Berni Stapleton

Berni Stapleton is a Newfoundland- Labrador actor and playwright of unique distinction. She works to explore the inner lives of Newfoundlanders who find the extraordinary within the ordinary. She is a regular with Rising Tide’s Revue. She is a recent recipient of the Ambassador of Tourism award from Hospitality NL. She is a past recipient of the WANL award for best work in non-fiction for her book They Let Down Baskets. Her plays are produced across the province and she is as well known for her work as a comedienne as she is for her celebrated dramas. Her plays include The Widow’s Walk, The Double Axe Murders and The Pope and Princess Di. She works with play development and producing companies from across the country. She is a regular contributor to The Newfoundland Quarterly and has also been published in several anthologies and literary magazines. Berni works with the Arts Smarts initiative in our province, developing theatre for young people. She is committed to the creation of plays which illuminate the culture and heritage that is unique to Newfoundland and Labrador, and to presenting these living stories to a worldwide visiting audience. She is Artistic Director of the Grand Bank Regional Theatre Festival.