Gass, Ken, 1945- : Canadian theatre administrator, director and playwright Ken Gass was born in 1945 in Abbotsford, British Columbia. He studied creative writing at the University of British Columbia (BA, MA) before moving to Toronto in 1968. There, he briefly taught English at Parkdale Collegiate.
In 1969 and 1970, Gass worked with Canadian playwright John Herbert at the Garret Theatre. In May 1970, Gass founded his own theatre, Factory Theatre Lab, which was devoted to the production of Canadian plays. He remained artistic director of the Factory Theatre Lab until 1979. During this time, Gass organized the Festival of Underground Theatre in Toronto (1970) and another festival, Renaissance 71 (1971). After resigning from the Factory Theatre, Gass became senior lecturer in acting and directing for the University of Toronto's University College drama program. He held this position for more than 30 years. Gass has also taught at York University, Brock University and George Brown College.
During his career, Gass wrote and produced several of his own plays, such as Winter Offensive (premiered at the Factory in 1977, directed by Gass). His other plays include: Hurray for Johnny Canuck!, based on the Second World War comic book series by Leo Bachle (Factory, 1974); The Boy Bishop (Factory, 1977, directed by Gass); Claudius (Canadian Rep, 1993, directed by Gass) and Amazon Dream (Canadian Rep, 1994, directed by Gass) as well as Bethune Imagined (performed at Factory Theatre in 2010). He has also written for television (CBC-TV) and radio, including Terror (BBC 1981).
In 1984, Gass founded another company, the Canadian Rep Theatre. The company's goal was to promote the production of new works as well as those from Canada's dramatic literary past. The company would be the first to present a Robert Lepage production outside of Quebec.
In 1997, Gass once again assumed the position of Artistic Director for Factory Theatre. During this second tenure, he directed Ian Ross's fareWel and John Mighton's A Short History of Night (both in 1999), Florence Gibson's Belle (2000), and the National Theatre School of Canada productions of Walker's Better Living and Escape From Happiness (2002). In 2011, he directed Tomson Highway's The Rez Sisters with a multicultural cast. In 2012, the Factory Theatre's Board of Directors fired Gass over differences of opinion concerning renovations to the theatre. This dismissal prompted a vibrant protest by the theatre community calling for his reinstatement.
After leaving Factory Theatre, Gass revived the Canadian Rep Theatre. The company's revival season in 2014 featured the English-language premiere of Pacamambo by Wajdi Mouawad (directed by Gass), the Canadian premiere of Dead Metaphor by George F. Walker (directed by Walker), and the world premiere of Watching Glory Die by Judith Thompson (directed by Gass) at the Berkeley St. Theatre Upstairs. In the subsequent years, Gass went on to direct productions such as Helen's Necklace by Carole Fréchette (2018). In 2016, he was instrumental in founding ENSEMBLE Canadian Youth Theatre/Théâtre Jeunesse Canadien, a performance, training and mentorship pilot project that features graduates from professional theatre training programs across Canada. Gass directed the following productions for this project: Dreams (Rêves) by Wajdi Mouawad and an ensemble adaptation of Tough! by George F. Walker.
Also of note, in February 2015, Gass directed a production of How Do I Love Thee? by Florence Gibson MacDonald at Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs, and Armstrong's War by Colleen Murphy.
For his work and career in theatre, Gass has received the Dora Silver Ticket Award for lifetime achievement (1997), the Herbert Whittaker/ Canadian Theatre Critics Association Award for Distinguished Contribution to Canadian Theatre (2000), the George Luscombe Award for theatre mentoring (2001), the Toronto Arts Award (2001) and the Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts (2010).
