Open Up the Wall: Revelations of a Renovation Contractor

After graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada, Geoff Bowes enjoyed a successful career as an actor, working across North America, garnering awards and critical praise. He performed on stages across Canada, starring in premier productions by his friends George F Walker, Erika Ritter, and Dave Carley. He guest starred in all of those TV shows of the 80’s and 90’s - Street Legal, Top Cops, Night Heat, Wind at my Back, Goosebumps, etc. Film work took Geoff from Los Angeles to Montego Bay, co-starring with many Hollywood luminaries. The nice ones included Bruce Dern, Ann Margaret, James Woods, Farrah Fawcett, and Tom Sizemore. Like so many of his actor peers, Geoff found it increasingly difficult to accept the lack of autonomy in his life. After 25 years of auditioning and taking direction, he signed on with a construction crew, and reclaimed his soul by working with his hands. As a carpenter, he was exposed to a host of awe inspiring characters, on both sides of the toolbelt, and he started to write about them, drawing on his experience in dramaturgy to bring many of them to life through dialogue. Like so many of his contractor peers, Geoff’s exit from the construction business came as a result of injury, and chronic pain. After eighteen years as the hands on owner of his construction company, he shut it down, and moved to his farm in Markdale, Ontario, where he lives with his beloved wife, his devoted dog, and a herd of indifferent cows.