Berni Stapleton Explained

Berni Stapleton is a Canadian writer residing in Newfoundland. Along with writing, Stapleton is also a performer and playwright. Her debut book, They Let Down Baskets, won the 1999 Newfoundland Book Award for Best Non-Fiction.

Life

Stapleton was born in North West River and raised in Marystown. She was a playwright-in-residence with the Playwright's Workshop Montreal, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, PARC, as well as other national companies. She was also the Artistic Director of the Grand Bank Regional Theatre for eleven years. She has a production company called In Conjunction.^[1] In 2019, Stapleton was named Memorial University's writer-in-residence. She has also received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to write Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands.

Her roles as an actress have included the films Violet, The Bingo Robbers and Behind the Red Door.

Works

Books

• They Let Down Baskets (1998)^[2]
• This is the Cat (2015)^{[3] [4]}
• Rants, Riffs, and Roars (2009)^[5]
• Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands (to be released)^[6]

Plays and Musicals

• No Change in the Weather^[7]
• The Pope and Princess Di^[8]
• Woman in a Monkey Cage
• Offensive to Some^[9]
• Our Frances^{[10] [11]}
• Dolly^[12]
• Late Lesbians and Other Bloomers
• Mill Girls

Awards

• 1999 Newfoundland Book Award for They Let Down the Baskets^[13]
• 2018 Arts and Letters Award for Best Dramatic Script for Dolly
• Rhonda Payne Award from Arts NL^{[14] [15]}
• Ambassador of Tourism Award from Hospitality NL^[16]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Berni Stapleton. 2020-09-03. Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council.
2. Web site: Peters. Helen. View of They Let Down Baskets, text Berni Stapleton, photographs Jamie Lewis, and CD Chris Brookes. Newfoundland and Labrador Studies. 2020-09-03.
3. Web site: Cull. Kerri. 2015-09-01. Shakespeare, Cats, and Mummies: This is Berni Stapleton. 2020-09-03. The Overcast. en-US.
4. Web site: This is the Cat. 2020-09-03. Breakwater Books. en-US.
5. Web site: 2019-10-09. Berni Stapleton is Paving Her Own Path. 2020-09-03. The Independent. en-US.
6. Web site: PARC Playwright Profile - Berni Stapleton. 2020-09-03. Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre.
7. Web site: 2019-06-25. It's a Newfoundland wake, Broadway-style, in new musical No Change in the Weather. 2020-09-03. CBC News.
8. Web site: Between Breaths - Berni Stapleton. 2020-09-03. National Arts Centre. en-CA.
9. Web site: RCA Presents Offensive to Some by Berni Stapleton. 2020-09-03. Resource Centre for the Arts. en-CA.
10. Web site: Our Frances. 2020-09-03. Theatre Newfoundland. en-US.
11. Web site: OUR FRANCES by Berni Stapleton and Theatre Newfoundland Labrador. 2020-09-03. The Rainhall Centre. en-GB.
12. Web site: Harron. Janet. 2019-09-09. Celebrated playwright - Bernie Stapleton announced as writer-in-residence 2019-20. 2020-09-03. Gazette - Memorial University of Newfoundland. en-CA.
13. Web site: Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards - Past Recipients. 2020-09-03. Atlantic Book Awards.
14. Web site: NLAC - News - July 2, 2015 - Berni Stapleton wins 2014 Rhonda Payne Theatre Award. 2020-09-03. Arts NL.
15. Web site: 2015-06-30. New book and award for Berni Stapleton. 2020-09-03. The Telegram.
16. Web site: Berni Stapleton. 2020-09-03. Breakwater Books. en-US.