Welcome to Our New Board Members

New Board members Matthew Willson, Andre Newell, Tim
Dawdy, and Ron Dodson. Not pictured are Raeburn Ferguson
(who was busy at our Introduction to Adjudication course) and
Farzeen Foda (who was unable to attend the AGM in person)

We welcome our newly elected Board members for the 2018 to 2020 two-year terms on our Board of Directors.

Mary Jane Boon was elected to her third term; Annie MacKay and Brenda Worsnop (who were appointees to the Board during the past year) were elected to the balance of their first term (ending in 2019); and we welcome new Board members Tim Dawdy, Ron Dodson, Raeburn Ferguson, Farzeen Foda, Andre Newell, and Matthew Willson who were elected to their first terms.

Meet our newly elected Board members for 2018

They join Bodene Corbitt, Vera N. Held, Eyal Katz, Gil Katz, and Carri Johnson who were elected to two-year terms in 2017.

Meet our current Board of Directors

We also thanked Elley-Ray of Toronto, who had reached her term limit as a member of our Board of Directors; Linda Lloyd-McKenzie and Neil Wiancko who were finishing their two-year terms; and Leah Dietrich who was stepping down from the Board.

Join Us at Our Annual General Meeting

The Theatre Ontario 2018 Annual General Meeting will be held Saturday, May 19 at 11:30am at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, 1150 Wellington Road South, London, Ontario.

The meeting is open to all, but only members in good standing can vote on business before the meeting. Please RSVP for the meeting to admin@theatreontario.org or call 416.408.4556 x.14 so we can plan for appropriate numbers.

Meeting procedures, background materials necessary for voting members to make an informed decision about resolutions on the agenda, and meeting forms can be found on the Theatre Ontario website.

Learn more about our Annual General Meeting

Save the Date for the Theatre Ontario Annual General Meeting

Mark Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 11:30am on your calendar for Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting. The meeting will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, 1150 Wellington Road South, London. It will be immediately following that morning's Theatre Ontario Festival adjudication.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting

Theatre Ontario is seeking individuals from across the province to serve on our Board of Directors.  Successful applicants will support our mission in promoting a diverse, inclusive, equitable and accessible theatre culture in Ontario.

Read the full Call for Nominations for Theatre Ontario's Board of Directors

Welcome to our New Board Members Appointed for 2017-2018

Theatre Ontario welcomes Brenda Barr-Worsnop and Annie MacKay to our Board of Directors.

They have been appointed to vacancies that have opened during our 2017-2018 term, due to the resignations of Lily Baird and Ray Jacildo (both serving their first year of two-year terms.)

Brenda Barr-Worsnop

Brenda Barr-Worsnop (Cobourg) discovered the stage at 7 in Cornwall, and rediscovered it as an adult with the Brockville Theatre Guild in 1975.  Now, after more than forty-five active years in community and professional theatre she is well known as a director, actor, stage manager, set designer and teacher/mentor across southern Ontario.  She was co-creator/owner of a murder mystery company, Games Up; has worked professionally in Ontario Summer Theatre as an actress and stage manager; has served on regional community theatre boards in all positions for over forty years, and she even managed to combine her administrative and theatre skills at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga in her job as Executive Administrator. She has taken many Theatre Ontario summer courses and is currently Past President of the Eastern Ontario Drama League.

Annie MacKay

Annie MacKay (Toronto) is an actor, producer, and theatre creator originally from Vancouver. She works in communications and marketing at Studio 180 Theatre, the Dirt Underneath Actors' Space, and the creator-based conversation series Dark Nights. As an actor, recent Toronto credits include: The Rape of Lucrece (Paprika Festival), Marisol (Seven Siblings Theatre – Staged Reading), Brave New Theatre: Unholy (BNT – Collective Creation), The Crucible (Kindling Collective), and Much Ado About Nothing (Unit 102/Leroy Street). Annie served as co-chair of the 2016 Theatre Ontario Youth Advisory Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University.

In accordance with Article 6.7 of the General By-Law of Theatre Ontario, both shall serve as Directors until the next Annual General Meeting, at which point an election will be held for the remainder of the term.

