Jennifer H. Capraru Artistic Director
Theatre Asylum, Canada & Isôko, Rwanda

Jen grew up in a haunted house in Montreal. She is Artistic Director of the award-winning Theatre Asylum, which premieres thought-provoking contemporary theatre by and about women and humanist issues. Most recently she founded ISôKo in Kigali to help grow Rwandan theatre and bring about social harmony, where she directed Colleen Wagner's The Monument on tour, summer 2008.

Last season she directed Lullaby for Dark Horse (Dora Nomination, Outstanding Production). Asylum's productions such as BéBé, The Trials, and My Mother's Courage have been developed and toured Canada in collaboration with The Theatre Centre, National Arts Centre, Intrepid Theatre, Saydie Bronfman, and the Banff Centre. Jen has been a Guest Director and Lecturer at Acadia University (directed Tony Kushner's The Illusion), University of Victoria (directed Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses), and a Course Director at York University's Glendon College.

Since 2005 she has travelled and worked in East Africa, exploring the role culture can play in healing society. In 2006 she was 2nd Script Supervisor on the Canadian feature, Shake Hands with the Devil, and her experience working alongside Rwandese prompted her to accept an invitation to give workshops for the Rwanda Cinema Centre. This led to work for the National University of Rwanda (Littoral), UNICEF, Kivu Writers, and Mashirika Arts. Jen has been a nominee for the Hirsch and McGibbon Directing Awards, a fellow at Schloss Solitude, Germany, and an invited director to the Lincoln Centre's Director's Lab, NYC.

She completed performance studies at BAADA in England, later training as a director in Germany at the Landestheater Tübingen and the Volksbühne, Berlin. As well she had the pleasure of being Associate Dramaturg at Factory Theatre for two years through the Metcalf Foundation.

Full Directing CV (pdf)
Film CV (pdf)

Unversity Projects
METAMORPHOSES
THE ILLUSION