sare
thorpe
DIRECTOR . ACTOR . MODEL . THEATRE ARTIST
Photo: LV Imagery
ABOUT ME
Photo: Dahlia Katz
Sare Thorpe (They/Them) is an award-winning theatre artist and performer based in Toronto, and one of the founding members of the independent theatre collective Soup Can Theatre.
After seeing the Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera as a child, Sare was inspired to enter the world of the performing arts, taking acting, dancing, and singing lessons, and becoming heavily involved in their high school drama program and local community theatres. Sare was accepted into the Theatre program at York University, where they trained in acting, writing, production, and theatre history, with an emphasis on collective creation and devised theatre. Sare received their Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours and was awarded the Mira Friedlander Award for their achievements in theatre writing, criticism, world, and Canadian theatre studies. Following graduation, they were cast in the world premiere production of Thomson Highway's Pimooteewin (The Journey), the first opera written in Cree, produced by Soundstreams Canada and directed by Michael Greyeyes.
In 2009, Sare co-founded Soup Can Theatre: an independent collective dedicated to reinterpreting older works for a modern audience, and new works inspired by the past. Their inaugural production, Love is a Poverty You Can Sell - a cabaret homage to the music and artistic influence of 20th-century German composer Kurt Weill - was a sold-out hit of the 2010 Toronto Fringe Festival and received an extended run at the Meridian Arts Centre as part of the curated ‘Best of Fringe’ series. Soup Can has continued to present consistently acclaimed work, becoming a well-known and well-respected company in Toronto's indie theatre community, with Sare’s directorial work being recognized with multiple local performing arts award nominations and wins.
In 2015, Sare wrote, performed, and co-directed Heretic: a modern solo retelling about the life of Joan of Arc. Hailed as “a stunning one-woman show”, Sare's performance and writing received praise from the press and public alike. Most recently, Sare conceived and directed an original and immersive site-specific adaptation of A Christmas Carol, set in Toronto's historic Campbell House Museum. Premiering in 2018, this fresh and socially-conscious take on Dickens’ classic was an immediate hit,
selling out every performance and earning glowing reviews. The
production was remounted for an equally successful extended run in
2019.
Sare credits their well-rounded theatre education for giving them
the perseverance and knowledge to thrive in Toronto's artistic
community. They love coffee, horror movies, experimenting in
the kitchen, tending to their ever-growing collection of plants,
figuring out how to play Tom Waits songs on the ukulele, and
fostering cats. They are a part of Actra's outACTRAto Committee,
and the Gender Diversity Subcommittee.
Sare is Mad, Queer, Nonbinary, and Neurodivergent.
Photo: LV Imagery
Land Acknowledgement
I live and work on sacred land that, for over 15,000 years, has been a site of human activity.
This land is the traditional territory of the Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga, the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, the Mississaugas of the
Credit First Nation, and the Wendake-Nionwentsïo.
I acknowledge these Nations - and any other recorded or unrecorded Nations - as the caretakers of this land, Tkaronto.
I encourage all settlers to visit Native-Land.ca and to take the University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada course to learn more.
GET IN ToUCH
Photo: Scarlet O'Neill
LINKS
The Three Ships Collective / "A Christmas Carol"
ACTRA Toronto
Scarlet O'Neill Photography
ArtsVox.ca
York University - Theatre Department
TAPA - Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts
Conscientious Theatre Training
Canadian Actors' Equity Association
Tony Ofori, Actor
Marsha Mason, Actor