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The DAN School of Drama and Music recently welcomed Kevin Wong as the 2026 Visiting Artist-in-Residence. He is a composer-lyricist, singer/musician, and dramaturg and is the only three-time winner of the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Dan School of Drama & Music Award for New Musical.

The Vice-Principal Research Visiting Artist-in-Residence enhances research creation through exchange between faculty at Queen’s University and the broader arts community. The program is in its third year, and in 2024, the Faculty of Arts and Science welcomed Rita McKeough (Art History and Art Conservation / Film and Media) and Stephanie Graham (DAN School).

Kevin Wong joined Patricia O'Callaghan's class to work with her students.

During his time at the university, Wong worked with students in a variety of degree plans in the DAN School and visited various classes offering his expertise in several areas in music theatre creation and performance. Hosted by Julia Brook, Director and Associate Professor, DAN School, he worked with Professors Dean Burry, Patricia O’Callaghan, Colleen Renihan, and Darrell Christie.

“This residency came about because I was originally invited to speak at Queen’s in the summer of 2022 as part of the Watershed Festival on the creation of one of my new music theatre pieces” Kevin says. “I had worked with Dean and Colleen through that project. I’ve done work with students at other colleges including St. Lawrence College and Sheridan, so Colleen had the idea to bring me to Queen’s.”

Dr. Colleen Renihan, Chair of Undergraduate Studies at the DAN School, helped imagine and plan Kevin’s residency.

“Kevin brings unique hands-on experience in the professional creation of new music theatre, a field in which he is not only a Canadian leader, but also an international one. Music theatre creation is really the art of collaboration—bringing together multiple art forms to create stories. In addition to learning the nuts-and-bolts of how these creative processes work, students practice invaluable skills such as collaboration, compromise, and ethical citizenship. Kevin expertly models the elements of this process in his approach to the work.”

Kevin teaches part-time at Sheridan College and does a lot of workshopping at other performing arts colleges with students. “You get into a bit of a rhythm with how to work with young performers as they continue to grow so between those two things I’ve gotten very used to working with students. I've never done a guest residency, though, which is quite enjoyable.”

He says the talent level in the programs at Queen’s is very strong and he’s happy to have had the opportunity to work with students in different programs. “I’ve met composition students, some of whom are in other programs, who are taking the class because they love it so much. This is a very strong year.”

“There is something very pure about the hands-on nature of applying your theory in an educational environment. Some of the students are here to be performers. Some have decided that, although they are in a performance program, they want to do something like dramaturgy, or help writers shape their stories, or production. Some students are in Concurrent Education, and they want to teach. There is something really freeing about that because it frees you to be curious about what you want to improve on in your artistic practice.”

Katelyn Williams-McArthur is a fourth-year music student who is enjoying the opportunity to work with Kevin.

“I came to Queen’s as an artsci student because I wanted to study music and also study outside of music. I switched halfway through my first year and became a vocalist, after taking a few music courses. I’ve been doing some solo singing, choir work, and a bit of opera. I also started taking some composition lessons with Dr. Burry this year.”

When asked about Kevin, William-McArthur only has good things to say about the opportunity to work with him. “He’s a lovely human being. He's very kind and very supportive. He's given me more of an understanding of how to write for music theatre. He’s also helped me think about what I want to do career wise.”

Learn more about Kevin Wong .