Dana Fradkin
Canadian director Dana Fradkin has been celebrated for her active, immersive staging, and understanding of physical comedy and stage combat. Dana’s introduction to opera, and subsequent on-stage debut, was as a clown in La Bohème with the Canadian Opera Company and as an acrobat in their 2015 production of Die Walküre directed by Atom Egoyan. Dana returns to the COC this season, this time as the assistant director on The Flying Dutchman with revival direction by Marilyn Gronsdal.
As a director, she joined Vancouver Opera for Wargo’s The Music Shop, which had its digital release in May 2021. Pivoting with changing restrictions and digital mediums, critics noted “the current restriction on closeness was skilfully turned to advantage by Dana” (Review Vancouver). Recent highlights also include Community Creation and Women Wisdom and Wit (Wilfred Laurier University), and serving as the revival director for Brundibár (Canadian Children’s Opera Company). Upcoming Winter 2023, Dana will be directing Adamo’s Little Women at Wilfrid Laurier University. Dana’s 23/24 season includes engagements with the Glenn Gould School for a program of contemporary Canadian opera, the University of Ottawa for Hansel and Gretel and Chorus Niagara for Bernstein’s MASS.
She was assistant director for Bizet’s Carmen Up Close and Personal (Vancouver Opera); Adès’ Powder her Face (Opera on the Avalon); Lizée’s No One’s Safe (Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity); Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (Glenn Gould School); and A Little Too Cozy and Messiah (Against the Grain Theatre).
Dana’s directorial toolbox includes training in stage combat and fight choreography, martial arts (capoeira, Kung Fu), puppetry, clown, tumbling, mask, and various styles of dance including jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, and ballroom.
A recipient of Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program in Directing, Dana was mentored by Canadian director Joel Ivany. Dana is also a graduate of the Opera Director Residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program at the Vancouver Opera, and George Brown Theatre School. An avid writer, she has recently written and produced various short films, MOWs, and web series, which have garnered awards and praise at the Venice Short Film Festival, Budapest Grand Film Festival, Houston WorldFest Film Festival, and Toronto Shorts, among others. Her work is currently featured on Highball TV, Bell Media, and the Lifetime Network.
December 2023
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““Then there is director Dana Fradkin. The Music Shop is a deliberate trifle, three-quarters of an hour of silliness and, perhaps most importantly, very cleverly paced. Director Dana Fradkin’s active staging was apt and amusing.”
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