Susan Benson, C.M.

Susan Benson, a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award, initially trained as a painter in the UK. In 1966, she emigrated to Canada where she has resided and worked for the past 60 years. From 1974, Susan was associated with Stratford Festival, where she designed for Robin Phillips and served as Head of Design for John Hirsch. She created sets and costumes for numerous memorable productions, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Maggie Smith. Her design for Stratford Festival’s production of The Mikado toured across Canada, the US, to the Old Vic Theatre in London, England and was filmed by CBC Television.

Susan’s designs have been showcased throughout Canada and internationally, collaborating with renowned companies such as the Canadian Opera Company, where her designs included Madama Butterfly and The Golden Ass. Her work has also been featured with Opera Australia, San Francisco Opera, Finnish National Ballet, National Ballet of China, Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and Birmingham Repertory Theatre in the UK.

Currently, Susan resides with her husband, Michael Whitfield, on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, where she continues to pursue her passion for painting.