Spencer Gilbert is a Mississauga-based theatre practitioner. His theatre idols include Anton Chekhov, Jackie Maxwell, Sarah Kane, and Stephen Karam. Spencer was interested in theatre from a very early age. While studying drama through high school and university, Spencer discovered a love for writing and performance. Participating in the Sears and Toronto Fringe Festivals catalyzed Spencer’s love for the stage. He has studied theatre in both Canada and the UK. As a teenager, Spencer was very active in his high school drama society.
Over three years he wrote and directed three Sears Festival Plays, two of which proceeded to the higher rounds of competition. In University, he performed original pieces at the University of Toronto. Spencer’s plays touch on grief, human compatibility, grace, and sacrifice. Although he is a passionate director, his first love is writing, in particular playwriting. When he is not treading the boards, Spencer enjoys reading, eating, hiking, and amateur yodelling. His parents wish to remain anonymous.
Summer Ensemble
Spencer Gilbert has recently become part of the Crane Creations Theatre‘s prestigious Summer Ensemble 2023 as a Director. This unique program offers aspiring artists in the Canadian theatre industry unparalleled work experience. The Summer Ensemble specifically recruits talented individuals aged 18 to 30, providing them with intensive, full-time training over several weeks. Participants not only acquire valuable skills but also gain invaluable experience in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
Spencer Gilbert is one of the three directors working with this year’s Summer Ensemble who will together be creating an exciting and dynamic collaborative environment who will together be creating an exciting and dynamic collaborative environment.
What Will Spencer Gain In This Arts Job?
Artistic Skills: Explore classical and contemporary text, improvisation, and theatre around the world and their relevance and impact on art jobs and society today.
Orientation in Arts Jobs: Honest insight into professional organizations, structures and systems in place and how to navigate them successfully
Financial Skills: Budgeting and financial literacy delivered in a comprehensible and easy to understand way, tailored for theatre artists’ needs.
Leadership: Debate complex questions and develop ideas and strategies on how to build not only your career but the theatre ecosystem in Canada and Internationally.
Touring in Arts: Discover how artists around the world use international touring as a source of income, and learn how to create shows that can allow you to participate in that market.
Digital Skills: Discover how blog/content writing can earn you additional income, and promote your work, while mastering WordPress, one of the most desired skills in today’s job market.
Education
Throughout his high school years, Spencer Gilbert studied the arts and drama as both a proper subject and as a discipline through extracurriculars. Spencer initially entered university studying English and Drama at U of T. Eventually, he switched from Drama to History, though his love for theatre still burned bright. He graduated with distinction in May of 2021.
About Spencer. An Interview with Spencer.
Where Did You Grow Up? What Was Your Childhood Like?
What is Your Favourite Book?
My favorite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Maybe I just happened to read it at an
impressionable age, but I truly enjoy the gothic atmosphere of this mysterious, generational
novel. The relationship of Cathy and Heathcliff is so haunting and traumatic, it is hard to read
and even harder to forget.
What is One Fun Fact About Yourself?
Do You Have Any Hobbies?
What is Your Favourite Meal to Cook? What is Your Recipe?
My favorite food is spaghetti carbonara: fresh pasta and guanciale in a silky egg and parmesan
cheese sauce. The dish is deceptively difficult. With only a handful of ingredients, the entire
meal can be ruined if the sauce is not properly tempered (the egg will scramble if it is introduced
to the hot pasta cold).
What is Your Favourite Thing About Mississauga? Tell Us Why?
What is a New Skill You Have Always Wanted to Learn?
If You Could Travel Anywhere in the World, Where Would You Travel?
What is a Project You Were a Part of, That You Are Proud of?
