Resume

Work
Experience

2017 - 2019

Queens University, Kingston, On

Drama Teacher: Advanced Acting. Stage and Screen Playing With History.

Drama Department: 1998 - 1999

2005 - 2007

McGill University, Montreal, Qc

Introduction to Performance, Playwriting.

2003 - 2005

Concordia University, Montreal, Qc

Artist in Residence: Taught Script Analysis, Introduction to Acting, Brechtian Acting, Story Telling, plus directing two productions.

2003

Guest Director: We Won’t Pay, We Won’t Pay! Dario Fo.

1997 - 1998

Theatre and Development: Popular Theatre

1984 - 2002

University of Ottawa, Ottawa, On

Part-time teacher. Taught Introduction to Acting, The Stanislavski Tradition, Theatre History, Introduction to Theatre, Dramaturgy. Directed: A Servant of Two Marsters; The Good Person of Schezwan: The Pear is Ripe; The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Artist in Residence 1999 and 1988.

1975 - 1985

Vanier College, St Laurent, Qc

Theatre Department: Full-time Professor. Redesigned and taught all the theatre classes.

Workshops

1980-Present. Have taught workshops in the following subjects: Theatre of the Oppressed, Popular Theatre, Playwriting, Performance, Clown, Commedia d’ell Arte, Brecht, Movement and Mask.

Those taught include: National Art Centre/GCTC playwriting unit, Teesri Duniya Theatre Company, La Veille 17, Ottawa District Labour Council; Théâtre du Jade, Paris, France; Women's Health Interaction, Ottawa, Ontario; Nova Scotia Popular Theatre Alliance, Dalhousie University; The Coady Institute, St Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, N.S; International Adult Education Conference, Toronto: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Windsor Ecology Coalition; Returned Peace Corp Volunteers, Madison, Wisconsin;; Canadian Popular Theatre Alliance Festival, “Standin’ The Gaff” Sydney, Nova Scotia; Common Ground Women’s Centre, Toronto; Outaouais Popular Theatre, Ottawa; McGill Women’s Union; CUSO, Montréal; Carlos Busolanos Cultural Workshop, Toronto; International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union, Toronto; Canadian University Press; Sheatre, Blythe, Ontario; Popular Education Network, Winnipeg; Elgin House Literacy Centre, Winnipeg; Women in the Workplace, Toronto; Registered Nurses Association of Ontario; Manitoba Popular Theatre Alliance; Native Women’s Transition Centre,Winnipeg.

Directing

Professional

Almighty Voice and His Wife: Daniel David Moses. Theatre Kingston, Kingston.

AMBIGÜITÉ: Guy Marsan. Ottawa

LETTERS TO MY GRANDMA: Anusree Roy. Teesri Duniya Theatre. Montreal

WHERE THE BLOOD MIXES: Kevin Loring. Teesri Duniya Theatre, Montreal.

FALLING OPEN: Luna Allison. Also Co-creator, dramaturge. Montreal & Ottawa Fringes, GCTC Undercurrents Festival.

ON A TOUS LE MÊME ÂGE MAIS PAS EN MÊME TEMPS… Michèle Matteau with Lib Spry and Esther Beauchemin. La Vielle 17, Ottawa

NO POWER GREATER/L’UNION FAIT LA FORCE: Lib Spry. Dramamuse. *

HANSEL AND GRETEL: Shirley Barrie. Geordie Productions.

JULY 2, 1872: Lib Spry. Parliament Hill Players, Ottawa:

WHAT IF?: Shirley Barrie. Straight Stitching Productions, Toronto.

CARRYING THE CALF: Shirley Barrie. Straight Stitching Productions, Toronto. Dora Award Winner: Best Theatre for Young Audiences.

Almighty Voice and His Wife: Daniel David Moses. Great Canadian Theatre Company, Ottawa.

STRESS/ANGST, PUIS-JE VOUS AIDER, CAN I HELP YOU? *: Luciano Iogna and Lib Spry. Passionate Balance. Ottawa.

Straight Stitching: Shirley Barrie.. Straight Stitching Productions, Toronto. Nominated for 1990 Dora Award in Theatre for Young Audiences category. Chalmers’ Award winner in the same category.

Community

WE ARE OLD! WE ARE WONDERFUL!: devised. RECAA, Montreal

SHE CAN’T HEAR ME: collective RECAA, Montreal

BREAKFAST: collective. Theatre Forum of Elder Abuse. RECAA, Montreal.

