Diana has a varied artistic background, working in theatre & film as a professional actor, singer, dancer, choreographer & improviser for over 25 years. She has worked in such theatres as 7 seasons at the Stratford Festival, Elgin Theatre, ACT in San Francisco, Barbican in the UK, and Second City. You can see Diana on the small screen in such shows as The Handmaids Tail, Mrs. America, Murdoch Mysteries, The Romanoffs, The Detail, and The Coroner. She was the recipient of her hometowns' Arts & Culture Wall of Fame in Niagara Falls in 2012.
Alongside her performance career, Diana created a handbag & accessories company in the early 2000's called FlyBall Bags. She sold to stores across North America as well as at many artisans shows. In 2014, she decided to get formal design & technical training at George Brown College. 16 months later, Diana was awarded the Deans Medal for top GPA in the entire Arts & Design program.
After apprenticing in a bridal atelier, it was time to launch her new business in 2017, Diana Coatsworth Design to great success. Made & designed in Toronto. Specializing in sustainable fashion choices, mixing preloved, repaired, upcycled & one of a kind eco friendly fashion. Diana creates easy, effortless, stand out pieces you will cherish for years.
In mid March 2020, Diana pivoted due to an extreme halt in her business from the global pandemic. She quickly set up a Facebook group called The Sewing Army and invited her friends to join across North America. Within a month, over 3800 volunteers sewed and delivered over 25,000 pieces of PPE to frontline workers. CAA Ontario joined forces to help deliver finished products safely to organizations. Brother Canada donated refurbished machines for sewists. Many small businesses donated fabrics to the cause. To date, the PPE donations are over 120,000 to hospitals, shelters, essential workers, midwives, non profits and charity organizations. www.thesewingarmy.com
Currently she resides in downtown Toronto with her partner of 22 years, drummer Kevan McKenzie & their sweet dog Charlie.