Kate Twa

Kate began her professional acting career at the age of 17 playing Estella in The Citadel Theater's production of Great Expectations. Shortly after, she travelled over seas to study in London with the British Theatre Association. Training in the classics by day left her evenings open to explore some of London's newest playwrights and explosive productions. At 18 she was developing a taste for the raw, insightful and provocative work she is known for today. Kate was appointed Artistic Director of Gastown Theatre, a 66 seat black box theatre that further fueled her passion for acting and ignited new thirst for directing and writing.

Selected stage performances include Birdbath by Leonard Melfi, No Exit by Jean‐Paul Sartre, Miss Julie by August Strindberg and The Sweetest Swing in Baseball by Diana Son. Kate has .also acted extensively in film and television (X‐Files, Outer Limits, Killer App, DaVinci's Inquest, and Dead Zone.Developing and directing new material has since been a driving passion. Written and directed works include Whatever Happened to What’s Her Name?, Serfing (co-written with Mark Ragan), Joke You! (co-written with Jan Derbyshire) and Torched. In 2011 Kate wrote and directed Gods of Youth, a harrowing exploration of kids and crystal meth. Most recently she completed writing and directing The Orchard, a dark comedy about an unexpected transformation.

Kate won critical and audience acclaim for directing Creeps by David Freeman, Waiting For Lefty by Clifford Odets, The Shape of Things by Neil LaBute, Hope Slide by Joan Macleod, The Curate Shakespeare As You Like It by Don Nigro, Wild Abandon by Daniel MacIvor, Tough! by George F. Walker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Comedy of Errors both by William Shakespeare. Kate has taught for The Canadian College of Performing Arts, The Vancouver Film School, Cineworks, The Company We Keep, and in 2001 she co‐founded The Lyric School of Acting. She moved on to develop Cucumber Satellite Theatre and Film Society, then Co-Founded the renowned Railtown Actors Studio with John Cassini. She currently resides in Naramata, BC and is the Artistic Director of Tempest in Penticton.