Michael Mackenzie
Encyclopedia
Michael Mackenzie is a Canadian
theatre director, film director
, screenwriter
and dramaturge
. He has directed two films, The Baroness and the Pig and Adam's Wall
. He is a playwright
who has written plays that have been staged internationally. His plays have been published in English
, French
, German
and Hungarian
.
He has a Ph.D in the Economics and History of Science. Past appointments include Visiting Fellow at Princeton University
's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
teaching in the Humanities Department. He worked as a consultant at the United Nations
.
in Montreal.
Mackenzie has written many plays that have been produced professionally and translated into languages. His plays have run long-runs particularly in Hungary
and Czech Republic
. The Budapest
production remained for a five year run and the Prague
production for a four year run. His plays have been also staged at a number of theatres in Canada
, Germany
, Portugal
and Israel
and at the Avignon International Theatre Festival
. He has also been produced in the United Kingdom
at the Bristol Old Vic
and on BBC Radio
and in New York City
's Vine Tree Theater. In May 2008, a recent production of the film The Baroness and the Pig was done in Montreal against critical acclaim.
He has directed for the professional theatre in Ottawa
, Toronto
, Montreal
, Banff
and Vancouver
and a tour in the province of Quebec.
Currently, he is working with Robert Lepage on the English version of Lepage's 'Dragon Bleu'. As well as working with Lepage's ex machina company on previous occasions, Michael was dramaturge and script editor for the Cirque du Soleil
show Ka.
(2002), Festival de nouveau cinema et media (Montreal 2002) where it was the closing film, Sundance Film Festival
(2003) and San Francisco Film Festival (2003). The film starred Patricia Clarkson
and Colm Feore
and Michael Mackenzie was nominated for "Best Direction", "Best Cinematography" and "Best Editing" for the Quebec
Jutra Awards (2003).
His second feature film as director is Adam's Wall. Co-written with Dana Schoel, it was produced by Couzin Films
. It premiered at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema
(2008) in Montreal, Quebec on 15 October 2008 later in the year put as a general release in Montreal (distributed by Equinoxe).
In 1995 he did "Dark Practice Scarring", an interactive installation as author and director at the International Symposium of Electronic Arts, Montreal.
In 1996 he co-wrote Le Polygraphe with Robert Lepage
, Marie Brassard and Patrick Goyette for a film by Robert Lepage. he became a Genie Award
nominee for best adapted screenplay for the work.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
theatre director, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and dramaturge
Dramaturge
A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas...
. He has directed two films, The Baroness and the Pig and Adam's Wall
Adam's Wall
Adam's Wall is a Canadian film released in Montreal on October 17, 2008. The film is directed by Michael Mackenzie, who also co-wrote the film with Dana Schoel and produced by Ziad Touma of Couzin Films and by Olivier Sirois...
. He is a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
who has written plays that have been staged internationally. His plays have been published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
.
He has a Ph.D in the Economics and History of Science. Past appointments include Visiting Fellow at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
teaching in the Humanities Department. He worked as a consultant at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
Theatre career
Mackenzie is a writer-in-residence at the Crows’ Theatre in Toronto and taught at the National Theatre School of CanadaNational Theatre School of Canada
The National Theatre School of Canada is a private college located in Montreal, Quebec.Established in Montreal in 1960, the National Theatre School of Canada offers professional training in English and French in a setting that unites all the theatre arts: acting, playwriting, directing, set and...
in Montreal.
Mackenzie has written many plays that have been produced professionally and translated into languages. His plays have run long-runs particularly in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. The Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
production remained for a five year run and the Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
production for a four year run. His plays have been also staged at a number of theatres in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and at the Avignon International Theatre Festival
Festival d'Avignon
The Festival d'Avignon, or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, it is the oldest extant festival in France and one of the world's greatest...
. He has also been produced in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
and on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
and in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Vine Tree Theater. In May 2008, a recent production of the film The Baroness and the Pig was done in Montreal against critical acclaim.
He has directed for the professional theatre in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Banff
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and a tour in the province of Quebec.
Currently, he is working with Robert Lepage on the English version of Lepage's 'Dragon Bleu'. As well as working with Lepage's ex machina company on previous occasions, Michael was dramaturge and script editor for the Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
show Ka.
Film career
Michael's first feature film as a writer/director is The Baroness and the Pig, an adaptation of a play and was produced by Media Principia. It was selected for the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
(2002), Festival de nouveau cinema et media (Montreal 2002) where it was the closing film, Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
(2003) and San Francisco Film Festival (2003). The film starred Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
and Colm Feore
Colm Feore
Colm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
and Michael Mackenzie was nominated for "Best Direction", "Best Cinematography" and "Best Editing" for the Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
Jutra Awards (2003).
His second feature film as director is Adam's Wall. Co-written with Dana Schoel, it was produced by Couzin Films
Couzin Films
Couzin Films is a Montreal-based Canadian film, television and digital media production company established by Ziad Touma, a Lebanese Canadian film director, producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:...
. It premiered at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema
Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
The Festival du Nouveau Cinéma was known as the Montreal Festival of New Cinema and New Media until 2004. Founded in 1971, by Claude Chamberlan and Dimitri Eipides, it is an annual independent film festival held in Montreal and features independent films from around the world...
(2008) in Montreal, Quebec on 15 October 2008 later in the year put as a general release in Montreal (distributed by Equinoxe).
Others
In 1993 he co-authored and co-directed Archeology of a Mother Tongue with Toni Dove at the Banff Virtual Reality Seminar.In 1995 he did "Dark Practice Scarring", an interactive installation as author and director at the International Symposium of Electronic Arts, Montreal.
In 1996 he co-wrote Le Polygraphe with Robert Lepage
Robert Lepage
Robert Lepage, is a playwright, actor, film director, and stage director from Québec City, Québec, and is one of Canada's most honoured theatre artists.- Life and work :...
, Marie Brassard and Patrick Goyette for a film by Robert Lepage. he became a Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
nominee for best adapted screenplay for the work.
Directing
- 1987 Member of the Wedding, Tarragon Theatre, Toronto
- 1992 Last Temptation of Christopher Robin written by Michael O'Brien, Toronto Theatre Center
- 1993 Baroness and the Pig, Workshop, National Centre for the Arts, Ottawa
- 1994 Tip or Die written by Linda Mancini, Here, New York
- 1994: Freaks, the Musical written by Michael O'Brien, Workshop, National Centre for the Arts, Ottawa
- 1997: Bikini, written by Linda Mancini, Vineyard Theatre, New York
Dramaturge
- 1993: Geometry in Venice, writer, published at PUC
- 1997: Baroness and the Pig, writer, first publication at éditions Herbes rouges
- 1997: Elseneur, written by Robert Lepage, story consultant, dramaturge. Quebec and world tour.
- 2005: Ka, written by Robert Lepage, story consultant, dramaturge. produnctions Cirque du Soleil/MGM, Las Vegas.
Screenwriting
- 1996: Le Polygraphe co-written with Robert Lepage, Marie Brassard and Patrick Goyette; a film by Robert Lepage (Genie Award nominee for best adapted screenplay).