AUNT ENID: collective. Theatre Forum of Elder Abuse . RECAA, Montreal.

THE CASSANDRA PROJECT: Collective Creation. Windsor Feminist Theatre. With Lea Schaetzel.

Training/University

JELLY BELLYMAKES GABAGE DELIGHT OF ALLIGATOR PIE: Dennis Lee/Kim Selody. Ottawa Theatre School.

RED NOSES: Peter Barnes. Drama Guild, University of Ottawa

BLOOD AND ICE: Liz Lochead. Concordia University Theatre Department.

CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE: Bertolt Brecht. Concordia University Theatre Department.

WE WON’T PAY! WE WON’T PAY!: Dario Fo. Concordia University Theatre Department.

THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS: Carlo Goldoni. Theatre Guild, University of Ottawa.

THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN: Bertolt Brecht. Theatre Guild, University of Ottawa.

Writing
(Selected)

TRANCE FOR MATRON: Theatre Agile, Montreal June 2013

WE ARE OLD! WE ARE WONDERFUL: with members of RECAA, Montreal 2013.

NO POWER GREATER/L’UNION FAIT LA FORCE: Dramamuse.* Gatineau

PLAYING ROBIN HOOD: Salamander Theatre, Ottawa.

BUNGSU AND THE BIG SNAKE: Odyssey Theatre. Ottawa

THE RAVEN: Carlo Gozzi: Odyssey Theatre, Ottawa. Co-translator/adapter with Laurie Steven.

KAMALAY. Odyssey Theatre, Ottawa.

THE MISER: Odyssey Theatre. Ottawa. Co- translator and adapter with Laurie Steven

JULY 2, 1872: Parliament Hill Players, Ottawa: *

TURANDOT: Odyssey Theatre: Ottawa

WHAT ABOUT US/ET NOUS AUTRES? * Commissioned by Revenue Canada's Women's Committee. Passionate Balance. Ottawa

CONGRESS: André Rousseau: Translator. Théâtre Derives Urbaines: Gatineau

IT'S OUR LIFE, ISN'T IT? created for CUPE. Passionate Balance. Ottawa.

THE TRAVAILS OF TRAVEL. Dramamuse, Museum of Civilization, Gatineau,

LE BON, LA VITE ET LE PLUS LENT. La Grosse Valise, Joliette

Acting and
Translation
(Selected)

TRANCE FOR MATRON. Theatre Agile. June 2013. Eadeg.

ON A TOUS LE MÊME ÂGE MAIS PAS EN MÊME TEMPS… La Vielle 17. Joker.

LEMONADE. Mile End Productions. Montreal QC. Dr. Clayton.

MYRRH: Panthéâtre, Paris. Workshop Production. Nurse and others.

THEY CAME IN FROM THE SEA: collective: Welfare State International, Ullverston, England: Marie Louise, Landlady. *

BRIGIT BONDFAST: SPACE SCIENTIST: Shirley Barrie. Straight Stitching Productions: One woman show for Senior K-Grade 3: Brigit

EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY: Hélène Pedneault. CBC Radio Drama, Montréal: Laura

THE SPIRIT GARDEN: R. Murray Schaffer: The Spirit Garden Collective. Ottawa. Mistress of the Planting

MOTHER COURAGE: Bertolt Brecht. Sock’ n Buskin, Ottawa. Mother Courage (Guest Artist.)

CONGRÉS: André Rousseau: Théâtre Derives Urbaines: Gatineau. Emma Brown.

SPECIAL DU JOUR: Collective. La Grosse Valise. Joliette. Emma Plum.

Professional
Memberships

Canadian Association for Theatre Research, Indigenous Literary Studies Association,

Canadian Actors Equity Association,

Playwrights Guild of Canada,

Playwrights Workshop of Montreal.

Areas of
Research

Settler Decolonization
Play as a tool for change
Popular and vernacular theatre
Political theatre and Humour
Theatre in non-traditional venues.
Digital embodiment
Teaching acting from a physical theatre perspective.

Education

2021 - 2023

Concordia University, Montreal Qc Postdoctoral Fellow

Horizons program.

2014 - 2020

Queens University, Kingston, On
PhD in Cultural Studies

Thesis: Unsettling Settlers’ Colonial Privilege Through Performance: Movement, Sound, Participation, Play, Laughter.

