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Emerging Artists
James Odin Wade
2024
- Theatre
James Wade is an Alberta playwright on the brink of a long career as a mainstay in Canadian theatre. He writes plays about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive and thrive in the modern world. His dialogue is crisp and sharp, instantly drawing us into the lives of his characters. His plays speak of contemporary problems with a rare dexterity and fearlessness, insisting that we embrace the true complexity of our own lives.
– Emerging Artist adjudicators
James Odin Wade tells contemporary stories with completely relatable characters, funny dialogue and ‘an almost poetic’ sensibility. His plays have been described as “well plotted, relevant, completely inventive, and unpredictable.”
He has garnered awards from across Canada and the United States including the Alberta Playwriting Competition (Helmut’s Big Day), the National One-Act Playwriting Competition (In Case of Fire), the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival’s One-Act Play Contest (By the Book). As a playwright, he has collaborated with theatre organizations including Lunchbox Theatre, Theatre Calgary, multiple Canadian Fringe Festivals, the University of Lethbridge, the University of Calgary, The Citadel Theatre, Death & Pretzels, Steel River Playhouse, and The Road Theatre Company.
His works have been produced in cities across North America, including Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Regina, Toronto, and Chicago. James is the co-founder of the Calgary collective Red Phone Theatre and is a member of the 52nd Street Project in New York City. He holds a BFA from the University of Lethbridge and an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Calgary.
James offers a unique voice as a writer, and I am confident that he will continue to develop as an artist with deep intelligence and creativity, making valuable contributions to our local and national arts ecology.
Stephen Masicotte, Playwright, screenwriter
NEWS AND OTHER WORK
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