Meet our Theatre Ontario Board of Directors

Change, Growth, and Looking Forward with Anticipation and Optimism

Mary Jane Boon, Norah Paton, Sophie Mercer, Bruce Pitkin
at the Theatre Ontario Annual General Meeting

“The year that has just passed was one of change and growth for Theatre Ontario as an organization, allowing us to look forward to 2017 with anticipation and optimism,” said Mary Jane Boon, Interim President of the Theatre Ontario Board of Directors to the members who gathered at Ottawa Little Theatre on May 20 for Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario's activity, including our Organizational Scorecard for 2016 in our Theatre Ontario Annual Report.

We welcome our newly elected Board members for the 2017 to 2019 two-year terms on our Board of Directors. Lily Baird, Leah Dietrich, Ray Jacildo, Eyal Katz, and Gil Katz were elected to their second terms; Bodene Corbitt and Vera N. Held (appointees to the Board during the past year) were elected to their first terms; and we welcome new Board member Carri Johnson who was elected to her first term.  Meet our newly elected Board members for 2017.

They join Mary Jane Boon, Betsy Chaly, Elley-Ray, Linda Lloyd-McKenzie, George Randolph, and Neil Wiancko who were elected to two-year terms in 2016.  Meet our current Board of Directors.

We also thanked Helen Landry of Sudbury, who had reached her term limit as a member of our Board of Directors.

We also heard from Norah Paton and Sophie Mercer, two of our Youth Advisory Committee members with roots in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario theatre community.

Save the Date for the Theatre Ontario Annual General Meeting

Mark Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 1:30pm on your calendar for Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting. The meeting will be held at Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward Avenue.

We now invite nominations for individuals to serve on our Board of Directors who are committed to assisting Theatre Ontario in its mission to develop and support theatre practitioners across the province, by providing resources, networking, training, and advocacy.

Theatre Ontario is seeking individuals to serve on our Board of Directors who are committed to assisting Theatre Ontario in its mission to advocate for growth, cultivate theatre resources, provide educational opportunities, foster collaboration within the theatre community, and build innovation into everything we do.

Theatre Ontario also invites nominations for Board members who are not necessarily practicing in theatre, but who are passionate about it and may bring other necessary skills and experience to the Board.

Nominations for Election to the Board of Directors must be received at the Theatre Ontario office (401 Richmond Street West, Suite 350, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8) by April 21 at 5pm.

Read the full Call For Nominations for Theatre Ontario's Board of Directors

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Ontario Summer Theatre's Gravenhurst Opera House
production of Thumbs.
Robin Clipsham, Jane Miller

• Andrew Wagner-Chazalon, the new Ontario Summer Theatre blogger, has begun his travels for 2016—with his first stop at Gravenhurst Opera House to see Thumbs, directed by Theatre Ontario Talent Bank adjudicator and playwriting instructor Maja Ardal.
• The latest edition of #CdnCult Times from SpiderWebShow explored the question of “What is performance in the digital age?”
• Jini Stolk shared a good resource from a Toronto Arts Foundation Creative Champions Network event on the arts board’s role in financial oversight and responsibility.
• On the occasion of his 200th post on “Large Stage Live!”, Ken Stephen (a long-time Theatre Ontario supporter and past Board Member) shares 25 of the arts events from the past four years that were particularly memorable for him, including performances at the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, Soulpepper Theatre, and two Theatre Ontario Festival performances—33 Variations from Theatre Sarnia in 2016 (technically the original performance in Sarnia), and Lenin’s Embalmers from The Curtain Club in 2014 (blushing slightly on that last one.)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• MT Space’s Young Company is a theatre mentorship program geared towards culturally diverse and Indigenous youth from the Kitchener-Waterloo Region. It was funded by the Theatre Ontario Youth Theatre Training Program.
• Catching up with Brittany Banks and Colin Simmons—the recipients of Acting Up Stage Company’s 2015/16 Banks Prize recipients for up-and-coming musical theatre performers.
• Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto has announced their 2016/17 season.

Laying a Foundation at Theatre Ontario

Bruce Pitkin, Deb Sholdice, Leah Dietrich, Mary Jane Boon
at the Theatre Ontario 2015 Annual General Meeting

While 2015 was a challenging year for Theatre Ontario, it was a year for laying an "excellent foundation" for the organization—that was the message from Deb Sholdice, President of the Theatre Ontario Board of Directors to the members who gathered at the Randolph Theatre in Toronto for Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario's activity, including our Organizational Scorecard for 2015 in our Theatre Ontario Annual Report.