Supervisor: Clarke Mackey

2004 - 2006

Goddard College, Vermont
MFA in Creative Writing

Thesis: Missing Earth - a play with songs and music. Supervisors: Deborah Brevoort and Jacquelyn Reingold

1964 - 1972

University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
BA in Drama

1970 - 1971

York University, Toronto, On
BA in Drama

Training

2006 - 2009

L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier, Paris, France

3 years training in Jeu, Neutral Mask, Greek Tragedy, Play Mask, Bouffon, Character, Melodrama, Writing/Directing, Shakespeare / Chekov, Clown 1, Vaudeville, Clown 2.

2000

Panthéâtre

4-month training is voice and movement.

1984 - 1985

CEDITADE

1 year apprenticeship with the Paris company of Augusto Boal. Took and gave workshops in all aspects of Theatre of the Oppressed. Co-wrote, directed and joked forums for the company.

Recent Workshops

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Future Narratives: Contemporary Indigenous Artistic Practice. Wanda Nanibush.

Gabriel Dumont Centre: mamawi-kiyokewin (good visiting-nehiyawewin/Cree). A weekend of an artistic collaborative exchange between Saskatchewan First Nations and Metis elders and storytellers, performers, theatre artists and invited guests. Maria Campbell, Bruce Sinclair.

Jumblies Theatre Company: Art Essentials;

Francine Coté: Bouffon;

Jesusa Rodriguez: Reality Doesn’t Exist (How to build a political cabaret.)

Publications

Spry, Lib. “Being Old, Working with the Old, Performing Oldness.” TRIC 42.2, Special Issue on "Age and Performance: Expanding Intersectionality" (Fall 2021). Pending.

Spry, Lib. “Fifty Years of Play” Playwrights POV, PGC News Vol 2 Issue 3Spry, Lib. “Lightness and Political Theatre” Alt. Theatre, Winter 2013

Spry, Lib. “Structures of Power: Towards a Theatre of Liberation” in PLAYING Boal: Theatre, Therapy, Activism; Eds. Mady Schutzman and Jan Cohen-Cruise; 1994; Routledge, NY & London.

Spry, Lib and Peggy Sample. PEACE AND PLENTY: 1993; Holt, Rhinehart and Winston; Toronto.

Spry, Lib. “Theatre of the Oppressed/But Not in Canada” Canadian Theatre Review, Summer 1986.

Spry, Lib. A PRINCESS Never Should: 1979; Playwright's Union of Canada; Toronto.

Conferences

CATR 2017 Terra Nullius: Charting Paths To Reciprocal Settler--Indigenous Relationships through Indigenous Theatre and Performance in Academic Contexts". A panel/seminar organized with Annie Smith.

CATR 2016 Decolonizing Theatre and Performance Seminar 2: Indigenization, Settler Methodologies, and Intergenerational Responsibility. Dylan Robinson.

Juries

2012-14 Montreal English Theatre Awards
2013 Canada Council for the Arts: Artists and Community Collaboration Program
1994 Governor-General Award for Literature (Plays)
1992 Canada Council for the Arts: Projects
1990 Ontario Arts Council: Community Arts
1988 Ontario Arts Council: Projects
Ottawa-Carleton Region Theatre Projects
City of Ottawa Theatre Projects

Awards

Ontario Government Scholarships 2015-17
2012-13 Artists and Community Collaboration Program: “We Are Old! We Are Wonderful” with Respecting Elders: Cultures Against Abuse (RECAA). Canada Council of the Arts.
2008 Professional Development Grant to work with Philippe Gaulier (second year). Conseil des arts et des letters du Québec
2006-07 Professional Development Grant to work with Philippe Gaulier(first year). Canada Council of the Art
2001-2 Writer-in-Residence: Odyssey Theatre, Ottawa. Ontario Arts Council
1998-99 Writer- in -Residence: GCTC. Ontario Arts Council
1997 Artist in the Community Grant. Ontario Arts Council, City and Region of Ottawa.
1995 Maggie Bassett Award presented by Theatre Ontario in recognition for outstanding contribution to theatre in Ontario.
1995 Canada Council 'B' Grant to study mask with Laurie Steven & Karen Rodd and celebratory theatre with Diana and Jerrard Smith and Welfare State International
1994 Ontario Arts Council Artist in the Workplace grant to work with Kingston and Labour District Council.
1993 Canada Council project grant to attend The 7th International Theatre of the Oppressed Festival in Brazil
1992 Dora Award for best production theatre for young audiences: CARRYING THE CALF by Shirley Barrie
1989 Ontario Arts Council individual artist grant to work with Lea Schaetzel.
1984-85 Canada Council B grant to apprentice with Augusto Boal.