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Lisa Anne Ross

is a performer, creator, educator and community arts practitioner who after working in Toronto for over 10 years, has relocated to Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Lisa began her studies at Dalhousie University, completing a Bachelor’s Degree in the Acting Program and went on to study physical theatre forms at the Dell’arte School of Physical Theatre in Blue Lake, California.

She has studied extensively with world-renowned clown teacher Sue Morrison and has most recently completed her Master’s in Environmental Studies from York University, where she examined theatre as a tool for social change.

Lisa has had the opportunity to perform and tour with many of Canada’s premier theatre companies including Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, The National Arts Centre, Neptune Theatre, Theatre New Brunswick, Sudbury Theatre Centre and Mermaid Theatre. Lisa has performed in numerous festivals’, including a number of arduous cross Canada Fringe Tours, The Hysteria Festival, The Rhubarb Festival and The RED Festival.

Lisa helped to create and spent four years as the co-artistic of Clown Hall, which was a performance space/theatre company dedicated to the creation of physically based work and to fostering Toronto’s clown community. From 2000-2004 Clown Hall created numerous original works, produced the groundbreaking Clown Hall Cabaret Series and ran the successful youth program, Heart of Parkdale.

In 2004 Lisa began her own theatre company, Solo Chicken Productions, which now operates in Fredericton as an incorporated not for profit that aims to foster the creation & development of new works of Canadian Physical Theatre through theatrical productions, community collaboration and educational programming. Solo Chicken Productions has received support from various agencies including funds from the TAC to produce the original musical comedy, Comfort & Cozy in 2006, funding from Theatre Ontario to help run the Eastdale Theatre Program and multiple grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Brighter Futures Foundation and the Safer Communities Fund to fund the Nunavik Theatre Arts Program. This program, which operates in the arctic communies of Inukjuak and Kangirsuk was created by Lisa through her company in 2004 and recently celebrated its seventh year of operation.

Solo Chicken Productions began collaborating with Toronto dance artist, Sylvie Bouchard in 2008 and the result was the creation of the family friendly movement piece, Feather & Bill. Feather & Bill was originally performed at an 8:08 Series evening and was then curated to perform in the 2009 Cooking Fire Festival in Toronto. Feather & Bill is currently in another development phase and is slated to begin touring in 2011.

Lisa’s teaching experience has included work with youth and young adults from diverse backgrounds in a variety of different settings. She has taught at the Etobicoke School for the Arts and The Toronto Film School (International Academy of Art & Design), York University and The Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in addition to teaching workshops throughout Toronto, at festival’s and various programs including The Paprika Festival, The Rhubarb Festival and for The City of Toronto.