ROss Manson, Artistic Director

ross@volcano.ca

Ross Manson is an actor, director, and translator, and the founding Artistic Director of Volcano (“The explosive company from Canada” – The Independent, UK). Volcano specializes in projects that explore compelling social and artistic territories in innovative ways, often inventing multi-disciplinary styles of performance or development tailor-made to the idea at hand. Ross has directed across Canada and around the world – for Tarragon; Canadian Stage; Svenska Theatre, Helsinki; Third Wall, Ottawa; Canada Dance Festival, among others. His over 20 shows for Volcano have earned over 70 award nominations or wins at the local, national and international level. These include over 43 Dora nominations over 4 divisions, 13 Dora wins, 2 Governor General Award nominations, The Carol Tambor Foundation “Best of Edinburgh” Award, a Scotsman Fringe First Award (Edinburgh), the NOW People’s Choice Award (Toronto), The Dublin International Fringe Best Design Award, a Chalmers National Play Award (Canada), the Edinburgh Total Theatre Award shortlist, among others. Ross has been nominated for many Dora Awards in directing, acting, playwriting, and producing (winning once for Outstanding Direction, once for Outstanding New Play, and twice for Best Production). He is the winner of both a Harold Award for community service, and a KM Hunter Award for excellence as an emerging theatre artist. He was a finalist for the 2009 Rita Davies and Margo Bindhardt Cultural Leadership Award in Toronto, the 2009 Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in Ontario, and the 2010 and 2016 Siminovitch National Prize in Directing.

NOW Magazine cover story 2003
“We’ve inherited a method of work here that’s part history, part England, part budget. It’s very efficient — but it can hem you in artistically.”

The Scientific Director 2005
Manson's approach strives to create what he calls "cognitive dissonance" …  "It's a way of getting around forgetfulness." Thematically, he is fascinated with the notion of prophecy and legacy -- "how actions in the present moment will affect the future and whether we think about that."

Preparing a Century of Song 2016
“The trust that evolves in collaborating with a team over many years is enormous. And because so much of what we do is experimental, and often quite fragile, trust helps us make the right decisions.”

In Conversation: Odile Gakire Katese and Ross Manson 2019
“I believe that everything is story. We are made up of stories, the stories that we carry around in our heads invent us and put the world around us into reality.”