Janet Amos (born 1945) is a Canadian theatre actress, director, educator, and playwright.

Education

Amos studied under Marjorie Purvey at the Toronto School of Radio Drama in the 1950s. She earned Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Career

Amos has led theatre companies as the artistic director of the

Blyth Festival Blyth Festival, is a theatrical festival, located in the village of Blyth, Ontario, Canada, which specializes in the Blyth Festival production history, production and promotion of Canadian plays. In addition, the Festival acts as a resource for loc ...

(1979–1984 and 1994–1997) and Theatre New Brunswick (1984–1988). She worked as an assistant professor of the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a j ...

(2003–2006), as a guest artist at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

(2008) and as instructor at the National Theatre School of Canada in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. Amos is credited as leading an effort to save the Blyth Festival from closure, when she took over as the artistic director in 1994. Prior to her assuming the role of artistic director, the Blyth Festival had lost thousands of audience members and amassed a $229,000 debt. Amos' drove a fundraising campaign that raised more than $100,000 and created a season line-up that brought audiences back, helping the summer theatre to survive. Amos also directed theatre productions at Toronto's

Theatre Passe Muraille Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is on Ryerson Avenue in the Alexandra Park neighbourhood of Toronto. Brief history One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille ("theat ...

Port Dover Port Dover is an unincorporated community and former town located in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie. It is the site of the recurring Friday the 13th motorcycle rally. Prior to the War of 1812, this community ...

's Lighthouse Theatre, Regina's Globe Theatre, London, Ontario's Grand Theatre, Edmonton's

Citadel Theatre The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada. History It began in a former Salvati ...

and Ottawa's

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) () is a Arts centre, performing arts organization in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one ...

, among others. Amos appeared as an actor in the Canadian films '' Winter Kept Us Warm'' (1965), ''High'' (1969), '' Silence of the North'' (1981), '' Taking Care'' (1987), and ''More than Meets the Eye: The Joan Brock Story'' (2003). TV show guest acting credits include '' Ada'' (1976), '' Road to Avonlea'' (1992), '' Twice in a Lifetime'' (2000), and '' PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal'' (2000). Amos' work has been recognized through various awards. The village of

Blyth, Ontario Blyth (; ) is a village in North Huron, Ontario, Canada. Blyth is north of London and west of Waterloo at the intersection of Huron County Road 4 (London Road) and Huron County Road 25 (Blyth Road). Blyth is also inland from L ...

, gave her a Citizen of the Year Award in 1994, the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

awarded her an honorary degree in 1998 and the Association for Canadian Theatre Research made her an honorary member in 2005.

Personal life

Amos is daughter of the actress Beth Amos. She is married to Canadian playwright

Ted Johns Ted Johns is a Canadian playwright, born in Seaforth, Ontario in 1942. His plays have been primarily produced at the Blyth Festival but also at Theatre New Brunswick, Theatre Passe Muraille, and the Upper Canada Playhouse. Plays *Naked on the Nor ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amos, Janet 1945 births Living people Canadian theatre directors Canadian women theatre directors Canadian television actresses Canadian stage actresses Canadian women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian actresses 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian women writers Academic staff of the National Theatre School of Canada Academic staff of the University of Regina Canadian artistic directors University of Toronto alumni