Keiley, who graduated from York with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, was selected from a group of 59 nominees from across Canada. The Jury called the director and educator a “visionary” in her field, touting her work as “startlingly original and radically imaginative.”

Keiley credits her studies at York as a stepping stone to her success.

“I really learned a lot during my time at York. Things that still contribute to what I'm working on today. [Professor] Anatol Schlosser really opened my eyes to choral and group work in cultural traditions around the world. We also had the opportunity through different student-run festivals to self-produce, which is an essential skill to have as a theatre maker.”

Phillip Silver, Dean of York’s Faculty of Fine Arts, says it was clear from the get-go that Keiley was destined to be a trailblazer in her field.

“The Theatre program at York really encourages exploration and innovation in all that we teach. We were fortunate to be able to provide Jillian with opportunities to do new and exciting work, and in her acceptance speech, she mentioned her studies at York as a source of inspiration.”

Keiley is founding director of the Newfoundland theatre company Artistic Fraud, and has spent the past decade developing Kaleidography – a unique, mathematic and music-based choreography and directing system.

In addition to the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, sponsored by BMO Financial Group, Keiley is also the recipient of the Canada Council's 1997 John Hirsch Prize for emerging directors and was named the 1996 Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council's Emerging Artist of the Year.

York University's Department of Theatre is part of Ontario’s only Faculty of Fine Arts, which also houses degree programs in Dance, Design, Film & Video, Music, Visual Arts and Fine Arts Cultural Studies. Each year, the Department's in-house production company, Theatre @ York, mounts a season of fully-staged productions as well as workshop performances, all open to the public. In keeping with York University’s interdisciplinary mandate, Theatre students enrich their educational experience by drawing on courses and resources from these areas as well as the University at large.

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For further information, media should contact:

Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, 416 736 2100, ext. 22097 / mehughes@yorku.ca