Jennifer H. Capraru, Artistic Director
Theatre Asylum, Canada & Isôko, Rwanda

Jen grew up in a haunted house in Montréal. She is Artistic Director of the award-winning Theatre Asylum, which premieres thought-provoking contemporary theatre by and about women and humanist issues. In 2008 she founded ISôKo in Kigali, Rwanda, to create modern intercultural theatre for human rights, and directed Wajdi Mouawad’s Littoral and Colleen Wagner's The Monument on tour in Rwanda. The Monument makes its first international tour to Toronto’s World Stage in Spring 2011. http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage1011/themonument.cfm

Other directing includes 24 Exposures by Serge Boucher for Canadian Stage, Lullaby by Thelon Oeming for Dark Horse (Dora Nomination, Outstanding Production) Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman for the Phoenix Theatre and The Illusion by Tony Kushner at Acadia University. Her productions at Theatre Asylum, such as BéBé, The Trials and My Mother's Courage, have been developed and toured Canada in partnership with The Theatre Centre, National Arts Centre, Intrepid Theatre, Segal Theatre, Harbourfront, and the Banff Centre.

Jen has been a Guest Lecturer at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at Brock, Western, Laurier and York universities, and has given papers at Haifa University Israel, Brown University Rhode Island and Macalaster College Minnesota, and is a returning Course Director at York University's Glendon College. Publications include Critical Perspectives on Canadian Theatre for Playwrights Canada Press, Liaison Magazine and alt.theatre http://www.teesriduniyatheatre.com/alttheatre.html

In 2006 Jen was 2nd Script Supervisor on the Canadian feature, Shake Hands with the Devil. Her experience working alongside Rwandans prompted her to accept an invitation to give workshops at the Rwanda Cinema Centre and tour with HillyWood Festival. This led to directing for the National University of Rwanda, UNICEF, Kivu Writers and Mashirika Arts. She has been a nominee for the Hirsch and McGibbon awards, a fellow at Schloss Solitude and an invited director to the Lincoln Centre's Director's Lab, NYC.

Jen holds an MA in Theatre Studies from York University and completed performance studies at the BAAA in England, later training as a director in Germany at Landestheater Tübingen and the Volksbühne, Berlin. She had the pleasure of being Associate Dramaturg at Factory Theatre for two years through the Metcalf Foundation. She is fluent in French and German.

Full Directing CV (pdf)
Film CV (pdf)

University Projects
METAMORPHOSES
THE ILLUSION