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Edell, Frederick Marvin

Frederick Marvin Edell

Frederick Marvin Edell was a Canadian-American theatre director, actor, film scholar, and educator whose career spanned over five decades. He was born in. 1935 in New York City; died in. 2024 in San Miguel de Allende. He earned a B.A. in English from Hobart College and an M.F.A. in Theatre from Yale Drama School, followed by postgraduate study in Oriental Theatre at New York University and Film Studies at the University of Bristol, England. His professional training included acting study with Uta Hagen, William Ball, and William Hickey, dance with Pearl Lang, and advanced workshops with Kristin Linklater, Trish Arnold, and Tina Packer. He also trained in Kyoto Japan in Noh and Ky?gen theatre and Noh mask carving under Michishige Udaka and the Shigeyama family.

Edell made major contributions to the development of Canadian theatre education, holding senior academic positions at multiple universities. He began as Assistant Professor at the University of Victoria (1966–70) before moving to the University of Manitoba, where he served as Associate Professor and Director of Theatre and Film Studies (1970–76). Subsequent posts included Chair of Theatre at the University of Winnipeg (1976–77), Director of the Acting and Directing Program at Brock University (1977–78), and Professor and Chair of the Drama Department at Acadia University (1978–90). From 1990 to 2000 he was Professor and Chair (1990–95) of Drama at the University of Saskatchewan, where he was named Professor Emeritus in 2000. Later appointments included teaching Global Film Studies at Selkirk College, Acting at LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore and Film Studies for Senior College Atlantic Across these posts, Edell taught all levels of acting and directing, dramatic theory, and film history, helping train generations of Canadian theatre artists.

His professional directing career was extensive and international. Off-Broadway he directed A Taste of Honey, The Measures Taken, The Clowns, Woyzeck, and Platonov (1962–65). As guest director in Sweden, he staged work at Uppsala and Helsingborg City Theatres (1962), Stockholm City Theatre (1962–63), and the Norrköping–Linköping City Theatres (1963–64). His Canadian credits included Walsh at the Manitoba Theatre Centre Warehouse (1975), Zastrozzi (1986) and Top Girls (1987) at Neptune Theatre, multiple productions for the Stephenville Theatre Festival (1985–86), and Elvira Jouvet 40 for 25th Street Theatre, Saskatoon (1997). International festival credits included Tightrope Time (Utrecht Multi-Cultural Festival, 1987) and Waiting for the Parade (International Maytime Festival, Dundalk, Ireland, 1988). He directed Tightrope Time at De Engelenbak in Amsterdam and worked with Nelson Community Opera on Sweeney Todd, Dracula, and The Threepenny Opera (2001–06). His university directing credits were equally broad, covering works by Aeschylus, Brecht, Chekhov, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Mamet, Pollock, Walker, and Shepard.

Edell also directed opera and acted professionally. He was a respected critic and essayist, contributing to Cinema Canada, Canadian Dimension, The Village Voice, Take One, The New York Times, and CBC Radio. His honours included Swedish-American Fellowships (1962–64), multiple Canada Council grants, the Harvey T. Reid Fellowship (1986), and Best Director awards from the Nova Scotia Drama League (1982–83). He held memberships in professional associations (Equity, ACTRA) and served on boards for Persephone Theatre, 25th Street Theatre, Nelson Community Opera, and the Nelson and District Arts Council, helping shape theatre policy and practice in Canada.

Profile by Cara Weston Edell.

Last updated 2025-09-17