Fran Gebhard is a Canadian actress and theatre director.
[Adrian Chamberlain, "Midsummer Night's Dream goes punk; New York scene in late '70s inspires director Fran Gebhard". '']Victoria Times-Colonist
The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily C ...
'', November 6, 2014. She is most noted for her performance in the 1987 film ''
Blue City Slammers'', for which she received a
Genie Award
The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...
nomination for
Best Supporting Actress at the
9th Genie Awards. She is currently a professor at the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...
.
Career
Gebhard has had supporting or guest roles in the films ''A Piano for Mrs. Cimino'', ''
Police Academy 3: Back in Training'', ''Love and Murder'', ''
Ernest Goes to School'' and ''
Case 39'', and the television series ''
Check It Out!'', ''
Friday the 13th: The Series'', ''
T. and T.'', ''
The Dead Zone The Dead Zone may refer to:
* ''The Dead Zone'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Stephen King
* ''The Dead Zone'' (film), a 1983 film adaptation of the novel, starring Christopher Walken and directed by David Cronenberg
* ''The Dead Zone'' (TV series), ...
'', ''
The Chris Isaak Show'' and ''
The L Word
''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene ...
''. As a director, her work has included productions of ''
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'', ''Wreckage'', ''
The School for Scandal
''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777.
Plot
Act I
Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sn ...
'', ''Crackpot,'' ''The Affections of May'', ''
Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins V ...
'', ''For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again'' and ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...
''.
[
She has also been associated with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, including as program head of the Playwrights' Colony and coordinator of the Screenwriters' Workshop.
Gebhard has often served as a festival adjudicator for Theatre BC's regional zone festivals.] Gebhard adjudicated the 2014 North Island Zone Drama Festival. In 2015, she was the Main Stage Adjudicator for Kamloops
Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, ...
. Gebhard adjudicated the Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the ...
Zone Festival in 2017. In 2018, she adjudicated the Kitimat
Kitimat is a district municipality in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine regional government. The Kitimat Valley is part of the most populous urban distr ...
Drama Festival. She served as the Main Stage Adjudicator in Vernon in 2022.
A theatre professor at the University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...
, Gebhard has directed productions for the university's Phoenix Theatre. In 2016, she directed ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses
''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (; English: ''Dangerous Liaisons'') is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782.
It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and ...
''. She directed Morris Panych's ''7 Stories
''7 Stories'' is a play created by Canadian playwright Morris Panych.
Plot
The protagonist (a well dressed man) is standing on the ledge on the seventh story of a tall building, contemplating leaping to his death. He is interrupted by the colorfu ...
'' in 2019. In 2021, Gebhard directed George F. Walker
George F. Walker (born August 23, 1947) is a Canadian playwright and screenwriter. He is one of Canada's most prolific playwrights, and also one of the most widely produced Canadian dramatists both in Canada and internationally.
Early years
W ...
's ''Problem Child'' and Sarah Ruhl's '' Dead Man's Cell Phone''.
Gebhard has also directed several productions for Victoria's Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre including ''The Importance of Being Earnest
''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...
'' (2016), ''Barefoot in the Park
''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda.
Productions
''Barefoot ...
'' (2019), and '' Salt Water Moon'' (2021)
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{use mdy dates, date=February 2022
20th-century Canadian actresses
21st-century Canadian actresses
Canadian film actresses
Canadian stage actresses
Canadian television actresses
Canadian theatre directors
Canadian women theatre directors
Academic staff of the University of Victoria
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
University of British Columbia alumni