Janet Amos (born 12 September 1944) is a

Canadian theatre Canada's contemporary theatre reflects a rich diversity of regional and cultural identities. Since the late 1960s, there has been a concerted effort to develop the voice of the 'Canadian playwright', which is reflected in the nationally focused ...

actress, director, educator and playwright. The daughter of the actress Beth Amos, Janet has led theatre companies as the artistic director of the

Blyth Festival Blyth Festival, is a theatrical festival, located in the village of Blyth, Ontario, Canada, which specializes in the production and promotion of Canadian plays. In addition, the Festival acts as a resource for local groups and makes its facilities ...

(1979-1984 and 1994-1997) and

Theatre New Brunswick Theatre New Brunswick is the only English language professional theatre company in New Brunswick, Canada. It began operation in 1968, and has been successfully operating since that time. Artistic directors *Walter Learning (1968-1978) *Malcolm Bla ...

(1984-1988). She worked as an assistant professor of the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university, public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the Unive ...

(2003-2006), as a guest artist at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

(2008) and as instructor at the

National Theatre School of Canada The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, french: École nationale de théâtre du Canada) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. Amos is credited as leading an effort to save the Blyth Festival from closure, when she took over as the artistic director in 1994. Prior to her assuming the role of artistic director, the Blyth Festival had lost thousands of audience members and amassed a $229,000 debt. Amos' drove a fundraising campaign that raised more than $100,000 and created a season line-up that brought audiences back, helping the summer theatre to survive. Amos has also directed theatre productions at Toronto's

Theatre Passe Muraille Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Brief history One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille ("theatre beyond walls") was founded in 1968 by director and playwright Jim Gar ...

Port Dover Port Dover is an unincorporated community and former town located in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie. It is the site of the recurring Friday the 13th motorcycle rally. Prior to the War of 1812, this community ...

's Lighthouse Theatre, Regina's Globe Theatre, London, Ontario's Grand Theatre, Edmonton's

Citadel Theatre The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada. History It began in a former Salvatio ...

and Ottawa's

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of ...

, among others. Amos has appeared as an actor in the Canadian films ''

Winter Kept Us Warm ''Winter Kept Us Warm'' is a Canadian romantic drama film, released in 1965. The title comes from the fifth line of T.S. Eliot's ''The Waste Land''. An independent film written, directed, and funded by David Secter, it occupies a unique place in ...

'' (1965), ''High'' (1969), ''

Silence of the North ''Silence of the North'' is a 1981 semi-autobiographical Canadian film of author Olive Frederickson, taken from the book of the same name. The film stars Ellen Burstyn as Olive, Tom Skerritt as her first husband Walter Reamer who was killed, and ...

'' (1981), ''

Taking Care ''Taking Care'', also known as ''Prescriptions for Murder'', is a Canadian drama film, directed by Clarke Mackey and released in 1987."Hospital film dies in a bed of tedium". ''Ottawa Citizen'', April 29, 1988. Loosely based on the real-life case o ...

'' (1987), and ''More than Meets the Eye: The Joan Brock Story'' (2003). TV show guest acting credits include ''

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...

'' (1976), '' Road to Avonlea'' (1992), '' Twice in a Lifetime'' (2000), and '' PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal'' (2000). Amos' work has been recognized through various awards. The village of

Blyth, Ontario Not to be confused with the Town of Blyth, England. Blyth is a village in North Huron, Huron County, Ontario, Canada. Blyth is north of London and west of Waterloo at the intersection of Huron County Road 4 (London Road) and Huron Co ...

gave her a Citizen of the Year Award in 1994, the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

awarded her an honorary degree in 1998 and the Association for Canadian Theatre Research made her an honorary member in 2005. She is married to Canadian playwright Ted Johns.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amos, Janet 1944 births Living people Canadian theatre directors Canadian television actresses Canadian stage actresses Canadian women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian actresses 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian women writers National Theatre School of Canada faculty University of Regina faculty Canadian artistic directors