Niki Landau and Paul Lampert formed Theatre PANIK in 2005. Niki produced and wrote Territories (‘SummerWorks Best Production 2005’, NOW's ‘Best Ensemble’ & ‘Best Play’, Dora Award nomination: ‘Outstanding New Play’), at SummerWorks and Theatre Passe Muraille. Theatre PANIK went on to produce My Name is Rachel Corrie in 2008 and Other People’s Children by Hannah Moscovitch, both at The Tarragon Theatre. Niki’s second play, The Corpse Bride, was part of Nightwood Theatre’s Groundswell Festival in 2007 and had a workshop production at the Young Centre in 2010, in co-production with RMTC, The Young Centre, George Brown Theatre School and The Harold Green Theatre. The Corpse Bride was produced at the Power Plant Theatre in September, 2012, as part of the Ashkenaz Festival. Her adaptation of Gone With the Wind was commissioned by RMTC and played to sold-out houses in January, 2013.
Niki has acted in theatres across the country and in the United States. Credits include the world premieres of Jason Sherman´s After the Orchard (National Arts Centre) and Reading Hebron (Factory Theatre), and the Canadian premiere of George F. Walker´s Suburban Motel Series (Factory). Other credits include Other People’s Children (Tarragon), little tongues (blood projects), House of Many Tongues (Tarragon), Problem Child (BeMe Theatre, Munich), Apple (Factory), Comedy of Errors (CanStage), Borderline and The Dershowitz Protocol (SummerWorks), The Mating Dance of the Werewolf (MTC/Rubicon Theatre), The Last Night of Ballyhoo (MTC), If We Are Women (Persephone Theatre), Kindertransport (PTE/Persephone), and The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether, which she co-wrote with Robert Ross Parker (Centaur Theatre). In 2000, Niki apprenticed with the legendary Uta Hagen, living with Ms. Hagen in Los Angeles while she acted at the Geffen Playhouse. She appears in Ms. Hagen’s acting video, Uta Hagen’s Acting Class. In 2005, Niki returned to L.A. to act in Mating Dance of the Werewolf at the Rubicon Theatre. Film and television credits include This Beautiful City, The Newsroom, Cycle II, Traders, and All-American Girl. Niki has her B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from Concordia University and her M.F.A. in Theatre from York University.
Upcoming: Unholy, by Diane Flacks (Nightwood & Buddies in Bad Times).
Paul is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (1982), Past Associate Director at Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon (1984-87). Based in Europe 1987-89, Paul worked with such varied companies as Poland's Teatr BLIK and the International Theatre in Vienna, Austria. Since returning to Canada in 1989, he worked extensively as a director, actor and teacher, including six seasons as Associate Director with the Shaw Festival where plays by Shaw, Brecht, Pirandello and Sternheim, as well as being a member of the acting ensemble. Directed for three seasons at the Blyth Festival. Other Canadian directing credits include Tarragon Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times, Persephone Theatre, Theatre Tattoo, Globe Theatre, the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Actors Repertory Company, Theatre Aquarius, the National Theatre School of Canada, University of Alberta and York University. Other European directing credits include: the national premiere of Oleanna for Stary Theatre in Kraków, Poland; Raised in Captivity in Berlin, Germany; El Booho de Omlette and Machinal for E15 Acting School in London, England; I Claudia for BeMe Theatre played in Barcelona, Munich and Shanghai. Also for BeMe Theatre, Paul directed Problem Child in Munich, Germany. In Los Angeles, he directed Beast on the Moon for the Lee Strasberg Theatre. He is a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of Theatre PANIK where he has directed Territories, Other People’s Children, The Corpse Bride, PEEP and Strangers, Babies and Switched (radio play). Paul has an extensive career as a theatre pedagogue. Internationally, he taught mask, movement theatre, improvisation and scene study to professional artists in Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, the UK and Cuba. His Canadian teaching credits include the National Theatre School of Canada, York University, University of Alberta, University of Windsor, University of Toronto, George Brown College, Sheridan College and the Saskatchewan Provincial School for the Deaf.
Paul and Niki founded Theatre PANIK in 2005