David Diamond
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, David is a 1975 BFA graduate of the University of Alberta. He was a founding member of Vancouver'sHeadlines Theatre (1981) and has been Artistic Director since 1984.
David has directed approximately 450 community-specific projects on issues such as racism, civic engagement, violence, addiction, street youth, intergenerational conflict and homelessness. He has worked throughout Canada and USA, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brazil, various European countries, Rwanda, Namibia and Palestine, and has pioneered the development of live, interactive Forum television and web casting.
He is the originator of Theatre for Living, a merging of Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed, and a life-long interest in systems theory. Theatre for Living recognizes communities are complexly integrated living organisms and invites them to engage in constructive social change, moving from various forms of violence to respectful engagement.
David is the recipient of numerous awards, including the City of Vancouver's Cultural Harmony Award, the Jessie Richardson Award for Innovation in Theatre, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Fraser Valley and the Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre. He is the author of Theatre for Living: the art and science of community-based dialogue (winner of the American Alliance of Theatre and Education 2008 Distinguished Book Award).
