Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Gallow, Gillian
Toronto-based set and costume designer, Gillian Gallow studied theatre design at York University and graduated with an honours BFA. She has most recently designed costumes for the Shaw Festival’s The Devil’s Disciple and The Importance of Being Earnest (2022); and set and costumes for the Dora Mavor Moore Award winning production of Human Cargo’s The Runner, written by her partner, playwright Christopher Morris. She is the 2018 recipient of the Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design, and has been nominated for eight Dora Mavor Moore awards, receiving four.
In December, 2021, Gillian Gallow was named the 2021 Laureate of the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, Canada’s largest and most prestigious theatre award. Jury Chair Vanessa Porteous said that her designs “reveal hidden themes, paradoxes, and even contradictions,” “They tap into the deepest forces at work in the piece. She’s a teacher, a mentor, and a keen and open-spirited collaborator with a noted ability to communicate with production teams. The jury remarked upon her work on complex intercultural projects, in which her collaborators praised her respect, dedication, and care.” (Siminovitch website).
Gillian Gallow’s other design credits include: Hadrian and Louis Riel (Canadian Opera Company); An Octoroon, The Russian Play and Stage Kiss (Shaw Festival); Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Physicists, The Three Musketeers, and Hirsch (Stratford Festival); King Lear, Stuff Happens and Thirsty (National Arts Centre); Idomeneus, The Testament of Mary and Incident at Vichy (Soulpepper Theatre Company); A Christmas Carol, Million Dollar Quartet, Hand to God. and Seminar (Manitoba Theatre Centre); The Road To Paradise and Night (Human Cargo); One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Theatre Calgary/Manitoba Theatre Centre); The Kite Runner (Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre); A Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice and Cinderella (Grand Theatre, London).
Gallow enjoys risk-taking, and working on challenging content. She creates an emotional space of trust, curiosity, and fearlessness. For her, design is a choreographic element.
Website: https://gilliangallow.com/
Source: https://siminovitchprize.com
Last updated 2022-06-06
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