Any reputable list of Toronto’s recent theatrical hits would include Rick Miller’s Bigger Than Jesus, some of Daniel MacIvor’s Da Da Kamera shows and John Mighton’s Half Life. The writers and casts of these productions have garnered dozens of awards, including Canada’s weight­iest, the $100,000 Siminovitch prize. In their acceptance speeches, one name keeps cropping up: Daniel Brooks. When we meet, the director is helping Miller unleash his next pro­ject, a piece about the hurly-burly world of advertising. “Rick improvises, and if it’s interesting, I record him. The script doesn’t really take shape until much later.” Like a one-man insurance company, Brooks provides cradle-to-grave coverage for new dramas, incubating them from mere twinkles in the eye. He often takes on several roles in the process: therapist (“I encourage Daniel to address a part of his life that he’s reticent about, to find the interesting material there”), confidence builder (“I could see qualities in John’s writing that others didn’t”), critic and, finally, director. In all of these capacities, his chief gifts are diplomacy and determination. Having acted, directed and written, all at a prominent level, having studied with masters in Paris (clowning), New York (method acting), Argentina (dance) and Brazil (puppetry), the 48-year-old’s quiet pronouncements carry authority. There is a separate—and in some ways, a higher—greatness in helping others to succeed.

House, Da Da Kamera’s farewell show, runs March 6 to April 1 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.