Jackie Torrens is a Canadian actress, writer and filmmaker based in Halifax, Nova Scotia."Jackie Torrens". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, December 26, 2015. She was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
Acting She began her career as an actress, most notably being cast as the frumpy but shrewd office manager Wanda Mattice in the television series Made in Canada in 1998.Alex Strachan, "Mercer's Made in Canada is satire for a slow night". Vancouver Sun, October 16, 2000. Along with the rest of the show's core ensemble, she is a three-time Gemini Award winner for Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series, winning at the 16th Gemini Awards in 2001,John McKay, "Da Vinci's Inquest and Nuremberg big winners after three-night Gemini fest". Canadian Press, October 29, 2001. the 17th Gemini Awards in 2002,Marla Cranston, "Gemini dream: Local TV productions win bushel of awards". Halifax Daily News, November 5, 2002. and the 19th Gemini Awards in 2004.J. Kelly Nestruck, "Hard drama, hosers at Geminis". Montreal Gazette, December 14, 2004. They were also nominated, but did not win, at the 18th Gemini Awards in 2003,"The Academy announces the 18th Annual Gemini Award nominees". Canada NewsWire, September 9, 2003. and Torrens was individually a Canadian Comedy Award nominee for Best Performance by a Female, Television at the 3rd Canadian Comedy Awards in 2002.Marla Cranston, "Made in Canada dominates Canadian Comedy Awards". Halifax Daily News, March 19, 2002.
In 2013, she was cast as social worker Drucie Mackay in the television series Sex & Violence, for which she was nominated for Best Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role at the 3rd Canadian Screen Awards in 2015."Canadian Screen Awards ’15: Performance categories". Playback, January 13, 2015.
She has also won an award from the Nova Scotia chapter of the ACTRA Awards for her performance in the film Across the Line, and was nominated for both Sex & Violence and the film Heartbeat.
Writing Her stage plays have included Live! Nude! Animal!,"Live! Nude! Animal! at Waterfront festival". Halifax Daily News, April 23, 1999. Five Fables,Skana Gee, "Jackie's first: Poet, actor, Jackie Torrens writes a full-length mainstage production -- and she's not in it". Halifax Daily News, February 5, 2002. Strange Antiques,Marilyn Smulders, "How purple is my prose? Halifax playwright Jackie Torrens overcame creative block to produce a witty monologue about life as a Harlequin novelist". Halifax Daily News, March 9, 1996. That Is My HeartShawn Ohler, "Tales From The Glockenspiel; That Is My Heart". Edmonton Journal, August 20, 1996. and Georama.Jerry West, "It's funny if it's not you: Shot down in front of a live audience". Halifax Daily News, May 8, 2003.
She has received several Robert Merritt Award nominations both as a playwright and as a stage actress.
Filmmaking In 2014, she released the documentary film Edge of East.Stephen Cooke, "Torrens looks at life on the edge". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, June 21, 2014. With Jessica Brown, she is a partner in Peep Media, and has also released the documentary films My Week on Welfare,Elissa Bernard, "Walk a mile in these shoes; Documentary looks at people in need and finds the system 'punitive and patronizing'". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, August 28, 2015. Small Town Show Biz: 2 Dreams from a Harbourtown, Radical Age and Bernie Langille Wants to Know What Happened to Bernie Langille.Courtney Small, "Bernie Langille Wants to Know What Happened to Bernie Langille Review: A stranger than fiction mystery". Point of View, April 30, 2022.
Bernie Langille won the award for Best Atlantic Documentary at the 2022 FIN Atlantic Film Festival.Stephen Cooke, "Queens of the Qing Dynasty, Bernie Langille among Atlantic International Film Festival award winners". SaltWire Network, September 22, 2022.
Filmography
Film Marion Bridge (2002) The Wild Dogs (2002) Heartbeat (2014) Across the Line (2015)
Television Made in Canada (1998–2003) Sex & Violence (2013–2017)
References
External links