Studio 58 Grad wins 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award
December 3, 2009
Studio 58 Graduate Kevin Loring won the 2009 Governor General's Literary Award for his play, Where the Blood Mixes in the Drama-English-Language category. Winners of the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Awards were announced on November 17 by the Canada Council for the Arts. The ceremonies were held on November 26 at Rideau Hall, where Kevin was presented the award by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada at Rideau Hall. A total of seven English and seven French awards are given to authors, illustrators and translators and in the categories of fiction, poetry, drama, non‑fiction, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation.
Graduating in the year 2000 with a diploma in acting, Kevin explains how the journey of writing this play began: "This play started out as my solo show in John Lazarus's playwriting class at Studio 58. I wrote the first draft near the end of my second term. At the time it was a 15 minute monologue titled "The Ballad of Floyd". The piece was a memory play about a native man and his relationship with his estranged daughter on the night of her 20th birthday. Over the past ten years the play has gone through many transformations but the most amazing thing about this whole process after 13, 14, or was it 15 drafts... was when after ten years, I re-read the original five page monologue and realized how much of my solo show remained and indeed, bloomed, in the final text. I am forever grateful for my time spent in the deep dark corners of Studio 58. Illumination can happen in the strangest places."
Kevin set the drama in his hometown, naming it after the Nlaka'pamux word for Lytton — Kumsheen — which means “the place inside the heart Where the Blood Mixes.” The Governor General's Award jury describes the plot as, “An abducted daughter returns to her wounded community after many years away. Kevin Loring illuminates the complex aftermath of the residential school system and the circumstances of contemporary Aboriginal history through compelling, sympathetic and humorous characters who live as best they can, with courage and strength.”
“Among the many bigger reasons that this is terrific news is that it proves to my students, and those currently at Studio 58, that we're not just goofing around: that there is a continuum between the experiments we try in class, and work that gets produced, affects people, and wins well-deserved awards, John Lazarus, Kevin’s writing instructor at Studio 58. "Where the Blood Mixes began life as a ten-minute student monologue in a Studio 58 Solo Show class. Of course, Kevin has put it through enormous changes over the years, but it is still recognizably the same play, and touches hearts in the same way, as the original.”
Kathryn Shaw, Artistic Director of Studio 58 says, "It is absolutely thrilling that Studio 58 graduate, Kevin Loring has won the Governor General's Award for his play Where the Blood Mixes. I am so proud of his accomplishments as a writer and theatre artist. He is most deserving of this recognition for his wonderful play. This multi-layered work comes from a deep understanding of the issues and an enormous love and compassion for the characters."
To read more about the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Awards, click here.
Where the Blood Mixes is currently on a national tour and can be seen at:
- Belfry Theatre, Victoria, BC: Jan 19-Feb 21, 2010,
- Firehall Arts Centre, Vancouver, BC: Feb 25-Mar 6, 2010,
- Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg, MB: Mar 11-20, 2010,
- National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON: Mar 23-Apr 3, 2010,
- Factory Theatre, Toronto, ON: Apr 7-18, 2010
Learn more.
Sherri Sadler, Studio 58
604.323.5652
Studio 58