Although he has won plaudits and awards for work in film, television, and on stage, Tony Nardi's most recent headlines have been earned by his TWO LETTERS … And Counting!. Two Letters is based on two actual letters sent to “middle-men” of the Canadian cultural scene: a film/television producer and two theatre critics. Letter One articulates an actor/writer's struggle with cultural stereotypes in Canadian theatre/film/TV. Letter Two challenges misconceptions about commedia dell'arte by present-day theatre critics and directors. It explores a history of an 'actor-less' theatre culture in Canada at the hands of 'director's theatre,' in which, increasingly, a tradition of over-trained actors and under-trained directors is encouraged. "...And Counting!" (Letter Three) is a postmortem of Two Letters, and a journey into the present state of theatre, culture (and funding).

A multi-award winner for his work in film, television and theatre, Tony Nardi, born in Calabria, Italy, is a Canadian actor, playwright, director and producer. A four-time Genie Awards Nominee, he has won twice for Best Actor for his roles in La Sarrasine (1992) and My Father’s Angel (2001), for which he had also received a Best Actor award at the Sonoma Wine and Country Film Festival in 2000. He received the Guy L’Écuyer Award for his role in La Déroute in 1998. In 2010, the year marking the 30th Annual Genie Awards, he made the Academy’s 30th Anniversary Top 10 list in the Lead Actor category in Canadian cinema – a ranking based on the number of wins and nominations over the 30-year period. He collaborated on the screenplays for La Sarrasine and La Déroute. In television, he received a Gemini Award nomination in 2006 for his role in Il Duce Canadese and a Best Actor Award at the Geneva International Film Festival, Tous Écrans/All Screens, in 1999, for his role in Foolish Heart. He has performed in more than sixty plays ranging from classics to more experimental and collective-driven works. He received a Montreal Gazette Critic’s Award in 1979 for his role in Nineteen Eighty-Four, a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Artistic Excellence – Collective – in 1985 for La Storia Calvino, garnered a Dora Award nomination in 2001 for his role in A Flea in Her Ear, and a Dora Award in 2002 for Outstanding Performance for his role in The Lesson. In 2007 he received a Best Actor Thespis Award for Two Letters. As a playwright, his first play, La Storia dell’Emigrante – written in Calabrian – in collaboration with Vincent Ierfino, played in Montreal in 1979 and 1980, and in Toronto in 1982, and won the 1st James Buller Award for Best Original Canadian play at the Ontario Multicultural Theatre Festival at Harbourfront. A Modo Suo (A Fable), written and presented entirely in Calabrian, received a Dora Award nomination (Outstanding New Play) in 1990. An English translation in collaboration with poet/author Antonino Mazza was published in its entirety in the Fall 2000 issue of the Canadian Theatre Review. In 2007 Two Letters was nominated for a Dora Award (Outstanding New Play). In 2008 he was nominated for a Siminovitch Prize in Theatre (long list) for playwriting. In 1992 he received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal, awarded to Canadians for significant contribution to their fellow citizens, to their community, or to Canada. In 2002, he was included in the Canadian Who’s Who.

Tony Nardi's profile page