Keileydography: The Symphonic Theatre of Jillian Keiley

• Published in: Canadian Theatre Review
• Main Author: Devine, Michael
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) 2006
• Subjects: Visual Arts and Performing Arts; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/ctr.128.007; https://ctr.utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/ctr.128.007

I first encountered the name of Jillian Keiley in 1997, when the general manager of Theatre Newfoundland Labrador, where I was artistic director, returned from a PACT meeting singing the praises of a talented young artist from St. John’s. As no one ever says, “No” to Gaylene Buckle for long — I soon agreed to give Jillian her first opportunity to direct on Newfoundland’s west coast. My friend John Mighton had written a challenging play called Possible Worlds, which I’d wanted to direct for years. Hearing of the intelligence and verve of this young, home-grown director, however, changed my plans, and I assigned her the project. Soon after, I saw her production of Under Wraps in St. John’s, a production so mesmerizing that it remains, with Robert Lepage’s Polygraphe and Carbone 14’s Le Dortoir, on my list of the most significant Canadian theatre productions of the past fifteen years.