Professor Brian Parkinson

Associate Dean and Professor

Teaching Specializations: Directing, Acting, Script Analysis
Research/Creative Activities: Directing

Born in England, Brian lived, and was educated, in various parts of Africa, the Far East and Europe before coming to Canada. He completed undergraduate work at the University of British Columbia and post-graduate work in England where he began his career as a professional director before returning to Canada. He has taught directing, acting, play analysis and theatre history in the department for more than 28 years and has served in a number of administrative capacities including Chair of the Theatre & Dramatic Arts Department, Acting Chair of the Music Department and he is currently the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

With more than 120 productions to his credit, Brian has directed in academic and professional companies in both England and Canada. He was the original founding director of TheatreXtra, a University of Lethbridge summer stock company and he has directed countless university productions, including, recently, Peer Gynt, Macbeth, The Mikado, Noises Off, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, She Stoops To Conquer, and As You Like It.

Brian worked for many years to establish professional theatre in Southern Alberta and his productions have played in both Alberta and British Columbia. He was the founding Artistic Director of Fort MacLeod's Great West Theatre for seven years before becoming the founding Artistic Managing Director of New West Theatre in Lethbridge which has grown to be the largest professional theatre company east of Vancouver and south of Calgary. He has directed a great many of this company's productions in its 17 year history.

Brian has served on the Boards of both Theatre Alberta and The Association for Canadian Theatre Research. He has been a nominee for the Rozsa Award for Excellence in Arts Management and for the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts. In 2005 he was honoured with the Alberta Centennial Gold Medal for his work in establishing professional theatre in southern Alberta. Brian was recently recognized in Theatre 100, (an Alberta Playwright