Virginia Gillespie
Mixed-Arts Devisor
Email:
Address:
PO Box 285
Lake Errock, BC
V0M 1N0 Canada
Bringing Art Alive Opens Doors
My early experience was in navigating the uncharted territory of new plays and musical and devised events. It became a natural next step to focus on creating community-driven pieces to explore environmental, cross-cultural, and social issues.
The challenge that hatched VG PlayRoom was creating the INvision event - a mixed arts cabaret celebrating the birth of a labyrinth. Then from 2012-2018 this uninhibited incubator of creativity in turn hatched experiential events in unique locales in Surrey, BC. Word Studio became the VG PlayRoom atelier to rehearse, host workshops, and plan.
I’ve moved to a lakeside rural home and studio in the heart of the Fraser River Valley, British Columbia where I write, sing, record and mentor grassroots arts activities. Now a virtual Word Studio, this website serves as a chronicle of unique projects, a library of word and sound archives, an inspiration blog and a repository of published works and products.
I'd love to hear your questions, proposals and explore potential training and artist retreat possibilities.
Milestones that have shaped my artistic vision:
- performing at the Irish Sugawn Folk Kitchen in London during The Troubles
- creating drama classes for Secwepemc Nation Youth on the residential school site in Kamloops, BC
- managing a Business Theatre program in Munich, Germany
- devising a UN Youth Against Racism show with at-risk youth, Mission, BC
- Surrey, BC Civic Treasure award in 2015 for contributions to arts advocacy and innovative projects
- publishing TAOIST INNER TUBE RIDER, a book and CD of poetry and lyrics
- GRANDMOTHERS: Agents of Transformation exhibit with fabric artist Elizabeth Carefoot
- recording original and cover songs listed on SoundCloud – VG on the Move
- immersion in the golden years of Theatre on the Isle, Bowen Island, BC
- Intercultural Fairytale project developing plays and theatre spaces for the German Galli Theater
- playwriting with Wet Ink Collective Vancouver – Stuff; The Grove, Artist Collectors
- touring with the rock musical The Goose Fair Show in England
short play HOARDER curated reading at the Vancouver SHIFT Festival for the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre
Characterized as having “magnificent organizational attention to detail combined with the rare ability to work with people” Virginia’s “experience and enthusiasm help build awareness and open doors that may not otherwise have been opened.”
Virginia’s theatrical range is both experiential and cross-cultural. From touring in a rock musical in England; singing and acting at the Irish Sugawn Folk Kitchen in London and summer stock with Leslie Irons in Aspen, Colorado to creating Soulful Journey for the Sechelt Storytelling Festival; co-writing STARSONG: a musical space fantasy and devising a UN Youth Against Racism play, she views performance as an innovative tool for personal, societal and cultural transformation.
Virginia has incredible passion and purpose, and infuses all around her with her enthusiasm. She is creating beautiful and provocative work out of her lived experience and honours stages of life that many seem to look over. Her work is contextual and comes from her own connection to herself, others, and the world, but is also deeply collaborative and meaningful.
She is esteemed in British Columbia and in the City of Surrey and is an extremely active member in the arts, and dedicated to getting art into the world through community engagement. She is also a wise and caring woman, with an incredible work ethic, and intrinsically motivated to manifest her art.
Virginia helped raise our international profile and intercultural awareness. She is a creative producer-director, a disciplined organizer, a sensitive actor and a dedicated teacher who thrives in new challenges and circumstances. She approaches tasks with courage and care and encourages people to do their best. She both respected and represented the artistic standards, quality and vision of Galli Theatre in many locations in the world.