Dan Bray (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist living in beautiful Kjipuktuk (Halifax) and has been fortunate to work with several of Nova Scotia's finest companies and theatre schools - as a playwright, director, educator, actor, dramaturg, and more. As Artistic Director of The Villains Theatre, he has written, directed, and adapted many shows including International Waters, Zomblet, Knight of the Bat, Hänsel und Gretel in: der Garten von Edible Horrors, and Observatory Mansions.
Headshot by Annie Bowers
Dan's work has been performed across the maritimes, as well as in British Columbia and Ontario. Currently, he is writing a new musical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast for Shakespeare by the Sea's upcoming summer season. Most recently, Dan's original mystery Deepwater received the national Playwrights Guild of Canada Drama Award and the Robert Merritt Award ("Outstanding New Play by a Nova Scotian"); it was also shortlisted for the international Risk Tragedy Award, named "First Runner-Up" in the inaugural Jenny Munday Atlantic Canadian Play competition, and has been programmed as part of Neptune Theatre's 2026-27 season.
Deepwater production photos by James MacLean (2024)
Dan sits on the board of the Bus Stop Theatre Cooperative and the Halifax Fringe Festival. He is the ongoing co-producer of the TNS Robert Merritt Awards, and he received his MA from the University of Toronto’s Graduate Centre for Study of Drama.
To check out Dan's complete CV, click here.
To program his work through the Playwrights Guild of Canada, click here.
More images and information on Dan’s work can be found at www.villainstheatre.com.
Merritt Award photo by James MacLean
current projects
Beauty and the Beast
Created by Dan Bray (Book) and Garry Williams (Music & Lyrics), this brand-new show makes its world premiere this summer. In this hilarious twist on classic fairy tales, Belle, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Cinderella compete for their happily ever afters… as well as likes, followers, and fame. But while the others chase clout, the “chronically offline” Belle challenges them to find happiness beyond the algorithm. A joyful, modern fable about living in the moment, breaking free from expectations, and embracing what makes you truly unique.
Deepwater heads to Neptune Theatre
October 20 - November 1, 2026
Scotiabank Studio Stage
A "surreal procedural" following RCMP Inspector Questa Bennett as she investigates a mysterious cold case involving a reclusive marine biologist whose young daughter went missing four years ago.
At its core, this 2024 Playwrights Guild of Canada Drama Award winner is a bold new work that questions the unknowable nature of life as two mothers strive to navigate a world so bizarre that it gives us creatures like the octopus - brilliant, yet deceptive - as well as the anglerfish - forsaken, yet misunderstood.
Through this raw, challenging, and hopeful story, Deepwater explores the various ways that we - like much deep-sea life - must create our own light when we feel the most lost.
