BRENDA GORLICK BIO
DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER/
PERFORMER/EDUCATOR
My life in the arts has unfolded over fifty vibrant years—beginning in Winnipeg, stretching across Manitoba, throughout Canada and beyond our borders. I’ve had the privilege of working in nearly every corner of the performing arts world. As a director, choreographer, performer, and educator, I’ve collaborated with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Stratford Festival, the Banff Centre for Fine Arts and countless other artistic homes that have shaped my creative journey.
Throughout my career, I’ve been honoured with several awards, including RWB’s Honour Roll, Winnipeg Arts Council’s Career Achievement in the Arts Award, the YMCA/YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Arts and Culture, Rainbow Stage’s Wall of Fame, and the Evie Honorary Award for Theatre Educator.
For more than twenty years, I served as the head of Musical Theatre at the RWB, where I built a training program that helped propel young performers to Broadway and international stages. In 2004, I founded StudioWorks Academy—the training arm of Winnipeg Studio Theatre—offering advanced triple-threat programs to emerging artists of all ages. Many of these students are now working professionals, both onstage and behind the scenes.
In 2024, my most recent passion project—AIM 4 ALL- All-Inclusive Musicals—was born. As the first program of its kind in Manitoba, AIM 4 ALL champions diversity, inclusiveness, and accessibility, offering musical theatre training and performance opportunities for emerging artists of all abilities.
Education has always been at the heart of my work. A proud graduate of the University of Winnipeg, I was invited in 2003 to design and lead the Dance for Musical Theatre program for their Department of Theatre and Film—a program I guided for twenty years and which continues to thrive. I’ve also taught in the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music and have been an active member of Manitoba Arts Council’s Artists in the Schools program since the 1990s, bringing dance and musical theatre to communities across the province. Many of these communities had limited exposure to the arts. Leaving a positive imprint has been one of my greatest joys.
Among my most meaningful achievements is the creation of the All Abilities Dancers in partnership with Manitoba Possible, which later became the foundation for AIM 4 ALL. This program has grown from an adults-only troupe into a multigenerational ensemble of preschoolers, youth, teens, and adults—performing at events such as SMD Foundation Galas, the 2017 Canada Games, International Disabilities Day, and Dance Manitoba Showcases.
In 2023, I became Manitoba’s first accredited instructor for the internationally recognized Dancing with Parkinson’s program. Through my ongoing work with U-Turn Parkinson’s, I continue to explore how dance can uplift and empower those living with the disease. I am deeply rooted in the Manitoba performing arts community and have collaborated with nearly every major organization at some point—as producer, director, choreographer, performer—including Manitoba Opera (most recently as choreographer for Carmen in 2024), the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Rainbow Stage, Cercle Molière, and numerous regional and independent companies.
My large-scale commercial credits include the 1999 Pan Am Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the 1997 and 2017 Canada Games, the 2018 Arctic Winter Games Gala in the Northwest Territories, Culture Days Manitoba Flash Mobs, the 2015 Grey Cup Gala, the Forks celebration for Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Visit, the Negev Gala, and the 2023 World Police & Fire Games.
I’ve directed and choreographed more than 250 theatre productions. Highlights include Hamlet starring Keanu Reeves at Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Altar Boyz (WST/PTE), the world premiere of Strike! The Musical (Danny Schur Productions), and Urinetown (Dry Cold/ Persephone Theatre). As a performer, I’ve appeared in Mary Poppins and The Wizard of Oz (Rainbow Stage), Follies (Dry Cold), and Evita (RMTC), among many others.
On screen, I’ve been fortunate to work with legends such as Shirley MacLaine, Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere, and Brad Pitt. I’ve played principal roles opposite Shae Robins, Danica McKellar, Michael Ironside, and Taylor Cole in several Hallmark films. My choreography appears in Seance, Time Cut, and the upcoming feature November: 1963. I’ve also starred in or choreographed numerous indie projects, including the award-winning If It Ain’t Got That, The Catcher, and These Four Walls.
Mentorship continues to be a guiding force in my work. I participated in Creative Manitoba’s inaugural youth mentorship program and remain an active mentor today. I served as Manitoba’s representative for the Dancer Transition Resource Centre for more than fifteen years and now sit on its Board of Directors. I am a founding member of the Winnipeg Theatre Awards (The Evies) and have contributed to regional committees for both CAEA and ACTRA Manitoba.
My career has been full, rich, and deeply connected to the people and communities who make the arts thrive. And after fifty years, my passion for creating, collaborating, and championing artists of every ability is stronger than ever.