haui is an award-winning mixed-media artist whose work defies categorization. like his dna, his art is diverse and blurs lines between artistic mediums. his work ranges in disciplines from directing (stage and screen), designing (video projections and visual arts), and devising (performing, playwrighting/poetry, and producing) works in film, opera, theatre, and visual arts. haui’s work explores themes of race, gender, and orientation, often bridging arts and activism, sharing stories relegated to the peripheries.

 

a british-born artist of mixed caribbean/european descent, haui graduated from the school of performance at toronto metropolitan university. as a performer, haui has worked for companies including the shaw festival, factory theatre, outside the march, convergence theatre, sheep no wool, and cahoots theatre, and was a cast member of the canadian premiere of alice walker’s the colour purple at neptune theatre.

 

in 2017 haui transitioned from working as a performer to creating his own work, having garnered a body of work with some of canada's leading arts organizations, including cbc, aptn, the canadian opera company, stratford festival of canada, shaw festival, national arts centre, canadian stage, luminato festival, tarragon theatre, black theatre workshop, buddies in bad times theatre and great canadian theatre company, in a variety of creative roles. haui is also part of the creators program at the young vic theatre in the united kingdom.

 

as a visual artist, haui has exhibited at the art gallery of kelowna, the tarragon theatre lobby gallery, and the art gallery of mississauga and showed his art to mark the end of his inaugural artistic residency with wildseed centre for arts and activism. his photography has also been showcased globally, printed in harpers bazaar uk and greystone books, and was featured as part of the stage design for rufus wainwright and daniel macivor’s opera hadrian at the canadian opera company.

 

haui is also a published poet, having had his work performed as part of freedom: a mixed tape produced by suitcase in point. his poetry was also part of freedom cabaret, curated by beau dixon as part of the 2021 stratford festival season, and has since gone on to tour ontario. his poetry will also be published as part of an anthology by playwrights canada press in 2023. he was also selected as part of crow’s theatre and mongrel media loughborough writers retreat, where he is creating a new plurilingual project with சாரதா ஈஸ்வர் sharada eswar and 黃巧文 alison wong. he has also had his playwrighting workshopped with tya company carousel players.

 

career highlights include haui's award-winning feature-film debut, mixed↑, produced by trans filmmaker jack fox, and the world's first lgbtq+ television network, outtv. stir magazine called the film "a bold mix of documentary, confessional, strident manifesto, and arthouse experiment.” etalk canada said, “mixed↑ is going to allow a lot of people to begin healing.”

 

haui is the recipient of both a tyrone guthrie and neil munro award and is a three-time people's choice award (byblacks) winner for their film work. in addition, he was awarded the 2021 jack king prize for their work as a video/projection designer in theatre and is a dora mavor moore, montreal english theatre, and merritt theatre nominee and winner.

 

stage and screen directing credits include associate director to mike payette on the toronto production of choir boy by tarell alvin mccraney. in addition, haui has directed as part of the stratford festival meighen forum and lab. in 2023, haui’s will direct his exhibition, private flowers (a site-specific artwork exploring queer history), during pride month. haui was also assistant director to associate director estelle shook for the sesquicentennial production of harry somer’s louis riel. haui was also invited by the late martha henry to participate in the inaugural bud’s program as part of the michael langham directors program for classical theatre and was also a recipient of theatre ontario’s professional theatre training program. haui also directed and composed his award-winning film c'est moi, an internationally acclaimed film that explores the history of slavery in 18th-century new france. in addition, haui was the assistant producer to metis/dene filmmaker marie clements on her feature film debut, red snow. 

 

for more information, go to haui.ca