HISTORY
Theatre Jones Roy was formed in the spring of 2007, when Thomas Morgan Jones, Anusree Roy, and David DeGrow, three M.A. students at the University of Toronto’s Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, came together to stage the first performance of Anusree Roy’s Pyaasa as a fundraiser for Theatre Passe Muraille. The following fall, Theatre Jones Roy produced a one-week run of Pyaasa in the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace. This production garnered Roy two Dora Mavor Moore awards for Best Performance by a Female and Best New Play in the Independent Theatre category. The play was subsequently produced by Theatre Passe Muraille as part of their 2008-2009 season. Theatre Jones Roy, with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille, then produced their second show, Roy’s Letters to my Grandma, to critical and audience acclaim. Letters to my Grandma was then part of Theatre Passe Muraille’s 2009-2010 season, and was also nominated for Dora awards for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance. In January 2010, Theatre Jones Roy premiered their third work, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth for two actors by Thomas Morgan Jones, and in November of 2010, Theatre Passe Muraille produced their fourth production, the premiere of Anusree Roy’s Roshni. Pyaasa and Letters to my Grandma have been part of the Uno and Magnetic North Theatre Festivals, and have been presented by the Vancouver East Cultural Centre and the Factory Theatre in Toronto, as well as by theatres across Ontario.
Theatre Jones Roy was named Best Emerging Theatre Company (Best of Toronto, 2009) by NOW Magazine.
CORE VALUES
Theatre Jones Roy is dedicated to empathy, integrity, compassion, honesty, simplicity, diversity, experimentation, excellence, and humility in every aspect of the company’s operations.
THE CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Anusree Roy
ANUSREE ROY
Roy’s theatre credits include: Amal in 9 Parts of Desire (2010 Dora Mavor Moore Nomination); playwright and performer of Double Dora Mavor Moore Award nominated Letters to my Grandma (TPM, Magnetic North, and Vancouver East Cultural Centre) and Pyaasa (TPM, UNO festival, Magnetic North, The Grand Theatre, Factory Theatre and Vancouver East Cultural Centre) for which she won two Dora Mavor Moore Awards. In the last two seasons Roy has been a playwright-in-residence at The Canadian Stage Company and TPM. For the 2010-2011 season, she will be a playwright in Residence at the Blyth Festival and TPM.
She can be seen in her new multi-character plays Roshni and Brothel # 9 being produced by Theatre Passe Muraille and Factory Theatre respectively in their 2010-2011 seasons. Roy holds an M.A from the University of Toronto. October ’09 Roy was honoured with the RBC Emerging Artist Award in Toronto. She is the Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Jones Roy.
THOMAS MORGAN JONES
Thomas is a Toronto-based playwright, director, dramaturg, fight and movement choreographer and instructor. A former Associate Artistic Director of Theatre Direct, recent credits include: director, Roshni, Theatre Passe Muraille, developed by Theatre Jones Roy; director, Walking the Tightrope (two Dora awards), Theatre Direct; member of the inaugural Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Assistant Director to Marti Maraden on The Winter’s Tale, Director of Troilus and Cressida workshop); Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Jones Roy where he directed Pyaasa (two Dora awards), Letters to my Grandma (two Dora nominations), and Macbeth Reflected. With Theatre Passe Muraille Pyaasa and Letters appeared for full runs in Toronto before touring natinoally. Other highlights include three seasons as movement coach with Modern Times Stage Company and six seasons as a company member with The Charlotteotwn Festival. He is currently the Playwright-In-Residence at Cahoots Theatre Company where he is creating a new piece titled Sam in Three, is developing a new musical with Canadian composer Nicky Phillips and is co-writing a new play with actor Michelle Polak. A Full Member of The Playwrights Guild of Canada he lives in the Beaches area of Toronto with his wonderful wife, Josie.
David DeGrow
DAVID DEGROW
David is a designer, technician, actor, manager various, and one of the Co-Artistic Directors of Theatre Jones Roy. This season, David has created lighting designs for Almighty Voice and his Wife (NEPA National Tour), The Cure for Everything (Theatre Passe Muraille/Contrary Company), and Roshni (Theatre Passe Muraille/Theatre Jones Roy). Last season David designed Macbeth Reflected (Theatre Jones Roy), Future Folk (Sulong Collective/Theatre Passe Muraille), Letters to my Grandma (Theatre Jones Roy/Theatre Passe Muraille), and was the tour manager and designer for Theatre Jones Roy’s tours of Pyaasa and Letters to my Grandma to Victoria, Ottawa, London and Vancouver. He was also the Production Coordinator for Canadian Stage Company’s Festival of Ideas and Creation, was the Production Manager for Native Earth’s national tour of Almighty Voice and his Wife, and is Coordinator for the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace. David holds an M.A. from the University of Toronto’s Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, and recently completed a Theatre Ontario PTTP mentorship in General Management with Hugh Neilson at Theatre Passe Muraille and Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People. Upcoming: Set & Lighting Design for Oh My Irma (Theatre Passe Muraille), Lighting Design for Head a Tête (Theatre Direct), and Lighting Design for Hedda Gabler (University of Windsor.)
