Rachel Forbes

Rachel Forbes is an award-winning set and costume designer creating for theatre, dance and film. Her work has been seen across the country at the Shaw Festival, Buddies in Bad Times, Obsidian Theatre, Neptune Theatre, YPT, Centaur Theatre and many more. She has designed, mentored and taught at Ryerson University and is currently serving on the board of directors of the Associated Designers of Canada. Rachel received a Dora Mavor Moore award for her costume design for The Brothers Size (Soulpepper 2019) and a Merrit Award for her set design for The Bridge (2B/Neptune 2019).  

She is particularly interested in the development of new works through experimentation and exploration as well as interdisciplinary projects, especially those at the intersection of the visual arts and installation world with that of theatre and live performance. Rachel has been experimenting with designer-led performance projects and is keen to integrate design into the creation process.  

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Theatre credits include Set and Costume Design for Home for the Holidays (Grand Theatre); Serving Elizabeth (Western Canada Theatre); A Million Billion Pieces, Risky Phil (Young People’s Theatre); Victory, 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt (Shaw Festival); The Bridge (Neptune Theatre/2b Theatre); Choir Boy (Centaur Theatre). Costume Design for White Girls in Moccasins (Manidoons/Buddies in Bad Times); Toka (LemonTree/TPM); The Mountaintop (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); A Streetcar Named Desire, The Brothers Size (Soulpepper); Fences (Grand Theatre). Set Design for Trouble in Mind (Shaw Festival); School Girls (Obsidian Theatre); In The Abyss (Political Movement).

Film/TV credits include: 1851 Spirit & Voice (Myseum/Soulpepper); New Monuments (Canadian Stage/Luminato); 21 Black Futures (Obsidian Theatre/ CBC); A Revolution of Love (Toronto History Museums/Awakenings); Body So Fluorescent (Madonnanera/lnside Out). Rachel received a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her costume design on The Brothers Size and a Merritt Award for her set design on The Bridge.