Thursday 26 October 2017

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Rose Hopkins

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Rose Hopkins will train in directing with Marilo Nunez at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton


(September 25, 2017) Over the past several months, I’ve been struggling with who I am as an artist. I like to think that I’m a jack of all trades—but unfortunately, the ‘master of none’ part still applies. While my formal education is in acting, since graduating I had tried my hand at playwriting, collective creation, directing, and producing. And while I’ve loved all of these experiences for different reasons, being spread out across so many disciplines means that I haven’t had enough time to really develop a process or framework for creating and directing that works for me. That is why I’m so thrilled to be mentoring with Marilo Nunez on La Reunion which will be presented at Theatre Aquarius as part of their studio series at the end of October.

Like me, Marilo is multi-passionate. We met when she was working at the Hamilton Fringe Festival, but before her time there, she worked as an actor, director, ran her own company, and now, she’s completing her MFA in Creative Writing at Guelph University. She wrote La Reunion and directed it when it was part of RISER Project in 2016. I’m so excited to see how she brings this unique perspective as playwright to her role as director and to work with her through this process from start to finish. Oftentimes, it feels like I’m reinventing the wheel each time I start working on a new project, so I hope this experience will give me some insight on how to develop my own framework that can make me feel more secure in my work and to give me more focus as I move forward in my career. 

There is also something so special about being able to have this experience in Hamilton, my home. While I hope that my career takes me to all sorts of places, this city means a lot to me. It has been the place I’ve grown up, found a supportive network, and started to become the kind of artist I want to be. However, there are very few opportunities for young artists like myself to receive the kind of professional level training that will help me grow. So, I’d like to say a huge thank you to Theatre Ontario, Ontario Arts Council, and Marilo for the opportunity. I can’t wait to get started!

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is March 1, 2018.


Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

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