I'm attracted to stories of the working class, the downtrodden, the underdog. I like writing about the ugliness of the world and finding beauty in it.
Beau Dixon, Saskatchewan Writers Guild Interview
Feature Productions
Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story
2015 Dora Mavor Moore Award Best New Play
Beneath Springhill chronicles the life of Maurice Ruddick, an African Canadian who survived the historic mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia in 1958. Ruddick, an African Canadian, was awarded “Citizen of the Year” for saving the lives of his fellow workers. Created and performed by Beau Dixon, with lyrics and music by Rob Fortin and Susan Newman, this one-man show recalls the events of seven miners trapped one mile beneath a small mining town, the effect it had on their rural Canadian community, and the racial tension that surfaced as a result. Originally a live theatre production, in 2020, with support from the Canadian Council for the Arts, Beneath Springhill was filmed for digital release. In 2021, the print version was published by Scirocco Drama Books.
Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story tells the gripping Canadian story of heroism. I thought it was wonderfully done, but if I do have a quibble, it’s that there should have been a packet of Kleenex on every chair for the emotional bits.
Lynn Slotkin, The Slotkin Letter
Created by Beau Dixon
Music and Lyrics by Rob Fortin and Susan Newman
Originally Directed and Developed by Linda Kash
Bloom: A Rock 'n' Roll Fable
Bloom tells the story of two young men from the farming community of Assumption, Ontario (a “blink and you’ll miss it” community between Peterborough and Keene) who grew up together with rock 'n' roll dreams of forming their own band and leaving the Kawarthas far behind. In 1959, the two best friends join forces with pals Huff, Happy, and Tilson to form The Spruce Street Ramblers.
Armed with their original song “Flower Man,” The Spruce Street Ramblers quickly rise to the top of the charts. But as their fame continues to soar, it soon becomes clear that the star of the group is Tess. As the band becomes famous throughout Canada, cracks begin to form within the group, threatening to turn their musical dreams into a rock 'n' roll nightmare.
Beyond the wonderful music, Bloom is just good storytelling, filled with the joy and pain needed for creating art and music, and the triumph and tragedy necessary to create rock ‘n’ roll legends. It could only have been written by a musical insider like Beau Dixon. Sam Tweedle, Kawartha Now
Written by Beau Dixon
Music and Lyrics by Beau Dixon and Dave Tough
Originally Directed by Kim Blackwell
Airborne
Airborne is a musical play about Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) who was the first African American aviator—and female—to receive her international pilot’s license from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in 1921. Bessie astonished audiences with her daring aeronautical tricks and is known as a pioneer of flight who paved the way for future pilots. Airborne is a play about perseverance, passion and the importance of the imagination.
Written by Michele Coleman and Beau Dixon
Music and Lyrics by Rob Fortin and Susan Newman
Originally Directed by Audrey Dwyer
Other Productions
Other People’s Heaven | Written and Directed by Beau Dixon
Freedom Bells | Written and Directed by Beau Dixon and Phil Oakley
Once a Flame | Written by Beau Dixon, Directed by Gordon Gresko
From Here to Africville | Written by Beau Dixon, Directed by Gordon Gresko
The Lunch Club | Written and Directed by Beau Dixon and Phil Oakley
The Bitch Sessions | Written and Directed by Beau Dixon