Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Farthing, Ian
Actor and director, born in Vancouver, BC, May 23, 1969. Although based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ian Farthing undertook his professional training in the UK (B.A. Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham in 1990; and Guildhall School of Acting), and then worked in London for ten years.
Since returning to the West Coast, he has appeared in numerous productions with the Arts Club Theatre (The Mousetrap, Cabaret, Shear Madness), Pacific Theatre (The Foreigner, The Clearing, Lettice and Lovage), and a number of smaller companies in Vancouver and across BC. He also performed at the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in 2004 and 2005.
From 2005 to 2014 he was Artistic Director of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, a tenure which culminated in hosting the first ever visit to Canada of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre from London, as part of their Globe to Globe world tour of Hamlet. He also received the Capital Critics Circle Award for the Excellence of his Contribution to Theatre in 2014 and was honoured as Prescott’s Citizen of the Year.
He now freelances as an actor and director and has served as an Artistic Adviser for Pacific Theatre in Vancouver and the 9th Hour Theatre Company in Ottawa. He is also on the Board of the 9th Hour Theatre Company and Vancouver’s ACE Productions.
Last updated 2021-11-18
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