington taught at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Rose|first=Ben|date=10 January 2002|title=Director/actor explores Jewish issues|volume=32|page=31|work=Canadian Jewish News|issue=2|issn=0008-3941}}</ref>
In 1987, Lushington's play ''Let's Go to Your Place'', which she co-created with The Clichettes premiered at Nightwood Theatre's 3rd Groundswell Festival. Lushington's play ''Sex in a Box'' also premiered at the 1987 Groundswell Festival.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Crew|first=Robert|date=16 January 1987|title=Feminists launch festival: [FIN Edition]|page=D17|work=Toronto Star|issn=0319-0781}}</ref> In 1988, Lushington's collaboration with The Clichettes, ''Up Against The Wallpaper'' premiered under the direction of Maureen White.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Smith|first=Mary Elizabeth|date=1997|title="One Must Please to Live": The Survival of Harry Lindley in Atlantic Canada|url=https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/tric/article/view/7128/8187|journal=Theatre Research in Canada / Recherches Théâtrales Au Canada|volume=18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Crew|first=Robert|date=18 January 1988|title=Zany Clichettes at their best yet: [FIN Edition]|page=C5|work=Toronto Star|issn=0319-0781}}</ref>
In 1988, Lushington was hired as Nightwood Theatre's artistic associate. At the time, the artistic associate position fulfilled the same responsibilities as an artistic director, but the difference in title reflected Nightwood's structure as a creative collective. In 1990, Lushington reverted the title of her position to artistic director.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Shelley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqCoOSsnOeEC|title=Nightwood Theatre: A Woman's Work is Always Done|publisher=AU Press, Athabasca University|year=2010|isbn=978-1-897425-55-8|pages=112|via=Google Books}}</ref> Lushington was the first artistic director/coordinator of Nightwood that was not a founding member of the collective.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wagner|first=Vit|date=25 November 1988|title=Feminist collective adds multi-racial focus: [FIN Edition]|page=D7|work=Toronto Star|issn=0319-0781}}</ref> While working for Nightwood, Lushington directed several shows including Susan G. Cole's ''A Fertile Imagination'' (1991), Kelley Jo Burke's ''Charming and Rose: True Love'' (1993), and Lillian Allen's ''Love & Other Strange Things'' (1993).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Shelley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqCoOSsnOeEC|title=Nightwood Theatre: A Woman's Work is Always Done|publisher=AU Press, Athabasca University|year=2010|isbn=978-1-897425-55-8|pages=131|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=10 June 1993|title=Theatre gamblers share risk and anxiety: [AM Edition]|page=WO10|work=Toronto Star|issn=0319-0781}}</ref> Lushington also co-dramaturged Monique Mojica's ''Princess Pocahontas and the Blue Spots'' in 1989 with Djanet Sears.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mojica|first=Monique|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=173xR5EeSl4C|title=Princess Pocahontas and the Blue Spots: Two Plays|date=1991|publisher=Canadian Scholars' Press|isbn=978-0-88961-165-8|pages=13|language=en|via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1994, Alisa Palmer and Diane Roberts took over from Lushington as co-artistic directors of Nightwood Theatre.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scott|first=Shelley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqCoOSsnOeEC|title=Nightwood Theatre: A Woman's Work is Always Done|publisher=AU Press, Athabasca University|year=2010|isbn=978-1-897425-55-8|pages=159|via=Google Books}}</ref>
In 1999, Lushington's short film, "Subway Transfer" premiered at the On The Fly Festival in Toronto. The film was awarded the Mouche D'Or and the $4,000 cash prize associated with it.<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 August 1999|title=On The Fly festival names winners: [1 Edition]|page=1|work=Toronto Star|issn=0319-0781}}</ref>
In 2007, Lushington directed the controversial play ''My Name Is Rachel Corrie'' for Theatre PANIK in Toronto.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Posner|first=Michael|date=29 August 2007|title=Toronto company to stage Rachel Corrie play|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/toronto-company-to-stage-rachel-corrie-play/article1081138/|access-date=21 June 2020}}</ref> In 2011, Lushington directed ''Morning Glory'', Karen Bolette Sonne's play about female prisoners with special needs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bergman|first=S. Bear|date=9 August 2011|title=Morning Glory (Kate Lushington and Soo Garay) 2011 SummerWorks Review|url=https://www.mooneyontheatre.com/2011/08/08/morning-glory-kate-lushington-and-soo-garay-2011-summerworks-review/|access-date=22 June 2020|website=Mooney on Theatre|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sumi |first1=Glenn |last2=Kaplan |first2=Jon |author-link2=Jon Kaplan (theatre critic) |date=4 August 2011 |title=Artists to watch |url=https://nowtoronto.com/stage/story.cfm%3Fcontent%3D182096 |access-date=22 June 2020 |website=NOW Magazine |language=en-us |archive-date=29 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329195022/http://www.nowtoronto.com/stage/story.cfm?content=182096 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Lushington began teaching speaking skills at the Injured Workers Speakers School in Toronto in 2007. There, Lushington used traditional theatre techniques to teach the history of worker's compensation.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Vigil|first=Oscar|date=2012|title=INJURED WORKERS SPEAKERS SCHOOL|pages=33–39|work=Our Times|publisher=Our Times Publishing Inc.|issn=0822-6377}}</ref> Lushington currently teaches Alexander Technique from her studio.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kate Lushington Voice and Alexander Teacher|url=https://www.katelushington.com/|access-date=25 June 2020|website=katelushington.com|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Personal life == Lushington was married to interdisciplinary theatre artist Richard Greenblatt. The two met in London while Lushington was teaching at RADA.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Crew|first=Robert|date=21 November 1986|title=TFT casts director as 'minister of new works': [FIN Edition]|page=D24|work=Toronto Star|issn=0319-0781}}</ref> They have three children: Natasha, William, and Luke.<ref name=":3" />
== Bibliography ==
=== Plays === Works co-created with The Clichettes
* ''Let's Go to Your Place''<ref name=":2" /> * ''Up Against the Wallpaper<ref name=":2" />''
''The Apocalypse Plays: A Legacy Project''
* ''Grief Kit'' * ''Sex in a Box'' * ''Bundle of Joy'' - co-written with Natasha Greenblatt<ref>{{Cite news|last=Maga|first=Carly|date=13 February 2019|title=Kate Lushington put aside her idea for a play when her daughter, Natasha Greenblatt, was 2. Now that Natasha's 34, they've finished it together.|work=Toronto Star|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2019/02/13/kate-lushington-put-aside-her-idea-for-a-play-when-her-daughter-natasha-greenblatt-was-2-now-that-natashas-34-theyve-finished-it-together.html|access-date=21 June 2020}}</ref>
=== Non-Fiction ===
* "Fear of Feminism" in ''Feminist Theatre and Performance'' (ed. Susan Bennett, 2006)<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kerr|first=Rosalind|date=2007|title=Feminist Theatres|journal=Canadian Literature|publisher=Pacific Affairs. The University of British Columbia|issue=194|pages=103–104|issn=0008-4360}}</ref>
== References == <references />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lushington, Kate}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Category:Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Category:Canadian theatre directors Category:Canadian women theatre directors Category:Living people Category:21st-century Canadian women writers Category:Concordia University alumni Category:York University alumni Category:Canadian artistic directors Category:Royal Academy of Dramatic Art