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exec. artistic director.
founder.
production designer.
​"Pour ce qui est de l'avenir, il ne s'agit pas de le prévoir, mais de le rendre possible."
"For the future, it is not a matter of predicting it, but of making it possible."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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Sophie Ann Rooney is an award-winning director, whose multidisciplinary work spans theatre, film, television, video games, and music. She is the Artistic Director and Founder of The King Black Box in Toronto, where she leads the company’s artistic vision, producing bold, socially urgent new works.​
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and a devoted mother to her sons JJ & Maxwell.
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[she/her] story
​​Sophie Ann Rooney has directed, designed and/or produced over 40 theatrical productions including The Glory of Living, Girls Unwanted (Canadian World Premiere), The Atomic Tradition (Canadian World Premiere), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, and The Scottish Play. A founder of both Sterling Studio Theatre and The Theatre Machine, Sophie helped shape Toronto’s independent theatre scene through fearless, design-led storytelling.
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She is represented as an actor by Murray Gibson (RED Management), as a director/producer by Ryan Goldhar (The Characters Talent Agency) and and is a proud ACTRA and TAPA member.
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Her distinct voice as an artist is echoed in reviews:
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"Ultimately, that much of it works so well is because of Sophie Ann Rooney’s exquisitely detailed production designs, which extend into the audience, making us feel as if we are inside this rooming house.” (The Toronto Star)
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“Fearless magicians... they do it with style.” (Lynn Slotkin)
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“Authentic... inspired... I can’t wait to see what this promising company does next.” (Glenn Sumi),
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'Rooney's choice to underscore a tense confrontation with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (as The Wizard of Oz plays in the background) is uncanny and truly inspired.' (Istvan Dugalin).
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In film, Sophie’s Fallen Fighter earned a Kodak Award and selection by the Chicago School Board as a study piece following its run at CICFF. Her films have screened at over 20 international festivals, including Bollywood Beckons, Sleep Stop and several music videos. In television and games, her directing includes Netflix’s Daniel Spellbound, Ubisoft's Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (BAFTA-nominated for Performance, Game of the Year), The First Blade, and Fate of Atlantis. She continues to consult on cinematics teams like on Starlink, and on several undisclosed game titles set for 2026 release.
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As an educator, Sophie is the founder of RAW Actor Studio, where she has mentored and helped launch the careers of countless artists. Was accredited as a mentor through the Ontario Arts Council mentoring filmmaker Bradley Paul from Bear Island, and through the New Brunswick Arts Board mentoring filmmaker/actor Clem McIntosh from New Brunswich. Formerly served as Performance Director for the Moulin Rouge working with it's premiere dancers, and Assistant Professor at The American University of Paris (Werba Apprentice). Her early career included collaborations as a session singer with Barclay-Music, and producer Ross Robinson (Korn) and Team Nowhere's rap-metal group Enhancer "Electrochoc" Album for their Limp Bizkit tour .
Sophie trained internationally at EICAR International Film School of Paris, Oxford School of Speech & Drama, and The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama . She is a graduate and longtime protégé of Amy Werba (BAW–Paris / Strasberg lineage), heavily featured in Werba's Book "Be your own Coach" at The Drama Book Shop.