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 Co ...

'', November 6, 2014. She is most noted for her performance in the 1987 film ''

Blue City Slammers ''Blue City Slammers'' is a 1987 Canadian drama film directed by Peter Shatalow."Blue City hits a bland slam". ''Toronto Star'', April 29, 1988. Based on the theatrical play by Layne Coleman, the film centres on the personal and sport lives of th ...

'', 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 scu ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the

9th Genie Awards The 9th annual Genie Awards were held March 22, 1988, and honoured Canadian films released in 1987.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . The ceremony was hel ...

. 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 instit ...

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 ''Ernest Goes to School'' is a 1994 American comedy film written and directed by Coke Sams and starring Jim Varney. It is the seventh film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell and the final to be released theatrically, although it only open ...

'' and ''

Case 39 ''Case 39'' is a 2009 American supernatural horror film directed by Christian Alvart, and starring Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Bradley Cooper and Ian McShane. Plot Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) is a social worker living in Oregon who i ...

'', and the television series '' Check It Out!'', '' Friday the 13th: The Series'', '' T. and T.'', '' The Dead Zone'', ''

The Chris Isaak Show ''The Chris Isaak Show'' is an American television sitcom that follows a fictionalized version of the life of American rock musician Chris Isaak. The show portrays Isaak and his band members as everyday people with everyday problems. The series w ...

'' 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 Ch ...

''. As a director, her work has included productions of ''

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' is a 1967 musical with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and (in a 1999 revision) Andrew Lippa. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip ''Peanuts''. The musical ...

'', ''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 Sna ...

'', ''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 Vio ...

'', ''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 amon ...

''. She has also been associated with the

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

, 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, w ...

. 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

, 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 Morris Stephen Panych (born 30 June 1952) is a Canadian playwright, director and actor. Early life Panych was born in Calgary, Alberta and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. He studied at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Univers ...

's '' 7 Stories'' in 2019. In 2021, Gebhard directed George F. Walker's ''Problem Child'' and

Sarah Ruhl Sarah Ruhl (born January 24, 1974) is an American playwright, professor, and essayist. Among her most popular plays are ''Eurydice'' (2003), ''The Clean House'' (2004), and ''In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)'' (2009). She has been the reci ...

's ''

Dead Man's Cell Phone ''Dead Man's Cell Phone'' is a play by Sarah Ruhl. It explores the paradox of modern technology's ability to both unite and isolate people in the digital age. The play was awarded a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play. Productions The p ...

''. Gebhard has also directed several productions for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

'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