Born in Toronto, Jeff Morris studied technical theatre production and administration at Ryerson’s Theatre School. After leaving Ryerson, he became Production Stage Manager for Toronto Dance Theatre (1990 – 1995). With Toronto Dance Theatre he toured extensively, stage managing the company’s debuts in Berlin, Warsaw, Beijing, Tokyo and at the Joyce Theater, New York City. He was production stage manager for Dancers For Life (AIDS Committee of Toronto, 1991 – 1997), stage manager for Theatre Passe Muraille (Never Swim Alone, Metamorphosis of a Shadow) and for the Fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists.
Mr. Morris joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1995 and has since stage managed a wide range of the company’s unique classical and contemporary repertoire, including the world premieres of James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, Cinderella, and An Italian Straw Hat, Jean-Pierre Perreault’s The Comforts of Solitude, Matjash Mrozewksi’s Monument and Wolf’s Court, Aszure Barton’s Watch her and Jorma Elo’s Pur ti Miro, as well as works by John Cranko, William Forsythe, George Balanchine, Sir Frederick Ashton, John Neumeier and Jerome Robbins.
In addition to his work with the National Ballet, Mr. Morris continues to stage manage for artists such as Peggy Baker, Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie, Dancemakers and Canada’s National Ballet School. He has taught and mentored stage managers at The Banff Centre and is an adjunct faculty member at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, where he teaches Production Elements for Dancers.