TARA BEAGAN: Diaspora Dialogues Mentor in Drama 2010

Tara Beagan is a proud halfbreed of Ntlakapamux (Thompson River Salish) and Irish Canadian heritage. She was a playwright in residence at Native Earth Performing Arts for the 2009/2010 season with her play, free as injuns, and she now works at NEPA as an Artistic Associate.

Tara’s debut play, Thy Neighbour’s Wife, was produced by UnSpun Theatre in 2004, and garnered three Dora Award nominations. Beagan won for New Play, becoming the first female First Nations playwright to take home a Dora. Ensuing plays include Dreary and Izzy, (Native Earth at the Factory Studio Theatre. In print, Playwright’s Canada Press.) Here, Boy! (halfbreed productions at the 28th Rhubarb! Festival) and the Crate Productions collective, The Fort at York. This expansive, site-specific piece marked Beagan’s directorial debut (she was one of two directors). Beagan was the head writer alongside fourteen other actor/collaborators. Tara has worked on the Playwrights Units at Tarragon Theatre and Nightwood.

Quilchena (halfbreed productions) which Beagan also directed, debuted in 2007. That same year, Beagan was named, in NOW Magazine, as one of the Top Ten Theatre Artists. Beagan further developed Quilchena during her playwright residency at Cahoots Theatre Projects in 2007/2008, and at the 2009 CrossCurrents Festival.

Foundlings (writer/director) is a mixed-media, interactive piece. Other short plays include the Caravan Farm Theatre commission, BLUEBEARD’S WI7E, TransCanada, (Native Earth at Harbourfront), and the topical Anatomy of an Indian, at the 8th Wrecking Ball, which starred Lorne Cardinal and was directed by Weyni Mengesha.

Beagan’s Miss Julie: Sheh’mah – a radical new adaptation of Strindberg’s play – brought fledgling company KICK Theatre tearing onto the Toronto theatre scene in ‘08. The production ultimately earned five Dora Award nominations.

Tara is one of four commissioned playwrights on the Theatrefront serial theatrical project, The Mill. The thesis for the series is that “Canada is a haunted house.” Her piece, The Woods, debuted this March at the Young Centre in Toronto, and returns in rep with all four plays in January 2011.

Tara is honoured to work as a workshop facilitator for youth, a playwriting instructor for First Nations theatre students, and a mentor for emerging First Nations artists. She also works as an actor, director and producer.