Leslie D. Bland

BFA University of Alberta, MFA (Directing) University of Victoria, ARCT University of Toronto
Continuing Sessional Instructor
Acting / Theatre Appreciation

Visual Arts Buliding A142
By Appointment
lessbland@shaw.ca

Areas of Research & Creative Activity

Leslie has been busy with multiple trips to Toronto and the Banff World Media Festival to pitch broadcasters and distributors the projects he and his creative partner Ian Ferguson have in development. Leslie will be producing and directing a local comedy variety series for national broadcast the fall of 2012, and is producing and directing an all female stand-up/ sketch comedy television series to be shot in Victoria February 2013 and broadcast the fall of the same year. Three other projects have garnered interest from a variety of broadcasters, and he looks forward to further developments in the near future.

Courses

• THEA 101 Theatre Appreciation
• THEA 102 From Page to Stage
• THEA 122 The Acting Experience
• THEA 150 Public Speaking

Brief Biography

Leslie is the Executive Producer of Less Bland Productions, developing television series for local, national, and international broadcast.

From 2001 to 2010, Leslie was the Artistic Director of Kaleidoscope Theatre in Victoria. During his time as AD, he led a renaissance of Kaleidoscope’s programming and profile in the community, setting attendance records for local in-house productions, winning and being nominated for a number of awards, and touring its productions nationally and internationally.

Leslie was the co-founder and for 12 years was the Executive Producer of Edmonton’s Stage Polaris. During his time at Polaris, Leslie directed, performed, and produced over 100 professional productions and oversaw Polaris’ growth from an idea to becoming the second largest theatre company in Edmonton, with a budget of over 1 million dollars and an annual attendance in excess of 100,000. During Leslie’s last full year with Stage Polaris, it won more Sterling Awards than any other Edmonton Theatre.

Leslie has also performed and directed for a number of other professional theatres including the National Arts Centre, the Citadel Theatre, Theatre Calgary, the Gateway Theatre, Theatre Network, Chemainus Theatre Festival, and the Ottawa Children’s Festival.

He is a graduate of the University of Alberta BFA. Acting program, holds both his Instructor’s and Performer’s certification (A.R.C.T.) in Speech Arts and Drama with the Royal Conservatory of Music (University of Toronto), and received his MFA in Directing from the University of Victoria.

Leslie has lectured by invitation on his theatrical activities in both New York and Washington D.C. He has taught at Concordia University in Montreal, the University of Miami, the Canadian College for Film and Acting as well as UVic for the past ten years.

Selected Professional & Creative Achievements

• Outstanding Adaptation (Macbeth), Outstanding Direction (Twelfth Night), Outstanding Production (Disney’s Aladdin), Favourite Play (The Hobbit), Outstanding Musical (Anne of Green Gables), Outstanding Production for Young Audiences (Gold Mountain Guest, The Hobbit), Favourite Production Concept (Peter Pan), Favourite Director (2003/ 04/ 05/ 07/ 09)

• Outstanding Musical for the Canadian Premiere of the Tony Award Winning Broadway Adaptation of The Secret Garden (1996), Outstanding Production for Young Audiences Anne of Green Gables (1995)