Damien Atkins is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actor and playwright."Damien Atkins stands out"
''

NOW Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'', November 14, 2013.

Early life and education

Born in Australia and raised in St. Albert, Alberta, Atkins graduated from the musical theatre program at

Grant MacEwan College , mottoeng = , type = Public University , established = , closed = , founder = , parent = , academic_affiliations = AUCC, ACCC, AACTI ...

"Be grateful these Children's Theatre alumni will be home for solstice"
. '' Edmonton Journal'', December 20, 2007. and moved to Toronto after appearing in a

Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is a non-profit contemporary performance arts company based in Toronto, Ontario, ''Canada''. About Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit contemporary theatre companies, based in Toronto, Ontari ...

production of ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

''. At the age of five he was cast in the first show presented by the St. Albert Children's Theatre: ''The Hobbit.'' He continued performing with SACT (in almost 40 shows) until he was 16. His family subsequently moved to

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

where he attended high school at Marion Graham Collegiate.

Career

Playwriting

His first play, ''miss chatelaine'', was staged at

Theatre Passe-Muraille Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Brief history One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille ("theatre beyond walls") was founded in 1968 by director and playwright Jim Gar ...

following a successful run at the Edmonton Fringe Festival The following year his musical cabaret show ''Real Live Girl'' was workshopped at Buddies in Bad Times,"Madly musical about the girl"
''

'', December 7, 2000. before having its official premiere that season. In 2001 he premiered ''Good Mother'', starring Seana McKenna, at the

Stratford Festival of Canada The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

. ''Good Mother'' won the Elliott Hayes Playwright Development Award from the Stratford Festival and the Prism International Prize from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

, and made Atkins the youngest playwright ever to have a new work staged at the Stratford Festival. ''Real Live Girl'' was later restaged by Buddies in 2003 and went on tour in 2004. He performed a one-act version of the piece for a Buddies fundraiser in 2010."Damien Atkins reprises torch song tribute for Buddies"
. ''

Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former ...

'', February 24, 2010. His fourth play, ''Lucy'', premiered at

in March 2007, and was later staged at the

Ensemble Studio Theatre The Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) is a non-profit membership-based developmental theatre located in Hell's Kitchen, New York City. It has a dual mission of nurturing individual theatre artists and developing new American plays. Overview The E ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in October 2007. His fifth play, ''The Mill, Part Four: Ash,'' was the fourth part of ''The Mill'' tetralogy produced by theatrefront. The other writers involved in ''The Mill'' were Matthew MacFadzean, Hannah Moscovitch and Tara Beagan. In 2013, Buddies in Bad Times staged ''The Gay Heritage Project'', a play in which Atkins and cocreators Andrew Kushnir and Paul Dunn dramatized various scenes investigating the notion of a heritage that is particular to gay people. In February 2015, Atkins premiered his newest solo show, ''We Are Not Alone,'' at the Segal Centre in Montreal, in a co-production between The Segal Centre and Toronto's Crow's Theatre.

Acting

In addition to some of his own plays, Atkins has appeared in many productions across Canada and the U.S. Selected credits include: Hosanna, The Heidi Chronicles, A Doll's House, ''

I Am My Own Wife ''I Am My Own Wife'' is a play by Doug Wright based on his conversations with the German antiquarian Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. The one-man play premiered Off-Broadway in 2003 at Playwrights Horizons. It opened on Broadway later that year. The p ...

, The Retreat From Moscow, Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play, Sextet, Beatrice & Virgil, Unidentified Human Remains..., Someone Else,

Seussical ''Seussical'' is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on ''Horton Hears a Who!'', '' Gertrude McFuzz'', and ''Horton Hatches the Egg'' while in ...

,'' '' Frost/Nixon'', 7 ''Stories'', ''

The Way of the World ''The Way of the World'' is a play written by the English playwright William Congreve. It premiered in early March 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. It is widely regarded as one of the best Restoration comedies and is stil ...

'', '' London Road'',"Of Human Bondage and London Road win big at Dora Awards"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', June 23, 2014. ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award f ...

'',"Dora nominations announced in Toronto"
''

'', June 2, 2014. ''

Shopping and Fucking ''Shopping and Fucking'' (sometimes billed as ''Shopping and F**king'') is a 1996 play by English playwright Mark Ravenhill. It was Ravenhill's first full-length play. It received its first public reading at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 1 ...

'', ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', '' Fiddler on the Roof'', ''

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...

'', '' Macbeth'', '' The Tempest'', ''

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

'', '' Elizabeth Rex'', '' Our Country's Good'' and ''

The Chocolate Soldier ''The Chocolate Soldier'' (German: ''Der tapfere Soldat'' he courageous soldieror ''Der Praliné-Soldat'') is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus (composer), Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, ''Arms and the Man' ...

''. His roles in film and television have included ''

Angel Square ''Angel Square'' (also known as ''The Comic Book Christmas Caper'') is a 1990 Canadian film directed by Anne Wheeler and starring Ned Beatty and Nicola Cavendish. The film is based on the novel of the same title by Brian Doyle. Premise In 1945, ...

'', '' The Art of Woo'', '' Children of My Heart'', '' Take This Waltz'', '' Slings and Arrows'' and ''

The Matthew Shepard Story ''The Matthew Shepard Story'' is a 2002 made-for-television film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, based on the true story of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay youth who was murdered in 1998. The film scenario written by John Wierick and Jacob Krue ...

.''

Awards and nominations

Atkins has been nominated for ten Dora Mavor Moore Awards for acting and writing, winning four. He won two

Doras ''Doras'' is a genus of thorny catfishes native to tropical South America. Species There are currently five recognized species in this genus (three species - ''D. eigenmanni'', ''D. fimbriatus'' and ''D. punctatus'' have recently been moved to ...

in 2002, in the categories of Best New Musical and Outstanding Male Performance in a Musical, for ''Real Live Girl''."Musical captures four Dora awards". ''

'', June 18, 2002. He was nominated for the Dora for Outstanding New Play, but did not win, in 2007 for ''Lucy''. He was nominated for a Dora for Best Actor in a Musical in 2011 for ''Seussical.'' In 2014 he was nominated for five Doras in one evening (Best Actor in a Play for ''Angels in America: Perestroika,'' Best Actor in a Musical for ''London Road,'' Best Ensemble for ''The Gay Heritage Project,'' Best New Play (with Andrew Kushnir and Paul Dunn) for ''The Gay Heritage Project'' and Best Ensemble of a Musical for ''London Road).'' He won both Doras for ''London Road.'' That same year he won the Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best Actor for ''Angels in America.'' He has also been nominated for Montreal's Masque Award (Best Actor for ''The Glass Menagerie)'' MECCA award (Best Actor for ''Geometry in Venice)'' and META awards (Best Actor and Best New Play for ''We Are Not Alone).'' In 2017, Atkins won the Jessie Richardson Award for Best Actor for ''Angels in America'' (Arts Club, Vancouver).

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Damien 1975 births Living people 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Australian emigrants to Canada Canadian male stage actors Canadian male musical theatre actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian gay writers Canadian gay actors Australian gay actors LGBT dramatists and playwrights Writers from Edmonton Male actors from Edmonton Writers from Toronto Male actors from Toronto Writers from Saskatoon Male actors from Saskatoon MacEwan University alumni Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Dora Mavor Moore Award winners 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century LGBT people