Kate Bligh

Ms. Kate Bligh is a part-time Professor at Concordia University, affiliated with the School of Canadian Irish Studies. She holds part-time faculty positions in the Departments of Theatre and English, as well as in Education and Applied Human Sciences. Her work spans directing, dramaturgy, teaching, and artistic direction, with a focus on postcolonial and intercultural perspectives in performance.

Kate Bligh earned her M.A. in Theatre Directing from the Drama Centre London and the University of Birmingham, UK. Her career in professional theatre has spanned 28 years, with teaching roles at institutions such as Rada, Mountview, and Birmingham University in the UK before relocating to Canada twelve years ago.

Her research interests emphasize postcolonial and intercultural drama, late 20th-century British and Irish playwrights, and the integration of performance skills into public and professional contexts. Kate is particularly noted for her exploration of Irish drama, including collaborations with playwrights like Brian Friel and Martin McDonagh, as well as adaptations of works such as Solibo Magnifique and Baki and the Crocodiles. Her pedagogical approach combines traditional theatre training with contemporary interdisciplinary practices.

She has received recognition for her contributions, including a prize from Infini Theatre in Montreal for her work in new play development.

As part of her mandate to train emerging artists, Kate leads ongoing research and workshops blending the performer training methods of Jerzy Grotowski with the movement analysis of Rudolph Laban. She has collaborated with Rena Mireçka and Zygmunt Molik, original members of Grotowski’s Laboratory Theatre, and organized workshops in Montreal, such as The Way (2009), focusing on the ritual and spiritual aspects of performance.

Kate serves as Artistic Director of the bilingual theatre company Temenos, which has produced works like The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Le Songe / dreamplay (2004). She previously directed the Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal (1999–2001) and co-founded projects such as xstasis, a collaborative performance involving live video and electro-acoustic music.