Actor
| Topics: Arts & Entertainment |
| Interview Date: August-30-2013 |
| Extraordinary Insights: "Know your strengths, hone in on them and be the best version of yourself , because you’re always more interesting being an exceptional you than a version of someone else." |
Audio-only version:
MJ is an actor, director/choreographer, dancer and producer based out of Toronto. She has been nominated for two Dora Mavor Moore Awards for acting, was named one of Canada’s 35 Most Inspiring Women by Canadian Living Magazine and founded two entertainment companies. In film & TV, she is currently one of the series leads on TVO’s medical drama Hard Rock Medical. Previous credits include Dead Before Dawn (Alliance, premiered at Cannes ‘12), Picture Day (Clique, premiered at TIFF ‘12), Sajuica on Erky Perky (YTV), recurring role on Howie Mandel’s This Is Howie Do It (Global/NBC), GravyTrain (Alliance Films), The Triumph of Dingus McGraw (Indican Pictures), segment host on W Network’s What’s Cooking, Lost & Found and Grocery Mishap (Bravo!FACT) and Flashpoint (CTV/CBS). MJ has performed on stages across Canada and in the US, including Sudden Death (Factory Theatre Next Stage), the World Premiere of Vern Theissen’s Do Not Disturb (Theatre Collingwood), Stockholm, 9 Parts of Desire, The Red Queen Effect, Or and Whale Music (Seventh Stage Theatre), Thy Neighbour’s Wife (Theatre North West), Skin Flick (Theatre New Brunswick), Melancholy Play (Summerworks), Kate in Taming of the Shrew (Rose Theatre Brampton), Raging Dreams (Theatre Gargantua), It Was Kit, Lust Labour’s Lost (Toronto Fringe, Award Winners), When The Reaper Calls and Beauty & The Beast (Sudbury Theatre Centre), A Delicate Balance (Drama Centre), George & Gracie (Maritime/Ontario Tour). She also worked on two off-Broadway reviews for Netherlander Entertainment in NYC. As a choreographer, she is the resident at The Rose Theatre Brampton, where she has choreographed 15 full-scale musicals including Little Shop of Horror, Full Monty, A Chorus Line, Cabaret, She Loves Me and A Christmas Carol. She recently directed & choreographed Crazy For You at Theatre By The Bay and has worked freelance on such shows at Women Full Clothed (Elgin Theatre), David Bowie Review (Ontario Tour) and several shows with Second City. MJ is also a renowned fitness and dance instructor, having a series of DVDs out across North America and teaching on the Dr OZ Show, Music Music, MTV, eTalk, Slice and many more. MJ is the founder of Seventh Stage Theatre Productions and LaRouge Entertainment. She holds an Honours BA with High Distinction from the University of Toronto, holds an acting diploma from Sheridan College, studied dance at The American Theatre Dance Workshop and did her graduate work at The University of Toronto Drama Centre. MJ sits on committees for the Canadian Women's Foundation and Free The Children's artbound, in addition to running her own mentorship program through Seventh Stage, which has seen 12 amazing young women have internships. Lastly she is a proud member of the 10-piece fun-bank The ElastoCitizens where she sings and dances as one of the 3 Ladies Foundation For The Motion of Hips. [https://melissajaneshaw.com/]