We welcome our newly elected Board members for the 2016 to 2018 two-year terms on our Board of Directors. Elley-Ray was elected to her third two-year term; Mary Jane Boon, Betsy Chaly, and George Randolph were elected to their second terms; and we welcome new Board members Linda Lloyd-McKenzie and Neil Wiancko who were elected to their first terms. Meet our newly elected Board members for 2016.

We also thanked Mark Mooney of London, who had reached his term limit as a member of our Board of Directors.

The Annual General Meeting also featured "Now What: An Emerging Artist's Guide to the Theatre Universe" led by Theatre Ontario's Youth Advisory Committee. We have also launched an online silent auction to raise funds in support of the Youth Advisory Committee's work.

Join Us at the Theatre Ontario Annual General Meeting

By Bruce Pitkin, Executive Director

Theatre Ontario invites all members to join us at our Annual General Meeting on Monday May 9th at 7:00pm at the Randolph Theatre, 736 Bathurst Street, Toronto (Bathurst subway station) and immediately afterward as our Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) presents “Now What: The Emerging Artists’ Guide to the Theatre Universe.”

Join us for a conversation about building your career in the theatre industry! We’re getting real with panelists about the good, the bad, and the ugly, and hearing their advice on what pushes them forward and what they wish they’d known when they were starting out. This dialogue will be a unique opportunity for artists of all backgrounds to be a part of the conversations that are at the heart of Ontario’s theatre community right now. Panel discussion starts at 8PM with a Q&A and mingle to follow! 

Start the conversation today with #YACNowWhat.

Please note the following procedural changes, implemented with our new By-Law at 2014's Annual Meeting:

• A membership must be paid one month prior to the Annual Meeting in order to be an eligible voter;
• Organizations and families need to designate representatives in writing;
• Proxyholders no longer need to be members of Theatre Ontario.

We also invite nominations for our 2016-2017 Board of Directors, due April 22, 2016.

Find out more about Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting.

Join Us at the Theatre Ontario Annual General Meeting

Annual General Meeting 2014

Theatre Ontario invites all members to join us at our Annual General Meeting on May 16 at 1:30pm at the Quality Hotel and Conference Centre, 1011 Bloor Street East, Oshawa.

With the approval of our new By-Law at last year's Annual Meeting, there are several procedural changes this year, including:

• A membership must be paid one month prior to the Annual Meeting in order to be an eligible voter;
• Organizations and families need to designate representatives in writing;
• Proxyholders no longer need to be members of Theatre Ontario.

We also invite nominations for our 2015-2016 Board of Directors.

Find out more about the Theatre Ontario Annual General Meeting.

Staging Our Future at Our Annual Meeting and Celebration

Join us on the evening of Monday, May 5 at 7pm at the Urbanspace Gallery at 401 Richmond Street West in Toronto as we celebrate theatre in Ontario.  We’re honouring outstanding contributions, bringing together youth from across the province for an interactive and creative dialogue, and launching our new website and brand—all part of Theatre Ontario’s work in #StagingOurFuture.

The celebration kicks off at 7pm with our Annual Meeting, sharing updates on our activities from the past year.  We’ll be electing our Board of Directors for the coming year, and approving our new by-law, in accordance with the new Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act.

At 8pm, we are hosting “Face to Face: Meeting the Theatre of Tomorrow”, an interactive and creative dialogue led by our Youth Advisory Committee, with support from Maureen McKenna of Innovation Works.  The Youth Advisory Committee is a new youth-led, run, and facilitated committee of Theatre Ontario, concerned with fostering the next generation of theatre artists, practitioners, professionals, and patrons across the province.  For several months the Committee has been reaching out to the theatre community across the GTA and the province in order to identify service gaps and barriers to access to youth engagement in theatre.  At “Face to Face”, you will have the opportunity to engage in a collaborative discussion with youth from across the province and contribute your ideas and imaginings on what youth involvement in theatre in Ontario looks like now and in the future.

Following the dialogue, a who’s who of the provincial theatre community will provide a glimpse of what theatre means to them in our new “Why Theatre” video.  We are also launching both a splashy new logo and our new website, featuring improved navigation, expanded sponsorship opportunities, and a searchable database of our Talent Bank of theatre instructors.

