Lionel Walsh

Founding Artistic Director

Lionel is an Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Windsor, where he served as Director of the School of Dramatic Art for ten years, Associate Dean, Academic for three and Assistant Vice-President, Student Recruitment for four. He is a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.  His training includes Certification as a Teacher of the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique (Michael Chekhov Association). He holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Windsor, an MFA in Theatre/Acting from Virginia Commonwealth University, and has trained at the Moscow Art Theatre School, Russia.

Lionel has acted and directed internationally and has conducted workshops in Improvisation and in Michael Chekhov Acting Technique at universities, conferences, and in private studios in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain, and has coached professional productions with Rose Theatre and Shakespeare in the Square, Brampton, ON, as well as the Hilberry Theatre, Wayne State University. He is a co-founder of Michael Chekhov Canada and the Director of the Inspired Acting Lab, University of Windsor, which is devoted to developing new acting exercises in Fantastic Realism. This year, he founded the Northern Bruce Theatre as a summer theatre company at Lion’s Head, Ontario and directed Salt-Water Moon as its inaugural production. He contributed a chapter to The Routledge Companion to Michael Chekhov.

Lionel is a recipient of the Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching, the Alumni Association Excellence in Mentoring Award, the Students of Dramatic Art Faculty Excellence Award. He was also nominated for Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award. Other recent directing projects include Almost Maine, Choking the Butterfly, and Down Dangerous Passes Road. Upcoming: The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare in Detroit) and Greater Tuna (Northern Bruce Theatre/Inspired Acting Lab).  His most recent role was Lyle in Whale Riding Weather (Inspired Acting Lab, Brighton Festival Fringe, and Plymouth Arts).