Mieko Ouchi

2023

Mieko Ouchi’s thirty plus years as a theatre and film director, screenwriter, dramaturg, artistic leader, and playwright have impacted audiences, artists and the worlds of film and theatre nationally and internationally.

She is known across Canada as co-founder and Artistic Director of Edmonton’s nationally recognized professional Theatre for Young Audiences company, Concrete Theatre. Over the years, Mieko has directed 42 productions of 20 plays for Concrete Theatre.

She is celebrated and multi-awarded as a prolific playwright and a passionate champion for new play development. Her first play The Red Priest (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye) was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama in 2004 and won Canada’s annual playwriting award – the Carol Bolt Prize – in 2005. Since then, 14 new plays have been workshopped and performed in theatres across Canada, the U.S. and Europe and translated into six languages. As a freelance director and dramaturg, she has led new play processes across the country, collaborating with local and national playwrights on the premieres of their plays.

She is lauded and loved as a director of documentaries and dramas for the screen, as well as leading mainstage and second stage theatrical productions, large scale shows for postsecondary, indie productions, performance installations and Fringe shows As a director, she believes that beyond the artistic vision she brings to each project, her job is to create a respectful, positive and safe space that allows for risk-taking and vulnerability. Mieko’s directing work is known for strong performances; she spends time with actors encouraging emotional connection and truth.

Mieko is also acknowledged and celebrated as a fierce advocate for accessibility, inclusivity, diversity, and equity across all ranges of artistic output.

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