Gary Hall

The climax of the evening is our 2014 awards honours.  Our first award presentation is to Gary Hall, who is receiving the Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in Arts and Culture, in recognition of thirty-four years of leadership on behalf of artist-run culture, and practical initiatives that include Gallery TPW, Artist-Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario, the CARFAC Copyright Collective, and ArtsBuild Ontario.

Our second and final presentation is to Vrenia Ivonoffski, who is receiving the Maggie Bassett Award for her significant and sustained contribution to theatre in Ontario.  Vrenia is the founding artistic director of ACT II STUDIO (now the Estelle Craig ACT II STUDIO), a theatre program and creative drama centre under the Programs for 50+, Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University. Since 1991, the Studio has offered older adults a home to learn, experiment, hone skills and create a unique kind of theatre informed by a long-life perspective. The Studio provides programs in acting, directing and playwriting led by cutting-edge theatre professionals.

Vrenia Ivonoffski

As part of our celebration, our inaugural Silent Auction Fundraiser is underway.  We’ve got Jacuzzi room hotel passes.  We’ve got theatre tickets.  We’ve got packages to pamper you, entertain you, educate you, and more—hop on your phone and bid online!  Additional products, services and experiences are continuously being added onto the list.  We’ll also have additional items available for exclusive in-person bidding.  We think you will find something bid-ably suitable for everyone’s tastes and budgets!  Refreshments will also be available throughout the evening.

We look forward to seeing you on May 5 – as we work together to continue Staging Our Future.  Join us at our Annual Meeting and Celebration

Save the Date for the Theatre Ontario Annual General Meeting

Mark Monday, May 5, 2014 at 7:00pm on your calendar for Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting.  The meeting will be held at 401 Richmond Street West in Toronto in the Urbanspace Gallery.

We now invite nominations for individuals to serve on our Board of Directors who are committed to assisting Theatre Ontario in its mission to develop and support theatre practitioners across the province, by providing resources, networking, training, and advocacy.

Theatre Ontario is seeking individuals to serve on our Board of Directors who are committed to assisting Theatre Ontario in its mission to develop and support theatre practitioners across the province, by providing resources, networking, training, and advocacy.

Theatre Ontario also invites nominations for Board members who are not necessarily practicing in theatre, but who are passionate about it and may bring other necessary skills and experience to the Board.

The Board acts as an advocate with the provincial government and the municipalities for issues affecting theatre and the arts.  Board members are expected to participate in Board meetings (usually held four times a year at our Head Office in Toronto), to participate in at least one Board committee (minimum of four meetings a year, not necessarily in person), and to engage in generating revenue (from fundraising, sponsorships, memberships, and services) on behalf of the organization.

Nominations for Election to the Board of Directors must be received at the Theatre Ontario office (401 Richmond Street West, Suite 350, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8) by March 12, 2014 at 5pm.  Members shall be given notice of the candidates for election by publication of the nominees on the Theatre Ontario website on March 19, 2014, which is at least forty-five days before Theatre Ontario’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Read the full Call For Nominations for Theatre Ontario's Board of Directors

Theatre Ontario Invites Nominations for Board Members For 2013-2014

Theatre Ontario invites nominations from individuals interested in serving on our Board of Directors who are committed to assisting Theatre Ontario in its mission to develop and support theatre practitioners across the province, by providing resources, networking, training, and advocacy.

Theatre Ontario also invites nominations for Board members who are not necessarily practicing in theatre, but who are passionate about it and may bring other necessary skills and experience to the Board.

The Board acts as an advocate with the provincial government and the municipalities for issues affecting theatre and the arts.  Board members are expected to participate in Board meetings (usually held four times a year at our Head Office in Toronto), to participate in at least one Board committee (minimum of four meetings a year, not necessarily in person), and to engage in generating revenue (from fundraising, sponsorships, memberships, and services) on behalf of the organization.

Ten of the fifteen positions on the Board are currently elected “to reflect the mandate to ensure regional representation and representation from the professional and educational theatre sectors, as well as any special expertise the Board may require from time to time.”

