Book excerpt: Born in Rosetown, Saskatchewan in 1937, CameronPorteous trained at the Wimbledon College of Art inLondon, England. After returning to Canada in 1969he became Head of Design at the Vancouver Playhouse in1972 under Artistic Director Christopher Newton. Thiscreative partnership continued when Newton becameArtistic Director of the Shaw Festival and appointed himas Head of Design from 1980-1997.Porteous has had a prolific career in theatre and operadesign, working in most major theatres across Canadaas well as designing extensively for film and television.His work combines an international perspective witha distinctly personal style of theatrical design whichflourished during a robust period of Canadian theatrehistory. He led the way in expanding our view of designbeyond traditional models, embracing perspectives frombeyond our borders and anticipating our modern multiculturaland multi-media theatre. He continues to workin theatre, film, and television and has influenced manyemerging designers through his teaching, mentoring, andcreative work.