Alisa Palmer is one of Canada’s most influential theatre directors and creators, with a career spanning more than twenty-five years of groundbreaking work across theatre, music, and new play development. She is the founder and Artistic Producer of Vita Brevis Arts, a company dedicated to ambitious, large-scale theatrical creations that bring together bold storytelling and deep collaboration. 

Palmer has led the development and world premieres of numerous acclaimed works, including Fall On Your Knees (co-created with Hannah Moscovitch), Hamlet-911, Body Politic, Oh My Irma, East of Berlin, and Sibs. Her work is known for its emotional depth, musical integration, and inventive theatrical language, often realized through long-term collaborative processes that expand both form and scale. 

Her directing credits span many of Canada’s leading institutions, including the Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Canadian Stage, Soulpepper Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, and Mirvish Entertainment. She has also directed Canadian premieres of works by internationally renowned playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Sarah Ruhl, and Naomi Wallace. 

As Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre (1994–2001), Palmer played a pivotal role in developing new Canadian voices, commissioning landmark works such as Harlem Duet by Djanet Sears. She later served as Executive Artistic Director of the English Section at the National Theatre School of Canada, where she led a transformative shift toward more inclusive, accessible, and forward-looking theatre training. Her tenure saw the creation of mentorship and residency programs supporting artists from equity-owed communities and a reimagining of curriculum to reflect a broader range of voices and practices. 

A recipient of multiple Dora and Chalmers Awards, the Award of Excellence in the Arts, and a three-time finalist for the Siminovitch Prize for Directing, Palmer is widely recognized for both her artistic excellence and her leadership in shaping the future of Canadian theatre. 

Fluent in French and Spanish, Palmer is committed to accessibility, collaboration, and amplifying underrepresented voices. Through Vita Brevis Arts and her broader body of work, she continues to develop projects that are ambitious in scope, urgent in content, and deeply resonant with contemporary audiences.