Toronto, May 18, 2001 — Sound technician, Derek Bruce is the 2001 winner of the Pauline McGibbon Award. The award was presented this morning at a news conference announcing the nominations for the 2001 Dora Mavor Moore Awards.
In selecting Derek Bruce as the winner of this year’s Pauline McGibbon Award, the jury commented on his “generosity, dedication and commitment to the craft of lighting and sound as well as to the community.“
Each year, the Pauline McGibbon award is given to a member of Ontario’s theatre community in the early stages of his or her career, who has displayed a unique talent and a potential for excellence. The award is cyclical in nature, honouring a production craftsperson, a designer and a director in a three-year cycle. This year’s award was given in the production craftsperson category. Mr. Bruce was selected by a jury of theatre professionals including Sharon Secord, Head of Wardrobe, Mirvish Productions, Mark Ryder, Production Manager, Theatre Passe Muraille and Shawn Kerwin, Designer and Teacher, York University.
The Pauline McGibbon Award was established in 1981 in honour of the former Lieutenant-Governor’s support and patronage of the arts. Administered by the Ontario Arts Council, the award consists of $7,000 from the Province of Ontario and a medal designed by Dora de Pedery Hunt, from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.
Derek Bruce – A Selected Biography
Derek Bruce attended the Music Theatre Program at Sheridan College where he graduated in 1992. In his first year he received an Outstanding Achievement Award and was offered the position of head electrician for the student productions – exceptional recognition for a first-year student.
After graduation Derek worked as the Head of Lighting and Sound in the McManus Studio at The Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. In his four years at the McManus, he was often called upon by directors to put together a soundscape for the show, since sound designers were not as common to smaller productions. It was during this time that Derek realized he had a knack for transferring artistic information into a product that reflected the artistic vision of the director.
In 1996, Derek joined the Tarragon Theatre and worked until 2000 as the Mainspace technician. He has since done sound design and sound coordination for productions such as Morris Panych’s Earshot and Betty Quan’s Mother Tongue.
In May 2000, Derek decided to become a freelancer and learn digital audio editing. Although he enjoys sound design, he finds it limiting because he is not a composer. He has looked for alternative ways to explore sound and has found a number of small and mid-sized theatre companies in need of audio assistance. Derek is now working on various productions by gathering information from directors, editing partial or entire shows, consulting with technicians and stage managers with regards to sound operation and offering all or partial technical assistance depending on the needs of the people involved.
OAC Media Contact: Kirsten Gunter, Manager of Communications
Tel: (416) 969-7403. Toll-free outside of Toronto: 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7403.
E-mail: kgunter@arts.on.ca