Niall McNeil: Beauty and the Beast: My Life

Tickets

Cost: $40.00
Find tickets: here

Part fantasy, part reality, with huge dollops of whimsy, Beauty and The Beast: My Life transports audiences into a vibrant realm that references Disney and Cocteau but charts its own unique narrative path through Niall’s experiences and multi-faceted art practice.
Niall McNeil identifies as a practicing multidisciplinary artist with Down Syndrome. Beauty and the Beast: My Life marks Niall’s directorial debut, in addition to creating the story and visual art in the play. Niall has assembled an incredible team of collaborators and performers who have come together to centre his unique approach to art-making
Talk about innovation. Talk about risk. Talk about reward. Talk about Niall McNeil’s Beauty and the Beast: My Life. …All theatre is collaborative, but this collaboration is particularly exciting: so many high-powered artists coming together to realize the vision of another high-powered artist who’s sharing an aspect of human experience we seldom see on the stage… I encourage you to see Beauty and the Beast: My Life. You will be lucky to encounter this artist.
Colin Thomas, Fresh Sheet

NIALL MCNEIL
PLAYWRIGHT, ACTOR, DIRECTOR, FILMMAKER
Niall McNeil is an artist living with Down Syndrome who has been involved with theatre from an early age through his lifelong association with the Caravan Farm Theatre.
Niall was an ensemble member of Vancouver’s Leaky Heaven Theatre 1999-2006, under the direction of Steven Hill. In 2010, Niall performed in A Christmas Carol as a member of the English Acting Company of the National Arts Centre, Director Peter Hinton. Niall and Marcus Youssef have co-written two Jessie Richardson Theatre Award winning plays together, Peter Panties (2011) (Leaky Heaven/Neworld Theatre) and King Arthur’s Night (2017) (Neworld Theatre). In 2018, Niall was awarded a Certificate of Honor from Studio 58 acting school in Vancouver.​​
Niall acted in Director Marie Clements’ 2012 short film, Pilgrims (TIFF 2012). In 2022, Niall partnered with Marie again as creative collaborator and subject of her NFB documentary Lay Down Your Heart (VIFF 2022). Niall directed his first documentary film The Originals, about the founding members of the Caravan Stage Company and Farm Theatre, which premiered at the 2024 DOXA Film Festival.

Dates and Times
01 April 2027 | 19:30
02 April 2027 | 19:30
03 April 2027 | 14:00
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