TROY HOURIE
INSTALLATION ARTIST | SCENOGRAPHER
Active memberships with CARFAC, Associated Designers of Canada and United Scenic Arts IATSE Local 829.
Troy Hourie is a performance designer and inter-arts installation artist.
He was a NYC based performance designer for almost fifteen years, during which he designed over 350 productions of plays, musicals and operas. He has moved back to Canada and is based in Toronto. He is a dual Canadian/American citizen and works in both countries. He is a Métis artist.
His opera and theatre credits include The Glimmerglass Festival, The New Victory, New York Theatre Workshop, Cherry Lane Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Classical Theatre of Harlem, The Guthrie, Bay Street Theatre, Williamstown, Huntington Theatre, Jupiter Maltz Theatre, Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Austin Lyric Opera and Virginia Opera.
His visual art practice revolves around the themes of wonder, spectatorship, immersion and intermediality.
He is interested in exploring the relationship of an audience to performative work and the creation of visceral experiences through performance-based art and installation work in theatre, architecture and the visual arts.
Troy completed several artist residencies; Two residencies (2014,2016) at ARTErra Residências Rurais Artísticas in Portugal and Arteles Creative Centre in Finland. Installation works include; Apparitions | The Bed, Escape to Beira, Casa da Maravilha, and Apparitions | The Attic. In 2015, he was commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival to produce a media landscape installation called Enchanted Space | The Wisdom Tree. In 2016, Troy was commissioned to create Espreitar Tondela, three public artworks called Tranquilidate, Entre lacos and Perplexidade for ARTErra and the town of Tondela, Portgual. In 2017, Troy was engaged as a visual artist to collaborate on Static Apnea | A performative art installation with Chris McElroen at the dEEP ANATOMY Festival, Auckland, New Zealand.
Awards include: 2020 AUDELCO Award Nomination, 2015 International Opera Award Nomination, 2013 Helen Hayes Award Nomination, 2012 Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination, 2007 Henry Hewes Nomination, 2005 Audelco Award and six nominations, 2003 Drama Desk Nomination and a 2005 Ford Foundation Artist Grant. Troy’s performance design work has represented Canada in the Prague Quadrennial 2015 and the United States in the PQ 1997 and 2011.
Education:
Master of Arts, Scenography, Royal Central School for Speech and Drama, University of London, 2012.
Master of Fine Arts, Scenic Design, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1997.
Bachelor of Interior Design, University of Manitoba, Faculty of Architecture, 1991.
Troy is currently faculty at the University of Guelph in the College of Arts, School of English and Theatre Studies.
Artist Grants:
Ontario Arts Council
Interarts Project Creation Grant for "Odditorio", 2018
Exhibition Assistance Grant for "Apparitions", 2018
Artist in Communities Grant for "Apparitions", 2018
Canada Council for the Arts
Artist Travel Grant for "Espreitar Tondela". 2016
Recent:
Nanatasis | Opéra en trois Légendes
Musique 3 Femmes @
Festival international de Casteliers, Montreal
A new Abenaki puppetry opera by Nicole O'Bomsawin and Alejandra Odgers
Direction and Scenography and Puppetry design by Troy Hourie.
March, 2025
Highlight:
Commissioned Artwork, Codex Cornelius, part of
2050, entre intelligence artificielle et bêtise humaine
International tour for Le Tortue Noire
We posed the same question to 10 creators from diverse backgrounds: How do you envision the world in 25 years? How will we engage with nature and technology? We then invited them to encapsulate these futuristic visions within small mystery boxes. In the public space, 6 enigmatic boxes play a secret tale on loop. 6 parallel worlds await—each ready to entice your imagination and dazzle your senses.
Festín de los Muñecos, Festival Internacional de Títeres de Guadalajara Oct 20-Nov 2, 2025
Mondial Festival of Puppet Theater in Charleville-Mézières Sept 15-Oct 7, 2025
Wellington Promenade Verdun France Aug 23-25, 2025
Festival international des arts de la marionnette à Saguenay, July 25-28 2025
Recent:
Pure Native by Vickie Ramirez
Geva Theatre, Rochester NY
Performance design for new Haudenosaunee play with an all Native Cast and Artistic Team. Commissioned several artworks to from Native artists to imbed in art installation onstage.
Set Design by Troy Hourie.
Director: Randy Reinholz
April-May, 2025
Recent:
Antikoni by Beth Piatote
Native Voices at the Autry, Los Angeles, CA
Retelling of the Antigone story reflecting on the dynamics of a Nez Perce family as artififacts and remains of their culture are reclaimed in a museum setting.
Set Design by Troy Hourie.
Direction: Madeline Sayet
October 2024
Highlight:
Odditorio | Experimentation with media based shadow puppetry
Improv Festival 2020, Guelph, International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation
Adaption of Freaks in a hybrid form of shadow puppetry using a Kodachrome Eight Model 70 film project, a live feed camera and video mapping with a software called Millumin.
Created by Troy Hourie.
Aug 7, 2020, 24 hour event
Highlight:
Odditorio | A performative installation - Work in progress
Ei! Marionetas - Encontro Internacional de Marionetas de Gondomar
in Gondomar, Porto, Portugal July 6-13 2019
http://www.ei.marionetasmandragora.pt/1925
Continued development and presentation of an interactive art installation inspired by the penny dreadful story, String of Pearls (Sweeney Todd)
that merges installation, puppetry, media and performance art practices.
Troy Hourie Installation Artist | Creator
enVide neFelibata Oddity Doll | Puppet artisan
Jerimiah Owens Composer | Sound Artist
Andrew Gaboury Clown | Movement Specialist
Constantinos Soutos Media Technician
Supported by Ontario Arts Council Interarts creation grant for recent workshop at Art Gallery of Guelph
Highlight:
The Fall of the House of Usher -
Mannes School of Music, NYC
Engaged as a visual artist to create a projected landscape and installation for Phillip Glass' experimental opera. Direction and digital scenography by Troy Hourie.
Feb 1 to 3, 2018
Highlight:
Espreitar Tondela -
ARTErra, Tondela Portugal
In the fall of 2016, Troy was commissioned by ARTErra and the town of Tondela to create several public inter-arts installations during at 10 week artist residency.
Nov 10 to November 28, 2016
Tranquilidade and Entre lacos are both permanent installations in public green spaces and Perplexidade has been placed in the permanent art collection of the Museu Terra de Besteiros.