Liza est une artiste de théâtre multidisciplinaire basée en Ontario, lauréate d'un prix Dora, qui travaille comme metteur en scène, actrice, écrivaine, librettiste, éducatrice et coach. Elle a d'abord suivi une formation de danseuse à Montréal et à Toronto, puis d'actrice à New York, où elle a passé les huit premières années d'une carrière qui s'étend maintenant sur près de quatre décennies. Depuis 2001, ses réalisations indépendantes incluent le théâtre et l'opéra, des créations in situ, du théâtre musical, des pièces de théâtre comportant des textes classiques, contemporains et verbatim, ainsi que des productions avec de jeunes artistes et étudiants de niveau universitaire.

As an Artist in Residence with The Theatre Centre, she developed her documentary project about policing, memory, law etwitnessing entitledOut The Window. In 2012, Liza directed its workshop production at The Theatre Centre with a cast including actors RH Thomson, David Ferry etJulie Tepperman.Out The Window was produced at Toronto’s International Luminato Festival in June 2018, directed by Sarah Garton Stanley.

Liza’s directing credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Canadian Stage’s Shakespeare in High Park), Every Brilliant Thing starring Rebecca Northan (GretTheatre London), the Canadian Premiere of composer LouisAndriessen’sAnais Nin at Koerner Hall in Toronto, starring mezzo-soprano Wallis Guinta, the first fully staged production of the new Canadian Opera Lletovery Castle at Opera Laurier, Mark Crawford’s hit Stag etDoe, (Lighthouse Festival Theatre), Dean Burry’s The Brothers Grimm ( Ensemble/Canadian Opera Company), Xavier Montsalvatge’s El Gato con Botas etLucio Berio’sFolk Songs (Royal Conservatory of Music/Glenn Gould School )etBicycle Opera Project’s 2014et2015 summer toursetperformances at Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall/RCM 21C Festivaletthe 2016 Curiosity Festival in Toronto. She was directoretdramaturg for Izad Etemadi’s hit solo showLove with Leila. (Soulo Fest. NYC/ Cross Canada Fringe). Liza also directed the Canadian premiere of composer Stephen Taylor etwriter Marcia Johnson’sParadises Lost (Summerworks ’13), Le Nozze di Figaro et L’Elisir D’Amore in Sulmona Italy (C.O.S.I.), etthe site-specific, Toronto Fringe hit pub operaOpera on the Rocks. Liza directed two seasons of Tapestry’s Opera Briefs etalso participated as a librettist in Tapestry’s LIBLAB 2012.

In March 2020 Liza was scheduled to direct the premier of Susanna Fournier’s Ghosts of My House for Canadian Stage, cancelled due to Covid-19. Liza has also been an assistant director on productions at the Shaw etStratford Festivals, The National Arts CentreetSoulpepper Theatre Company.

Liza’s work as an actor et/or dancer has included productions at the National Arts Centre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Theatre Rusticle, Belfry Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, PTE, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Persephone Theatre, Blyth Festival, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Elgin/Winter Garden, ThousetIslets Playhouse, The Theatre Centre, The Kennedy Centre, Wash. DCetTheatre for the New City (NYC). She received a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her work in Theresa Tova’sStill The Night etwas nominated for Calgary’s Betty Mitchell award during the show’s cross-Canada tour. Recent FilmetTV: Atom Egoyan’s feature film,Remember, US miniseries After Camelot, Murdoch Mysteries, etthe web seriesRising Suns.
Her work as a librettist includes the song cycle Looking at Spring, created through a commission by Opera Philadelphia, composed by Lembit Beecher etproduced by Scrag Mountain Music in Vermont in June 2014. With composer Glenn James she createdDustings for Canadian Stage’s Festival of Ideas etCreations. A short work she wrote with composer Ivan Barbotin,(What Rhymes with) Azimuth, was included in Bicycle Opera’s 2014 tour. She is presently developing a new work with Lembit Beecher. One of its songs, “I missed the beginning,” was recently performed in NYC as part of the Five Boroughs Songbook Festival. Liza is also collaborating with composer Brian Current on a new opera to be produced at Koerner Hall/Royal Conservatory of Music in 2021.

Elle a été instructrice de mouvement au Conservatoire de Birmingham au Festival de Stratford et a été artiste/instructrice invitée et directrice à l'Université de Windsor, au Humber College, au Royal Conservatory of Music/Glenn Gould School, à l'Université Wilfred Laurier, à la Ryerson Theatre School, Collège canadien des arts du spectacle (CCPA), St. Clair College, Armstrong Acting Studios et Retolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Liza a obtenu sa maîtrise en beaux-arts dans le cadre du programme d'études supérieures en réalisation de l'Université York/Canadian Stage.