The Cheshire Unicorn is a theatre production company based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded by playwright Melissa Major in 2002, the company produces experimental theatre by Canadian artists. In addition to Melissa Major who writes, directs, and performs for the company, founding members include performers Emily Andrews and Justin Bott, producers Timna Bellari and Veronica Campbell, designers Scott Penner and Emily C. Porter, musicians Jamie Drake, Eric Patterson, Lily Ling and Jordann Zaza, and playwright Laura Burns. While the company primarily produces full-scale plays and musicals, it produced three cabarets in 2008, and curated two art shows in 2007.
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Artistic Director
Playwright Melissa Major has worked on over sixty-five productions during the last decade. Though based primarily in Toronto, Ms. Major’s plays have been produced in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. She is also the Ontario Representative for the Playwrights Guild of Canada and sits on the board of the Canadian Drama Foundation. Melissa Major holds bachelor degrees in Theatre and Psychology from York University, and an MFA in playwrighting from the University of Guelph. Awards for her work include the York University President's Prize for Playwriting in 2004 (Art is a Cupboard), 2006 (Unicorn Horns) and 2007 (Kicking and Smiling). Art is a Cupboard was also a finalist for the Hidden River Arts Playwriting Award, and a semi-finalist for Reverie Productions' Next Generation Playwriting Contest in New York (2006). Her children’s play, Wanda T. Grimsby, Detective Extraordinaire won the 2006 Summer Shorts Festival Playwriting Competition in Williston, North Dakota.