Welcome to Equity in Theatre

Karen Hines: Bio

Born in Chicago, raised in Toronto, Karen is a Second City Comedy alumna and a Gemini-nominated television performer for her work with Toronto’s Ken Finkleman, including three seasons on his (Canadian) series, The Newsroom. Karen invested her public television earnings in a career in theatre and is now the author of five award-winning plays, and a two-time finalist for the Governor General’s Award for her Pochsy Plays and Drama: Pilot Episode.
She is a Dora Award-winning performer, and director, having directed all of adult horror clowns Mump & Smoot’s shows for more than 25 years – from the Fringe Festivals to regional theatres across Canada and the United States. She also directed Linda Griffiths’ premieres of Age of Arousal (Alberta Theatre Projects) and HeavenAbove/HeavenBelow (Theatre Passe Muraille).
Hines’ own performances, plays and productions have been presented all around this continent, from the Tarragon to the Firehall, Canadian Stage to Joe’s Pub at the Public, to Actors Theatre of Louisville. Her prize-winning trio of short films has screened on five continents.
Since moving to Calgary 8 years ago, she had the honour to be Alberta Theatre Projects’ Playwright in Residence for a few years, and has won Western and National Magazine Awards for her humour columns with Swerve Magazine. She remains somewhat bi-civic: recent engagements include One Yellow Rabbit’s Calgary I Love You But You’re Killing Me and her newest solo at Toronto’s Videofag – Crawlspace – which was named one of the Globe & Mail’s top ten shows of last year.
Her newest play is being presented by One Yellow Rabbit in the coming 2017 High Performance Rodeo this year. A dark satire that explores the notion that “women aren’t funny,” it will star Denise Clarke, directed by Blake Brooker and is titled All the Little Animals I Have Eaten.