DYING TO LEARN. LEARNING TO DIE
Actor, playwright and scholar, Simon Fortin has studied the representation of death and dying in Western literature, particularly in the theatre of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. In the dramatic literature of the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages, the voices of dying individuals took center stage, exposing the pain, pathos and humor that accompany the dying experience.
Simon has developed a performance that bridges his personal and professional lives. In this performance he presents his own personal story, enactment of dying characters from Shakespeare, scholarship, poetry and song, to provide a thought provoking, moving and entertaining evening.
Son and grandson of Canadian actors, Simon Fortin trained at the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique du Québec, then at Drama Studio London. A member of both American and Canadian Actors’ Equity, he has acted and sung in more than 80 professional productions in Canada, England and the United States. In Canada, he received many awards and distinctions: 3 best actor awards at the Prix de la Culture, one Felix award from the ADISQ, and many other nominations including The Dora Award for Best New Play in Toronto. His work has been supported with multiple grants from funders including The Canada Art Council, Quebec Cultural Affairs Ministry, Ville de Québec, and Quebec Delegation in New York City. He is the author of several plays and television dramas produced in both French and English and published in English and Romanian. In 2005 he received an MA in Shakespeare Studies from the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, at New York University. Last spring he received a doctorate degree for his dissertation entitled "Dying to Learn: The Poetics of Agony on the English Early Modern Stage". He teaches both Classical and Renaissance Literature at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He has presented his scholarly work at various international conferences including The International Narrative Medicine Conference at King’s College, London (2013), and The Swiss Association of Medieval and Early Modern Studies Conference in Fribourg (2014). He recently played Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky in None but the Lonely Hearts, at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music). In August he will be Vincent Van Gogh in Van Gogh’s Ear at Great Barrington, in the Berkshires.
Audience Responses
Should have been 1/2 hour - using best material, then 15 min, 1/2 hour discussion