I had no intention of becoming a director. I see it as the culmination of 20 years of practice.
Directing has been an inevitable and welcome step in my evolution as a holistic artist. Like my writing, my directorial focus is on how the configuration and integration of design, bodies, text, and space creates meaning. I’m drawn to artists and texts working viscerally with form and don’t believe in naturalism as the natural order of anything. My guiding questions are what is happening and what is possible within this story, this venue, and this creative ensemble. My productions are visceral, ritualistic, and full of colour, body, breath, humour, play, and poetry.
I specialize in designing dramaturgical processes for new, interdisciplinary or genre-bending works when working with authors on new texts. My first directing project was Matthew Mackenzie’s solo show, The Particulars, which played a sold out run at Winnipeg Fringe in 2010. I’ve since directed dramaturgical explorations/been a core collaborator with Erum Khan, Coleen MacPherson, Heidi Strauss, nevada jane arlow, Michael Martini, and most notably with ted witzel on our 7-part deconstruction of Frank Wedekind’s LULU plays — in which I directedlulu v.4 // but you are not a dead woman.My solo directorial debut in Toronto was my play, Four Sisters, at Luminato in 2019. I’m currently directing development processes with Curtis Campbell on his Drag Queen Story Time at Tarragon Theatre.
My latest production was Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis at Toronto Metropolitan University. I’ve been directing the development of my work, HEART/BODY with TO Live since 2021 and will direct my debut short film, Mya’s OK in fall 2025. See below for select photos of my directing projects.
Toronto Metropolitan University School of Performance, March 2025
“Susanna’s production of 4.48 Psychosis was one of the most powerful and moving theatre experiences I’ve ever encountered over my many decades of art making.”
— Debashis Sinha, Siminovitch-winning Sound Artist + Designer