The nomination deadline is March 26, 2013 at 5pm.  Read the full Call For Nominations for the 2013-2014 Theatre Ontario Board of Directors on our website

Welcome to our New Board of Directors

By Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director

As a very busy spring rapidly comes to a close, and the summer approaches, I wanted to take the time to give my sincere thanks to the outgoing Board of Theatre Ontario, and to welcome the new Board that was elected at our Annual General Meeting on May 26th.

It is with sincere gratitude that I thank our outgoing Board for their energy and commitment to Theatre Ontario.  Theatre Ontario’s strength comes from the passion and engagement of its members, and the support that our dedicated and enthusiastic Board of Directors gives to our staff.

I would like to thank Julianne Snepsts who has so willingly given of her leadership and insights to the Board for over eight years – three years of which as our President, and I am so delighted that she will continue to be active on the Board for another year as our Past President.  Julianne has managed to juggle a young family and a busy career, and I know that the Festival Players of Prince Edward County in Picton are benefitting from her creativity and professionalism as she immerses herself in the role of General Manager.

Other busy Board members who have shared their wisdom and expertise with our Board are: Chris Scholey, our incredibly hard working former Treasurer who went above and beyond; Andy Trasuk, who commuted from Cornwall to attend all our meetings; Brian Van Norman, whose wisdom we missed when he retired and embarked on a world cruise; Debra McLauchlan, whose commitment to Theatre Ontario continues as she serves on the Jury for the Youth Theatre Training Program; Emma MacKenzie-Hillier, who gave unstintingly of her time even with her very hectic professional schedule; Mike Grit, whose insightful analysis was always astute; and Angela Rebeiro who brought a wealth of theatrical and publishing knowledge.

I am delighted to welcome our 2012/13 Board of Directors who are already busy working on a number of projects over the summer months: new members Elley-Ray Hennessy, an award-winning actress, writer, director and producer; and Renna Reddie, Artistic Producer of the Carlos Bulosan Theatre; and returning members Ken Stephen, former Michael Spence Award recipient for sustained contribution to community theatre; Tabitha Keast, an active actor and copy editor; Deb Sholdice, General Manager of Blyth Theatre; Dr. Barry Freeman, Assistant Professor in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto—Scarborough Campus; Helen Landry, representing the QUONTA drama region in the north; Brenda Barr-Worsnop, representing the Eastern Ontario Drama League; John Goddard, retired arts administrator and passionate theatre aficionado; Mark Mooney, representing the Western Ontario Drama League; Julianne Snepsts General Manager of the Festival Players in Picton; and last, but not least, Cam Lund, our new President!

Cam brings a wonderfully collaborative approach to the role of Board President with over twenty years senior management experience in banking and telecommunications and a complimentary experience in community theatre as an actor, group president, and President of the Association of Community Theatres of Central Ontario (ACT-CO).  Cam has a wealth of experience in creating innovative collaborative partnerships, and I know he is looking forward to helping Theatre Ontario grow and develop as we implement our strategic plan with the able assistance of our new Board.

A big thank you once again to our past and current Board of Directors!  Thank you – we couldn’t do it without you!

Join Us at Theatre Ontario's AGM

Theatre Ontario invites our members to join us for our Annual Meeting at 1pm on May 26 at the Robert Gill Theatre (University of Toronto), 214 College Street, Toronto, Ontario.  For those of you who can’t make it in-person, you can now follow the meeting online through our AGM Live-Blog.

Live-blogs have become a favourite part of our annual Theatre Ontario Festival Awards Brunch.  Beginning in 2010 in London, and continuing in 2011 in Richmond Hill, we were able to share the Festival Awards results as they were announced with an audience of eager readers and commenters across the province.  The tool we use—CoverItLive—also allows us to keep an archive for readers to catch up with us afterwards.  We’re looking forward to having another Theatre Ontario Festival 2012 Awards Live-Blog from Sault Ste. Marie on May 20.

This year, we’re going to use the same tool to live-blog our AGM.  It will give members from across the province who can’t make it to the Robert Gill Theatre in-person an opportunity to follow along at home and ask questions.  Official voting privileges are still handled through the use of proxy forms (copies of which can be found on the Theatre Ontario website.)

Because this a members’ meeting, the AGM live-blog will be found in the members-only section of our website.  We encourage you to verify your login prior to the meeting in case there are any problems with your access.  Our organization and group members can share their login access with staff and volunteers if they wish—there is a single login for each organization.  Contact Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator if you have any questions, need more information, or encounter any difficulties.

