Damien Atkins is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

actor and playwright."Damien Atkins stands out"
'' NOW'', November 14, 2013.

Early life and education

Born in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and raised in

St. Albert, Alberta St. Albert is a List of cities in Canada, city in Alberta, Canada, next to the Sturgeon River (Alberta), Sturgeon River, northwest of the Edmonton, City of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is ...

, Atkins graduated from the musical theatre program at

Grant MacEwan College Grant MacEwan University, commonly known as MacEwan University, is a public university located in Downtown Edmonton, Alberta. Originally established as a community college which was named in honor of Dr. Grant MacEwan, 9th Lieutenant Governor of ...

"Be grateful these Children's Theatre alumni will be home for solstice"
. ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...

'', December 20, 2007. and moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

after appearing in a

Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is a Canadian non-profit contemporary theatre company, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History The company was founded in 1988 with the merger of Centre Stage and Toronto Free Theatre. Canadian Stage has produced more than 3 ...

production of ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, 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 Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

where he attended high school at Marion Graham Collegiate.

Career

Playwriting

His first play, ''miss chatelaine'', was staged at Theatre Passe-Muraille 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 Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is a Canadian professional theatre company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, and founded in 1978 by Matt Walsh, Jerry Ciccoritti, and Sky Gilbert, ''Buddies in Bad Times'' is dedicated to "the promotion of queer theatrical ex ...

,"Madly musical about the girl"
'' NOW'', December 7, 2000. before having its official premiere that season. In 2001, he premiered ''Good Mother'', starring

Seana McKenna Seana McKenna (born 15 August 1956) is a Canadian actress primarily associated with stage roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Background Seana McKenna was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is a graduate of the National Theatre Schoo ...

, at the

Stratford Festival of Canada The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates 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 Shak ...

. ''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 university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, 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 p ...

'', 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 Matthew MacFadzean is a Canadian actor and writer. As an actor, he has worked at theatres across Canada, including both the Shaw and Stratford Shakespeare festivals, and on numerous TV shows. He has written and produced ten plays, the most not ...

Hannah Moscovitch Hannah Moscovitch (born June 5, 1978) is a Canadian playwright who rose to national prominence in the 2000s. She is best known for her plays ''East of Berlin'', ''This Is War'', "Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story", and ''Sexual Misconduct of the Mid ...

and

Tara Beagan Tara Beagan (born December 20, 1975) is a Nlakaʼpamux playwright and actress from Calgary, Alberta, Canada,Anne Nothof"Beagan, Tara" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', May 24, 2022. most noted as the winner of the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre in ...

. In 2013, Buddies in Bad Times staged ''The Gay Heritage Project'', a play in which Atkins and cocreators

Andrew Kushnir Andrew Kushnir (born 1980) is a Canadian playwright and actor."Kushnir, Andrew"
''Canadi ...

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-person play premiered Off-Broadway in 2003 at Playwrights Horizons. It opened on Broadway later that year. T ...

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

Seussical ''Seussical'', sometimes ''Seussical the Musical'', is a musical comedy with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty, and written by Ahrens and Flaherty. The musical is inspired by many of the children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most ...

,'' '' 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 works of Restoration comedy ev ...

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

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', June 23, 2014. ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a 1991 American two-part Play (theatre), play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The two parts of the play, ''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika'', may be presented separate ...

'',"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 British 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 Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'', ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'', ''

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 Ben ...

'', ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'', ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'', ''

Titus Andronicus ''The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus'', often shortened to ''Titus Andronicus'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first t ...

'', ''

Elizabeth Rex ''Elizabeth Rex'' is a play by Timothy Findley. It premiered in a 2000 production by the Stratford Festival. The play won the 2000 Governor General's Award for English language drama. Plot The plot involves a meeting between Queen Elizabet ...

'', ''

Our Country's Good ''Our Country's Good'' is a 1988 play written by British playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker, adapted from the Thomas Keneally novel '' The Playmaker''. The story concerns a group of Royal Marines and convicts in a penal colony in New South Wales ...

'' 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 based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, '' Arms and the Man''. The German language li ...

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

Angel Square ''Angel Square'' (also known as ''The Comic Book Christmas Caper'') is a 1991 Canadian film directed by Anne Wheeler and starring Ned Beatty and Nicola Cavendish.Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 14. The fil ...

'', '' The Art of Woo'', ''

Children of My Heart ''Children of My Heart'' is a novel by Gabrielle Roy, published in 1977. The novel, Roy's last published work of fiction, was originally published in French as ''Ces enfants de ma vie''. The novel's protagonist is "Gabrielle Roy", a young teach ...

'', '' Take This Waltz'', ''

Slings and Arrows ''Slings & Arrows'' is a Canadian television series set at the fictional New Burbage Festival, a Shakespearean festival similar to the real-world Stratford Festival. It stars Paul Gross, Stephen Ouimette and Martha Burns. Rachel McAdams appeared ...

'' 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 ...

.''

Awards and nominations

Atkins has been nominated for ten

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...

s 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 t ...

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 20th-century 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 Canadian LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights Gay 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 Canadian LGBTQ people Year of birth missing (living people)