Having lost over 90% of his eyesight to a childhood Cancer, Horak has navigated the world of the fully-sighted his entire life. Bilateral Retinoblastoma (R.B.) is a cancer which appears on the retina of the eyes, the treatment of which left Horak completely blind in one eye, with extreme tunnel-vision, light sensitivity, floaters, and a cataract in the remaining eye. For the past 25 years, Horak has pursued a career in the performing arts and has won numerous awards for his performance, writing, direction, and creation. He has performed across Canada, the United States and Europe.
Bruce Horak's first visual art installation was at the Harborfront Centre in Toronto, Ontario as part of the "Likeness" series. Since 2011, his work has been showcased at the Auburn Gallery (Calgary), The Pacific Theatre (Vancouver), The Kelowna Art Gallery (as part of the "Just Imagine" exhibit of works by Visually Impaired Artists), the Firehall Arts Centre (Vancouver), the Hatch Gallery (Vancouver) with WIngspan Dis/Arts and Kickstart Arts, The Tangled Art+Disability Gallery (Toronto) and many more.
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
Betty Mitchell Award nomination: Outstanding new work, "What You Can't See" 1999
Just For Laughs, Frankie Award, Best Comedy, "The Canada Show" 2002
Critic's Pick, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Vancouver Fringe Theatre Festivals "The Canada Show", "The Big Rock Show", "Fringe Show", 'Freud V.S. Hid Ego"
Betty Mitchell Award, Outstanding Performance, "This is CANCER" 2007
Betty Mitchell Award, Outstanding Performance, "Evil Dead: The Musical" 2009
TWISI Award, Halifax, "This is CANCER" 2012
Critics Pick, Performance, Writing, Production, "Assassinating Thomson", 2013