As technology continues to improve and becomes more accessible and affordable, we at Theatre Ontario will continue to work for you by exploring more opportunities to connect with our members and theatres artists across the province.

Theatre Ontario Announces Update for Annual Meeting

Theatre Ontario’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the Annual Meeting of Theatre Ontario has been scheduled for Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 1:00pm at the Robert Gill Theatre located at 214 College Street, Toronto (NW corner of College and St. George Streets.)

This is the first time Theatre Ontario’s Annual Meeting has been held separately from the Theatre Ontario Festival.  The new format for our Annual Meeting will enable a broader range of Theatre Ontario members from all sectors of the theatre community to network with each other, and to meet and engage with Theatre Ontario’s Board of Directors and Staff.  Our annual Theatre Ontario Festival will now focus exclusively on being the premiere showcase and celebration of community theatre in Ontario.

“One of our core strategic goals is strengthening our profile,” said Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director.  “It’s important for Theatre Ontario to host a variety of events like our Annual Meeting that provide opportunities for us to engage with our members, but equally important, provide opportunities for our members to network and engage with each other.”

We are excited to announce also that members who are unable to attend in person will be able to participate in the Annual Meeting via a live-blog this year, similar to the Awards Brunch live-blogs from recent Festivals.

Read the Notice of Annual Meeting, including proxy forms and the Report of the Nominating Committee, on the Theatre Ontario website.

Theatre Ontario Seeks Board Members For 2012-2013

Theatre Ontario is seeking individuals to serve on the Theatre Ontario Board of Directors who are committed to assisting Theatre Ontario in developing and supporting theatre practitioners across the province, by providing resources, networking, training, and advocacy.

The Board also acts as an advocate with the provincial government and the municipalities for issues affecting theatre and the arts.  Board members are expected to participate in Board meetings (usually held four times a year at our Head Office in Toronto), to participate in at least one Board committee (minimum of four meetings a year, not necessarily in person), and to engage in generating revenue (from fundraising, sponsorships, and memberships) on behalf of the organization.

Ten of the fifteen positions on the Board are elected “to reflect the mandate to ensure regional representation and representation from the professional and educational theatre sectors, as well as any special expertise the Board may require from time to time.”

The nomination deadline is March 28, 2012 at 5pm.

Read more about  the nomination process for the Theatre Ontario Board of Directors

Launching Our New Strategic Plan

At our Annual Meeting on May 21, President of the Board Julianne Snepsts gave a presentation on our new strategic plan for 2011-2014.  Based on the positive feedback we received at the meeting, several members asked for us to make the presentation widely available.  The presentation has now been posted to Theatre Ontario’s SlideShare page.  The presentation contains highlights of the Plan as it presently exists: in draft form and unapproved by the Board of Directors.

As indicated, this presentation is intended to give Members a sense of the general direction of the plan and to allow feedback before its completion.

Our Annual Report for 2010 has also been published on the Theatre Ontario website.

Welcome to our New Board Members

Theatre Ontario is pleased to welcome the new members of our Board of Directors for 2011-2012 elected on May 21 at our Annual Meeting.

Dr. Barry Freeman is an Assistant Professor in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto—Scarborough whose research involves Canadian theatre, drama-in-education, and ethics and interculturalism. Barry is a regular contributor to national and international theatre journals and is the Executive Editor of Theatre Research in Canada, Canada’s only peer-reviewed theatre journal. Barry is a member of the Board of Directors of the Paprika Festival and has worked for Theatre Ontario in the past, as Summer Courses Youth Counsellor in 1999 and as Summer Courses Coordinator in 2000.

Emma Mackenzie Hillier is an emerging theatre artist, practitioner and administrator living in Toronto who originally hails from Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Since graduating the University of Windsor’s BFA—Acting program in 2008 she has been quite busy establishing herself as an actor. On the other side of the “table”, Emma has been quite busy assistant directing, her favourite credit so far has been in assisting Ted Dykstra on the acclaimed Soulpepper production of Jitters, however she has also traveled out of Toronto to St. Catharines to assist for Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects on both Shakespeare’s Villains and Sexy Laundry. She is also interning with Iris Turcott at Factory Theatre and spends part of her days working for STAF (Small Theatre Administration Facility) where she both writes grants and helps with publicity.

