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Shipley, Don

A black and white portrait of Don Shipley sitting in a white, ornate chair. He is wearing a dark corduroy blazer over a light-colored V-neck sweater and collared shirt.
Don Shipley

Artistic Director and director at theatres across Canada and abroad, including Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto. Don Shipley was the first producer/artistic director at the Belfry Theatre. He conceived and directed the first professional adult production there: Puttin' on the Ritz (1976). This was soon followed by Joanna Glass's Canadian Gothic/American Modern double-bill, setting the company on a route of active involvement in and stimulation of Canadian theatre creation. In 1979, the last year Shipley helmed, the company presented a full season of plays.

He was artistic director of the Grand Theatre, London for the 1984-86 season, then one of three co-directors (with Des McAnuff and Marti Maraden) at the Stratford Festival, where he had acted as a child in Shakespeare’s plays in the 1960s. His personal goals were to develop Stratford’s international profile and integrate new Canadian works.

From 1988 to 2001 Don Shipley was Manager of Performing Arts at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto; and from 2006 to 2007, he was the Artistic Director and CEO of the Dublin International Theatre Festival where he worked with top theatre talent from around the world. He has also been an associate director for Soulpepper Theatre Company, and an advisor for Crow’s Theatre.

He has worked at CBC TV and the National Film Board of Canada. In 2015, he was the head of the Arts and Culture component of the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

Among his many awards are Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Guthrie Awards, and the Prix Alliance Award from the Ministry of Culture in France.

Last updated 2026-01-28