David James Brock

David’s plays and operas have been performed in cities across Canada, the US and the UK. He is also the author of two poetry books, Everyone is CO2 & Ten-Headed Alien (published by Wolsak & Wynn). For Scottish Opera, Brock co-created Breath Cycle with Gareth Williams, a multimedia opera project developed for singers with cystic fibrosis. In November 2019, his new play A Million Billion Pieces will receive its world premiere at YPT. He lives in Toronto and has taught writing courses at the University of Guelph, University of Victoria, Humber College and YPT. www.davidjamesbrock.com.

Q&A with David

Name your favourite YPT production:

Jabber by Marcus Youseff (2013); Selfie by Christine Quintana (2018)

Describe your favourite Drama School memory:

The final week of Writer’s Bloc, when writers get the chance to rehearse and present their plays for an audience in collaboration with YPT’s Senior Ensemble and professional directors. It’s a real celebration of the creative work everyone has put in over the last few months, and rather than feeling like the end of the process, it always feels like the beginning of something—a chance to proudly roar to friends, family and the theatre community: I am writer!

What would the central theme of a play written about you be?

Connection to people and places. A lot of my writing expresses my personal worry about the damage we do to the environment and to one another. I think this comes from the fact that I’ve moved around a lot and, though it can often be stressful to be the new person or to learn a new place, that struggle ultimately helps me now to adapt, relate and appreciate new situations and places after an adjustment. Now I get restless when I am in one place too long and I am constantly wanting to go on little (or big) adventures, to learn new things and see connect with new places.