My name is Abigail Whitney, I’m a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist: an international fashion model, a stage/film actor and director, and a young-in-craft playwright, screenwriter and theatre/film producer.
Can you talk a little bit about your creative background and artistic journey?
I studied theatre and performance in highschool and continued my studies at UofT’s Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies and abroad in London, UK at Queen Mary University of London. While in my undergrad, I signed to a modelling agency and I directed my first full-length play, titled Les Frères, which I won Best Director at the 2019 UofT Drama Coalition Awards for my work. Since then, I’ve modeled across Canada and abroad for international and national brands such as: Covergirl, Lululemon, Sephora, Sirens, Urban Planet, to name a few and have been on the cover of 5 fashion magazines and counting. I also built my directing resume for the stage. My assistant directing theatre credits include: the 2020 Dora nominated Here Are The Fragments (2019), Infinity (2020). Short films: Sensitivity, Notice, Madness with Rocks and Witness Shift from the the 2022 winner for the Canadian Screen Awards Best Web Program or Series, Fiction, 21 Black Futures;
I’m the assistant director on the internationally acclaimed production, The Book of Life. I worked on The Book of Life during our European premiere in 2022 at The Edinburgh International Festival and this year’s US premiere at the 2023 Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. I’ll be on board the team for the remainder of its 2023 U.S tour and its African premiere at The Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Kigali, Rwanda.
Post graduation I signed to my first acting agency and landed the role of Moonshadow, a superhero on Amazon’s The Boys Season 3, which was my TV debut!
Along my career, I’ve been listed as “100 Black Artists to support this Juneteenth” by New York’s Gritty Vibes Magazine, UofT’s The Varsity newspaper published a personal essay about my acclaimed career and interviewed me on the front-page of The Varsity’s November 2018 paper in the article: “UofT student, model, and director-how does Abigail Whitney do it all?” I’m named a “quadruple threat” by UofT News “UofT students who crushed it.” I’ve also been featured on CBC’s q, ByBlacks, CBC’s OurToronto, Eboss Canada and Broadway World.
What led you to filmmaking? (or other artistic practice?)
I was on the path to becoming a professional theatre director when the pandemic hit. The upcoming theatre production I was working on at that time halted and so did all theatre productions in the city. I swiftly pivoted my career directing short films and music videos. Seule, my debut short film that I independently wrote, directed and produced with the support of Paprika Festival won “Best Film” at the 2021 Short to the Point International Short Film Festival, “Best Experimental Film” Award at the 2021 Austin Micro Film Festival, is an official selection at the 2023 RED Movie Awards in Paris, France and is now streaming on CBC Gem. I wrote a short documentary film, produced and directed two music videos and I’m now writing, producing and directing my next short film.
What kind of stories do you want to tell?
I ultimately want to tell stories about how I see, navigate, experience, sense, understand, interpret, interact with the world around me and how I live.
What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger artist self?
I would tell my younger artist self to pick up different artistic forms sooner. To not exclude different artistic practices because I’m “not good” at painting or pottery or writing. But rather to still be open to “not being so good.” To still try and fail anyway because these artistic practices can teach me something about myself, can help me develop a new skill or hobby and inform the many other artistic practices I work in.
