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sharon
lewis -- extended bio
Honors Degree Political Science
University of Toronto
Sharon was pursuing graduate studies when she landed a part-time
job at a theatre company called Second Look Community Arts.
Although Sharon was hired as an administrator her natural
talent in the arts led her to full-time employment as a writer,
producer and director within the first year; by the end of
1990 Sharon was co-artistic director of the company. This
was quite a feat for someone who had no formal training in
the arts. Sharon continued to run Second Look Community Arts
until the end of 1992. During her time, running Second Look,
she directed, wrote and taught drama to youth. Sharon was
sent to London England for training in a Brazilian theatre
technique and was bitten by the acting bug. On her return
to Canada she resigned from Second Look and decided to pursue
acting full-time.
Sharon was hired for a principal role in the Canadian production
of the off Broadway, Imperceptible Mutabilities in the
Third Kingdom, written by Suzan-Lori Parks, an American
writer and recipient of the Obie award. On her first professional
production, Sharon was hired and directed by the John Hirsch
award recipient--Colin Taylor, the youngest director ever
to receive this award. The show opened with strong reviews
and Sharon's career was launched with a boom.
The next year saw Sharon heavily involved in theatre and
film. She earned her ACTRA and EQUITY union cards within the
first year--unheard of for new actors.
By 1993, Sharon founded Sugar'n'Spice
Productions, a production company that promoted work
by and for women of colour. At the time it was the only professional,
active company in Canada devoted to this purpose. She co-wrote
the Dora (Canadian equivalent of the Tony) nominated play sistahs,
which has since been published by Playwrights Union of Canada.
She was invited to attend the Adelaide Women Playwright's Festival
in Australia and put Sugar'n'Spice on the international map.
During 1993 and 1994, Sharon continued to appear in theatre
and television, and received the prestigious screenplay scholarship
from the National Film Board of Canada (Canadian equivalent
of the American Film Institute) and another scholarship from
the Liasion of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) to
adapt the play Sistahs into a screenplay. And hence Sharon's
screenwriting talents were added to her playwright talents.
In 1994, Sharon landed the lead role in Clement Virgo's film
Rude. She played the title character of Rude and attended
the Cannes Film Festival in 1995 to represent the film. She
also attended the Toronto International Film Festival
and was invited to the Sundance Film Festival in 1996.
It was a landmark film in that it was the first film written,
directed and produced by Black Canadians. It was a project
that auditioned in the United States and Canada, and was a
project that Sharon was understandably proud to play a lead
role in.
Shortly thereafter Sharon began work as the host of a 12
part television series for TV Ontario and a principal role
on the American-Canadian coproduction of the Showtime movie
Mr. and Mrs. Loving.
Sharon has been published in both the non-fiction and fiction
field. The landmark anthology that has half of its submissions
from women of color, Plural
Desires, which explores women's bisexuality was published
in 1994, by sistervision press. Sharon co-edited the anthology
and contributed a piece called the "good-bi girl".
a collection of her short stories from her novel, called "poverty
and love" has been published in an anthology called Mercury
Retrograde, sistervision press, 1999. sharon's second
play, girls night has been accepted into the prestigious
Groundswell festival in Toronto, Canada and is part of the
reading series at the African Canadian Playwrights Festival.
a monologue from girls' night was just published in
a chapbook of monologues called, Tellin' It Like It Is,
Playwrights Canada Press 2000.
Sharon continued her work with underrepresented youth and
using "Theatre of the Oppressed" techniques generates
plays written by the youth. Her adaptation of the Merchant
of Venice, for youth was staged at the Los Angeles Theatre
Centre, 2000.
In 2000, Television came calling and Sharon landed the coveted prime time spot on Newsworld as the host of a national political debating show, counterSpin. She steered that show to it's highest ratings and through the tumultuous time of 9/11. Sharon decided to move in another direction closer to her artistic roots and left that show to host the CBC multiplatform interactive television show, ZeD.
Sharon has now moved behind the camera as well, directing short films, television and is in development with her first feature. 2008.
Sharon continues her work on both coasts and in between.
Grants and Awards
- recipient of the 1999 Toronto Arts Council Grant for
completion of her novel, "poverty
and love"
- juried member of the Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council,
Toronto Arts Council, semi-permanent member of the City
Council Arts Granting Program : duties included reading/evaluation
of project grants for theatre, film and music
- recipient of the 1994 LIFT (Liasion of Independent Film),
script development scholarship
- recipient of the 1994 Canadian National Film Board new
script development scholarship
- member of Canadian Academy of Motion Pictures, ACTRA,
Black Film and Video Network, Screen Actors Guild
- nominated "best writer" 2001 by Black Film and Video
Network for the film, "maple"
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