Electric Company Theatre

For the past thirteen years Kim Collier has been Artistic Director of Electric Company Theatre, a creation-based ensemble she co-founded with Jonathon Young, Kevin Kerr, and David Hudgins and with whom she has co-authored seven of their original plays. For Electric Company Kim has directed such productions as Tear the Curtain!, The Score, The One That Got Away, The Fall, Studies in Motion, and a live film version of Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit. Co-directing credits with Electric Company include Brilliant!, The Wake, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, Flop, and At Home With Dick and Jane. Kim's Electric Company productions have toured nationally and internationally to the National Arts Centre, Magnetic North Theatre Festival, Festival Trans Amérique, Vancouver Playhouse, Alberta Theatre Projects, The Belfy Theatre, Yukon Arts Centre, San Jose Stage company, Edinburgh Fringe and others.

Outside of Electric Company Kim has directed for Studio 58, Western Canada Theatre, Chemainus Theatre Festival, Runaway Moon, Vancouver Moving Theatre, Vancouver Opera, and Bard on the Beach . In 2004 she directed and led the creation of Storyeum, a 22 million dollar processional theatrical exploration of BC’s history for Historical Xperiences. In 2005, Kim made her debut as a film director with the feature length adaptation of Electric Company’s The Score produced by Screen Siren Pictures and CBC. Along with its multiple broadcasts on CBC Television, The Score as played at international film festivals in Vancouver, Banff, Mexico, Taiwan, and Japan.

A graduate of Studio 58 Acting Program, Kim has also trained in Toronto at Mime Unlimited and at the University of Victoria department of theatre. As an actor she has performed with  Dance Arts, Vancouver Playhouse, National Arts Center, Felix Culpa, Western Canada Theatre, Richmond Gateway Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, Graphic Mime, Limelight Theatre and others. She has also created and performed environmental theatre in the Yukon and performed and taught in Nigeria as part of company promoting social change and education through theatre. In 2000 Kim received the Ray Michaels Award for Outstanding Emerginging Director and is a two-time recipient of the Jessie Award for Outstanding Direction (The Score, The One That Got Away).  She has also received nominations for her direction of No Exit, Titus Andronicus, The Fall and Studies in Motion. Shared prizes include Jessie awards for Original Script (Brilliant! and The Score), as well The Alcan Performing Arts Award awarded to Electric Company for their work with Carmen Aguirre on the adaptation and production of Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands.  Kim is the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award from Langara Collage and the Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for Performing Arts. In November 2010, Kim was awarded the presitigious Siminovitch Prize in Theatre for directing, a $100,000 award which she shared with protege director Anita Rochon.

A believer in the power of community and the collaborative process, Kim spearheaded the formation of Progress Lab, an affiliation of some of Vancouver’s most exciting creation-based independent theatre companies. Progress Lab is a resource sharing and community building network that promotes the development of new theatre and encourages artistic risk, excellence, and alternative models of creation. Kim was instrumental in the development of Progress Lab’s first performance initiative, HIVE, which was a collaboration by eleven member theatre companies and featured short installation theatre pieces running continuously in one venue.  In 2009, Kim was proud to have been one of the founding members of Progress Lab 1422, a shared creation and production facility in East Vancouver that is home to Electric Company Theatre, Rubmble Productions, NeWorld Theatre, and Boca del Lupo.

Along with providing emerging artists with numerous opportunities through mentorship positions in nearly every Electric Company production, Kim has also taught UBC’s department of Theatre, sits on the Studio 58 Advisory Council, and has appeared as guest speaker in numerous workshops and conferences.  She lives and works with actor/writer Jonathon Young.