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Fergusson, Denise

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Actor/director born in Hamilton, Ontario, March 3, 1935. She trained and studied at the State University of New York, the Bristol Old Vic, University of Bristol, Carnegie Institute of Technology and at University of Pittsburgh. Since her training, she has worked across Canada,the United States, England, Italy and Japan.

She has appeared in over 250 professional productions in theatre, radio, television and cinema and acted with most of Canada's major theatre companies including the Stratford Festival (Maria in Twelfth Night, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Jenny in Three Penny Opera, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret); the Shaw Festival (Aurora in How He Lied to Her Husband, Lavinia in Androcles and the Lion); the Charlottetown Festival (Rachel and Marilla in Anne of Green Gables); Vancouver Playhouse (Katherine in Taming of the Shrew); Grand Theatre, London (Olga in You Can't Take it With You, Elvira in Blithe Spirit); National Arts Centre (Hester in Equus, Agnes in Back to Beulah, Mary in Jacob's Wake, Sarah in Memoir); Citadel Theatre (Adelaide in Guys and Dolls); Rainbow Stage (the title role in Mame); Manitoba Theatre Centre (Clara in Pygmalion, Sybil in Private Lives); Necessary Angel (Innkeeper in Jacques and His Master); Neptune Theatre (Regan in King Lear, Gertrude in Hamlet); and Theatre New Brunswick (Weezer in Steel Magnolias). In 2000, she performed at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre in Wrinkles; and with the Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto as Mrs. Peachum in The Beggar's Opera, and as Enid in Chorus of Disapproval in 2002. In October, 2002, she directed Our Own Particular Jane for the Jane Austen Society's annual conference in Toronto.

For Theatre Newfoundland Labrador Denise Fergusson has directed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in November 2001, Guys and Dolls in November 2002, and South Pacific in November 2003. In 2003, as an actor, she participated in the 2003 N.Y.C. Playwright's Festival of New Plays, as Aurelia in A Simple Gift, as well at Marilla in Anne of Green Gables at Theatre Orangeville.

She has also taught extensively including privately, as the head of acting for the Charlottetown Festival Young Company and at the Banff School of Fine Arts. Many of her directing credits are with theatre schools or faculties notably at Memorial University in Newfoundland, the University of Regina and the University of Alberta.

Profile by Gaetan Charlebois. Additional information provided by Pierre Karch.

Last updated 2020-12-03