Janet Amos

Janet Amos
Born1945 (age 79–80)
SpouseTed Johns
ParentBeth Amos (mother)
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Toronto (BA, BEd)
Academic work
DisciplineTheatre
Sub-disciplineTheatre directing · playwriting · theatre education
InstitutionsUniversity of Regina
University of Ottawa
National Theatre School of Canada

Janet Amos (born 1945) is a Canadian theatre actress, director, educator, and playwright.[1]

Education

Amos studied under Marjorie Purvey at the Toronto School of Radio Drama in the 1950s. She earned Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Toronto.[2]

Career

Amos has led theatre companies as the artistic director of the Blyth Festival (1979–1984 and 1994–1997)[3][4] and Theatre New Brunswick (1984–1988).[5] She worked as an assistant professor of the University of Regina (2003–2006), as a guest artist at the University of Ottawa (2008) and as instructor at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal.[1]

Amos is credited as leading an effort to save the Blyth Festival from closure, when she took over as the artistic director in 1994.[6] Prior to her assuming the role of artistic director, the Blyth Festival had lost thousands of audience members and amassed a $229,000 debt.[7] Amos' drove a fundraising campaign that raised more than $100,000 and created a season line-up that brought audiences back, helping the summer theatre to survive.[7]

Amos also directed theatre productions at Toronto's Theatre Passe Muraille, Port Dover's Lighthouse Theatre, Regina's Globe Theatre, London, Ontario's Grand Theatre, Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and Ottawa's National Arts Centre, among others.[1]

Amos appeared as an actor in the Canadian films Winter Kept Us Warm (1965), High (1969), Silence of the North (1981), Taking Care (1987), and More than Meets the Eye: The Joan Brock Story (2003). TV show guest acting credits include Ada (1976), Road to Avonlea (1992), Twice in a Lifetime (2000), and PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (2000).

Amos' work has been recognized through various awards. The village of Blyth, Ontario, gave her a Citizen of the Year Award in 1994, the University of Western Ontario awarded her an honorary degree in 1998 and the Association for Canadian Theatre Research made her an honorary member in 2005.[1]

Personal life

Amos is daughter of the actress Beth Amos. She is married to Canadian playwright Ted Johns.[1]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1965 Winter Kept Us Warm Sandra
1981 Silence of the North Nelly
1987 Taking Care Marie

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1978 The Massey's Eliza Massey Television film
1978–1979 A Gift to Last Clara Sturgess 3 episodes
1992 Road to Avonlea Mrs. Spry Episode: "Another Point of View"
2000 Twice in a Lifetime M.C. Chandler Episode: "Old Flames"
2000 Psi Factor Heather Buckley Episode: "Wendigo"

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Amos, Janet". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.
  2. ^ "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Amos, Janet". www.canadiantheatre.com. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  3. ^ Belanger, Joe (4 July 2014). "Canadian playwrights have benefited greatly from Blyth Festival". London Free Press.
  4. ^ Powell, M.E. (2013). "Growing Opportunities: Theatre Thrives in Rural Saskatchewan". Canadian Theatre Review. 154: 11–17. doi:10.3138/CTR.154.003. S2CID 144364936.
  5. ^ New, William H.; Berger, Carl; Cairns, Alan; Halpenny, Francess G.; Kreisel, Henry; Lochhead, Douglas; Stratford, Philip; Thomas, Clara (1990-12-15). Literary History of Canada: Canadian Literature in English, Volume IV (Second ed.). University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781487591168.
  6. ^ Tom., Henighan (2000). Maclean's companion to Canadian arts and culture. Vancouver: Raincoast Books. ISBN 1551922983. OCLC 45799231.
  7. ^ a b Kirchhoff, H. (6 August 1994). "Its own saga of survival is Blyth's biggest hit". The Globe and Mail.