Agnes

Eugene Stickland is a playwright, novelist, journalist, poet, educator and social commentator. While he shares a provincial provenance with Agnes Martin, he has been based in Calgary since 1994 and completed an MFA in Theatre at York University (Toronto) before that. Eugene has had several plays produced at Theatre Network, including the world premiere of Excavations, an Alberta Playwriting Award recipient. His play Queen Lear, written for legendary Calgary actress the late Joyce Doolittle, received after its Calgary premiere a two year run in translation in Istanbul and throughout Turkey. Following a ten year residency at Alberta Theatre Projects, Eugene wrote a feature column on the arts in the Calgary Herald for six years. He was writer in residence at St. Mary’s University in Calgary for another five years, which culminated in the production and publication of a large cast (15) play titled First and Last.  In 2015 he wrote a novel titled The Piano Teacher which was awarded the W.O. Mitchell Award in Calgary the same year. Having had his love of Agnes Martin and her work rekindled during a trip to Taos, New Mexico in 2018, Eugene began painting as a kind of homage to Agnes and to better understand the process a visual artist must engage in. Anything he learned doing that has informed his approach to creating the play Agnes for Theatre Network.

Bradley is an MFA graduate in directing from the University Alberta. He joined Theatre Network in 1996 to create the multidisciplinary emerging artist festival – Nextfest. In 2014 Bradley accepted the dual role of Artistic & Executive Director for Theatre Network. Some recent productions include: BED AND BREAKFAST, THE EMPRESS & THE PRIME MINISTER, MINERVA – QUEEN OF THE HANDCUFFS, INFINITY, The Sterling Award Winning Production IRMA VOTH, BUST, GORDON, RED, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, ARMSTRONG’S WAR, the Governor General Nominated THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL OF BERNICE TRIMBLE, the Sterling Award Winning LITTLE ONE, DRIVING MISS DAISY, the Governor General Award Winning PIG GIRL, the Sterling Award Winning LET THE LIGHT OF DAY THROUGH, WHERE THE BLOOD MIXES, IN ON IT, MOVING ALONG, TWELFTH NIGHT, PUBLIC SPEAKING, DOG, THUNDERSTICK, BUDDY, ALIAS GODOT, MISERY, CLOSER AND CLOSER APART, the Sterling Award Winning SUMMER OF MY AMAZING LUCK, TRUE WEST, GIRL IN THE GOLDFISH BOWL, HOSANNA, MARION BRIDGE, A SKULL IN CONNEMARA, the Sterling Award Winning glam rock musical HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, and HIGH LIFE.