I am a writer, librettist, dramaturg, Programmer & more
bioGraphy
Deborah is a writer and dramaturg currently based in London.
She has worked in a variety of contexts, from festivals to large theatres to film. She has a BFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and a Masters of Writing for Performance and Dramaturgy at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Most recently, Deborah wrote Big Sister, a one-woman show about her sister’s 75lb weight loss. This show won the Cultchivating the Fringe Award and was nominated for Outstanding Original Script at the 2020 Jessie Richardson Awards. She also wrote the book for the sold-out production Sylvia’s Hotel, a musical about the family and stories behind an iconic Vancouver hotel. Her musical Carry On, was awarded Pick of the Fringe in 2016. Additional past writing credits include The Quizmaster (Brave New Play Rites, About Love Festival), Top Secret (IGNITE!) and Fallen Heads (Act NOW!). She also co-wrote and co-produced the YouTube musical Finding Face Time, which was the winning selection from the In Tune 2015 YouTube Musical Competition.
Past production dramaturgy credits include Dark Sisters (Vancouver Opera), Sweeney Todd (Vancouver Opera) and Saint Joan (Arts Club Theatre Company).
Deborah won an Early Career Dramaturg Travel Grant to attend the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas conference in New York in 2015. She completed a dramaturgy internship at the Arts Club Theatre Company and a scripted development mentorship at Omnifilm Entertainment.
In 2020 she co-founded Chalk Musical Theatre Dramaturgy, a script consultancy company specifically for new musical theatre.
She is from Vancouver, BC, a city that gave her a deep love of the ocean and unrealistic expectations about the affordability of sushi. When she isn't writing, she's eating cheap vegan food, drinking expensive coffee, or walking by the nearest body of water.