After graduating from Queen's University she joined Toronto's Common Boots Theatre as the indie theatre company's first general manager. It was there she developed a theatre practice rooted in physical theatre and collaborative creation.
The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls, a collective creation with Brewin, Martha Ross, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Alisa Palmer, and Leah Cherniak, premiered in 1995. Brewin was credited as a dramaturg of this production.[2] By the time the show was re-staged in 1997, Brewin was referred to as a "contributing artist".[3]
Brewin directed Larry Lewis's Irreleva in 1996 at Theatre Centre West.[4] Between 1998 and 2005, Brewin was co-artistic director of Caravan Farm Theatre in British Columbia.[5] While working with Caravan Farm Theatre, Brewin wrote and directed twelve outdoor theatre productions.[6]
In 2010, Brewin succeeded Cherniak and Ross and became artistic director of Common Boots Theatre, formerly known as Theatre Columbus.[7] As artistic director, Brewin initiated The Public Servant, a collective creation centering Canadian public sector workers. Brewin acted as dramaturge for the projects final script, which premiered in 2015.[5] Brewin also initiated a yearly family holiday "walkabout" show at the Evergreen Brickworks, partly inspired by her outdoor work at Caravan Theatre.[7] The first walkabout show was Ross's The Story, a retelling of the Nativity, in 2011.[8]The Story was repeated as the company's 2012 outdoor holiday show.[9]
Brewin, alongside Palmer, MacDonald, Cherniak, Ross, created a sequel to The Attic, the Pearls and Three Fine Girls called More Fine Girls, which premiered in 2011.[10] Brewin assistant directed the premiere at Tarragon Theatre.[11]
In 2013, Brewin directed Natasha Greenblatt's The Peace Maker.[12] The Common Boots 2013 holiday show was Weather The Weather, Or How We Make it Home Together written by Haley McGee and directed by Brewin.[9] In 2014, Common Boots, under Brewin's artistic direction, launched their first Minister’s Play, a take on The Vicar of Dibley, as a fundraised for the company's new play development program.[13] This fundraising initiative was reprised in 2015, featuring another version of the play, this time, by Arthur Milner.[14] Brewin directed Ross' The Dog and the Angel as Common Boots' 2014 walkabout holiday show.[15] In 2015, Brewin directed Linda Griffiths' Age of Arousal at Factory Theatre.[16] Later that year, she directed Tails From The City (by Marjorie Chan) as Common Boots' outdoor holiday show.[17]
Brewin was appointed artistic director of Regina's Globe Theatre in fall 2020, succeeding interim artistic director, Geoffrey Whynot.[20] Much of her premiere season was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.[21] Her first live theatre production as artistic director was a series of ghost tours.[22] Brewin created a purely audio version of Ross's The Story, which she had previously directed with both Caravan Theatre and Common Boots.[23]
Scadding (2019) – co-created with Alex Bulmer, Leah Cherniak, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, John Gzowski, Maggie Huculak, Anand Rajaram, Jenny Salisbury and Stephon Smith
^Wagner, Vit (1994-02-20). "Play's absurdist conventions more like lame running gag". Toronto Star. p. C4 – via ProQuest.
^Kate, Taylor (1995-03-03). "A remarkable balancing act of comedy and drama". The Globe and Mail. p. D9 – via ProQuest.
^Cushman, Robert (1997-03-08). "Sisters wrestle skeletons in attic". The Globe and Mail.
^Walker, Susan (1996-11-24). "Can a critic carry a play? Not this one". Toronto Star. p. C3 – via ProQuest.
^ abSalisbury, Jenny (Spring 2016). "Political Acts and Public Voices: Paying Time and Attention to The Public Servant". Canadian Theatre Review (166): 72–77 – via Ebsco Host.
^DeMara, Bruce (2011-12-11). "Nativity story told outdoors: Moving Christmas scenes at Brickworks". Toronto Star. p. E4 – via ProQuest.