Gillian Barber Recognized with Longtime Contributor Award
When Gillian Barber, longtime CapU Theatre faculty member, was four years old, she attended a rehearsal of The King and I. Her mother and sister were already cast in the show, but when she ended up playing a small part, “I was hooked!” she says. “There really was no other choice for me. I never looked back.”
Since then, she has become an accomplished actress with decades of experience in theatre, film and television. She has acted on stages across Canada, from the Arts Club in Vancouver to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. She has appeared on screen in several iconic shows, including The X-Files, and more recently, The Last of Us.
L-R: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and Gillian Barber in The X-Files, 1993.
Perhaps most special to us here, though, is Gillian’s work as a teacher. It is for this work that Gillian was recognized with the Ovation! Award for Longtime Contribution at this year’s Ovation! Awards in Vancouver.
This award is presented annually by APPLAUSE! Musicals Society to “recognize individuals whose 30+ years of dedication have had a lasting impact on the musical theatre community in the Lower Mainland.”
Gillian has been teaching at CapU since 2001. She has taught countless classes, directed numerous shows and through it all, nurtured and mentored new generations of actors and musical theatre performers.
When presenting the award, Scott Ashton Swan of APPLAUSE! Musicals Society explained, “Education has always been at the heart of this artist’s work.”
Gillian leading rehearsals for Alice by Heart, which she directed at CapU Theatre in 2025.
“Gillian has a way of making everyone feel comfortable and excited to try new things,” explains former Musical Theatre student Ava Stark.
Since graduating in 2024, Ava has gone on to (among other things) play Elsa at Shanghai Disney, and will be starring as Sandy in CTORA’s upcoming production of Grease this May (along with fellow CapU Theatre alumni Manuela Palmieri, Katrina Teitz, Brett Williams, Maria Marshall, and Owen Connolly).
While a student at CapU, Gillian helped Ava and her classmates excel in the demanding art of musical theatre.
“She made me feel like I could do anything I set my mind to, and that’s what makes her an incredible instructor.”
Alice by Heart, which Gillian directed at CapU in 2025.
A remarkable part of Gillian’s legacy here at CapU has been helping to found our performance programs: Musical Theatre and Acting for Stage & Screen.
The inspiration for the Musical Theatre program came in part from what Gillian had noticed in the community.
“I had directed a few musicals,” she says, “and had noticed there were not many fully trained artists – not many triple threats.”
Capilano University launched the Musical Theatre Diploma program in 2004 in order to provide the kind of training that was not available in Western Canada at the time. It remains one of the few musical theatre training programs in Canada.
The Acting for Stage & Screen program launched the following year.
“In many ways, Gillian is the heart of the department.”
Gillian continues to teach at CapU Theatre. She directs (mainstage and studio shows), and teaches acting, musical theatre and what we call the “Actor’s Business,” or classes on how to do taxes and other practical skills needed to be a self-employed artist.
She has also helped to build the faculty of the department—which included bringing on Dr. Nicholas Harrison to teach acting and improvisation.
“Gillian has an incredible depth of knowledge,” Dr. Nick explains, “but what sets her apart is the way she guides students. Many of them grow not just in skill, but in confidence under her watch."
“In many ways, she’s the heart of the department.”
Gillian with members of the Musical Theatre class of 2025: Breno Silveira, Hanna Mack, Madi Raybould, Harrison Fillion, Jessica O’Brien-Visbisky, Ryver Santos Cegnar & Elizabeth Maller. (Photo courtesy of Madi Raybould)
More than twenty years after she started teaching at CapU Theatre, Gillian continues to be inspired by young artists.
"It’s such a joy to have a classroom full of people who want the same career that I’ve enjoyed for so long,” she says.
It’s certain that she, in turn, inspires her students, whom she calls, “my future colleagues.”
“She believes in her students,” Ava Stark says, “and that teaches them to believe in themselves.”
Written by Michelle Deines. Thank you to Gillian Barber, Ava Stark, Nick Harrison, Madi Raybould and Scott Ashton Swan.