Biography
Creating content that explores illness, disability, and works to #CripTheScript
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Ophira Calof is a multi-award winning writer and performer who is drawn to character driven stories that combine humour and heart. They work to “crip the script,” questioning defaults and centring disability knowledge and experience in both narrative and process. Their recent credits include One More Time (CBC), Rubble and Crew (Treehouse TV), PUSH (CBC), Shelved (CTV), Dino Dex (Amazon Prime), Welcome Series (Titan1Studios), The 52 (Museum of Toronto) and their solo show Literally Titanium, which has been featured in both academic and performance spaces as a case study in accessible production.
Ophira is also a lead and creator of the Disabled Producers Lab, was the inaugural creative director for the Accessible Writers’ Lab, and has supported the design and facilitation of several other programs including AccessCBC and the ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto. They have taught workshops and provided mentorship internationally on storytelling, writing, music, accessibility and disability narratives.
Additionally, Ophira has created a number of disability arts projects including the series Making Space: Stories of Disabled Youth Past and Present (Myseum Toronto/RAFFTO) and Dis/Play, a public arts project that projected the stories of over 50 Deaf and Disabled creatives onto exterior building walls across the city (MNJCC/RAFFTO/ArtWorxTO: Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021-2022).
Ophira graduated from Second City’s Writing and Sketch Conservatory programs and the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Emerging Creator’s Unit. They were featured in the Second City 2018 Toronto Diversity Fellowship Showcase, are the 2018 recipient of the Tim Sims Encouragement Award and received the 2021 Cahoots Theatre Promising Pen Prize. They were also named a TV writing fellow for the 2022 RespectAbility Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities and took part in the 2023 Warner Brothers Discovery Access X Canadian Academy Writers Program.
Select Artistic Credits:
One More Time (CBC), Welcome Series (Titan1Studios), Wordsville (TVOKids), The 52 (Museum of Toronto), Dino Dex (Amazon Prime), Shelved (CTV), Rubble and Crew (Nickelodeon), PUSH (CBC), TallBoyz (CBC ), Kids In The Hall (Amazon Prime), SuperWish (RedKnot), No Fear (Second City), Dis/Play (ArtworxTO), Jane Doe (Ergo Arts Theatre), Slumber Party (Bad Dog Comedy TV), Literally Titanium (Next Stage Theatre Festival), #HospitalChic (ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto) We’re Not Waiting (Miles Nadal JCC exhibit), Generally Hospital (Toronto Fringe, Toronto Sketchfest Marquee Series), Sex and SexAbility (Sick and Twisted Theatre), Second City Diversity Showcase (Second City), Group Message (Toronto Sketch Filmfest), Still Standing (ILC Foundation, iThentic)