49 Langarans

49Langaran

Kathryn Shaw

Current Employee | Artistic Director

Kathryn has been the Artistic Director of Langara’s theatre arts program Studio 58 since 1985, a program she first joined as an instructor in 1974. For over 40 years, she has directed productions and taught acting across Canada. Under her leadership, Studio 58 has achieved a national reputation as one of the top professional theatre training programs in Canada. In 2010, Kathryn was listed by The Vancouver Sun as one of BC’s 100 Most Influential Women. The same year she received the Career Achievement Award from the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance and the ACCC Bronze Medal for Excellence in Teaching. In 2005, Kathryn was elected into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame and received a star on the sidewalk in front of the Vogue Theatre on Granville Street. She was the recipient of the 1996 Sam Payne Award given by UBCP/ACTRA in recognition of “humanity, integrity, and the encouragement of new talent.” Kathryn has served as the Festival Adjudicator for Theatre BC’s Mainstage on three occasions and has also adjudicated many zone festivals. She has been nominated for four Jessie Richardson Awards for her directing work and has received two for Direction and Best Production.

49 Facts — NO. 1

On October 13, 1970, a crowd of staff, students, and VIPs made the “great trek” from the King Edward Education Centre to herald the opening of the new VCC Langara campus, including a motorcade of 150 cars.

Meet more 49 Langarans.

  • Scott Bellis

    Scott Bellis

    Langara Alum | Actor & Director

    Scott is a Vancouver-based actor, director, and theatre instructor. He is a Founding Member and Artistic Associate of Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival and has worked with a variety of theatre companies, including Arts Club Theatre, Touchstone Theatre, and Carousel Theatre. Scott has also been involved with over 150 theatre, TV, and film productions across Canada. Elected to the National Council of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association in 2012, he served as Secretary/Treasurer from 2015 to 2017 and was appointed as Council President in November 2017. He has been nominated for 20 Jessie Richardson Awards and received awards for his performances in Midsummers Night’s Dream (2007), All’s Well That Ends Well (2010), Avenue Q (2014), and Après Moi (2016). Scott also mentors and teaches young people through the Arts Club Actors’ Intensive and often returns to Studio 58 to teach or direct.

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  • Joseph Abercrombie

    Joseph Abercrombie

    Langara Alum | Sustainability Innovator

    Joe is the founder of Humane Solutions Inc., a sustainable, innovative wildlife management company. He has evolved from a student with a vision to a trailblazer in his industry in less than four years. Through his dedication and passion to make positive, sustainable impact, he has successfully grown his business from a part-time venture into a full-time cutting-edge business, offering a full suite of wildlife control solutions across Western Canada with a team of internationally qualified human-wildlife conflict specialists and wildlife technicians. His dedication to environmental sustainability and advocacy work on the discontinuation of poison as a method of pest control has earned Humane Solutions positive reviews in the Lower Mainland and in multiple publications, strategic partnerships with sustainable businesses and organizations across BC, and exploratory research collaborations involving various academic institutions and NGOs. Joe is a budding serial social entrepreneur. Using Humane Solutions as a catalyst, he intends to capitalize on his unique skills and privilege to drive as much social and environmental change as possible.

  • David Turpin

    David Turpin

    Langara Alum | Academic Leader & Scientist

    Dr. David Turpin is the 13th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Alberta. One of Canada’s most admired and respected post-secondary leaders, he has held several leadership roles including President of the University of Victoria, Vice-Principal (Academic) at Queen’s University, and head of the Department of Botany at the University of British Columbia. He is past Chair of the World University Service of Canada, Vice-Chair of the U15 Executive Heads, and serves as a Member of both the Universities Canada Board of Directors and Research Advisory Committee. A distinguished scholar and highly cited researcher in plant biochemistry and physiology, he has earned many honours and distinctions for his research, teaching, and service. He is a member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, as well as a recipient of the Steacie Memorial Fellowship (1989), the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal (2002), the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal (2012).

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