Ken Stephen grew up in Toronto and settled in Elliot Lake in 1978 to teach high school.  He became involved in the local Ptarmigan Players group as an actor, lighting operator, stage manager, director, and served on the Executive, and later joined the new Elliot Lake Amateur Theatre Ensemble (ELATE).  He was a delegate to the QUONTA Drama Region and served as President and Treasurer, and was Festival Chairman for three QUONTA Festivals held in Elliot Lake in 1999, 2004, and 2008.  The first of these was a co-production with the Elliot Lake Entertainment Series, a producing organization for which Ken held a board position for over 10 years.  For over 25 years he adjudicated semi-annual presentations of original one-act plays at ELSS.  In 2007 Ken received the Michael Spence 35th Anniversary Award from Theatre Ontario, upon the nomination of QUONTA, for “a sustained contribution to theatre in Ontario.”

Deb Sholdice spent “many happy years in my youth” as a volunteer usher at the Blyth Festival.  In 2000, she went with her son to a volunteer orientation session and became fixtures ever since, first as a member of the community company for all three productions of The Outdoor Donnellys and as a member of the Board of Directors. In 2007, the organization was searching for a General Manager and Deb was ultimately selected for the position.  Since that time, she has worked closely with many organizations and businesses to promote arts and culture in their rural region.

We will also be welcoming new appointees from QUONTA (northeastern Ontario) and Northwestern Ontario.

Join Us At The 2011 Annual Meeting

By Julianne Snepsts, President of the Theatre Ontario Board

With the great tradition of the Theatre Ontario Festival comes our Annual General Meeting, held on the Saturday afternoon amidst the Festival celebrations.

The 2011 Annual General Meeting for Theatre Ontario will be held Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 11:30am at The Curtain Club, 400 Newkirk Road, Richmond Hill.  I urge all members of Theatre Ontario to attend this year’s AGM if at all possible, and if not, please take the time to review the slate of Board candidates and send your proxy vote.  Forms to designate proxies (if you cannot attend) or group representatives are available on the Theatre Ontario website and can be brought in person to the meeting.  There has been a lot of talk about democracy in recent weeks, and we all know that voter turnout is key to a vital nation and, indeed, a vital arts organization. I hope you will take this opportunity to participate.

At the AGM this year we will be revealing details of our Strategic Plan for 2011-2013, which means that this year's meeting will have some extra drama and excitement to entice you!

As we welcome many new faces to our Board of Directors, we will also be saying farewell to some excellent members. This year we say goodbye to Anne Mooney of London, your current Vice President, and Sheena Albanese of Thunder Bay, your Board Secretary and Northwest Rep. Both of these fine ladies have served a full six-year term on the Board.

We will miss Anne’s warm personality and thoughtful contributions to the Board and Executive but also know we'll keep in touch as she continues to be involved in her local and regional communities.  Sheena has been a wonderful collaborator and friend.  The organization is indebted to her commitment to Theatre Ontario and to the needs of our colleagues in the Thunder Bay area.

We will also say goodbye to John Koensgen and Patrick Gauthier of Ottawa.  Both have been valuable allies in the professional theatre community of the Capitol Region and we wish them much success in their busy theatre lives.

Finally, we must send our gratitude and very best wishes to Margit Tauchner of Ottawa who resigned from the Board earlier this year for personal reasons.  Margit has been the Eastern Ontario Rep, Member-at-Large on the Executive, and a passionate advocate for community theatre and for Theatre Ontario. 

Let's extend our sincere thanks to these great friends who are leaving the Theatre Ontario Board family!

We are also pleased to welcome Emma Mackenzie Hillier of Toronto, Deb Sholdice of Blyth, and Ken Stephen of Woodstock who are joining our Board of Directors.  From their bios:

Emma Mackenzie Hillier is an emerging theatre artist, practitioner and administrator living in Toronto who originally hails from the small town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Since graduating the University of Windsor’s BFA—Acting program in 2008 she has been quite busy establishing herself as an actor, some of her credits include: Missing (Factory Theatre), Luck (Essential Collective Theatre), The Grace Project: SICK! (Bound2Create) and soon she will be playing Olivia in Twelfth Night (Humber River Shakespeare) for their first school tour. On the other side of the “table”, Emma has been quite busy assistant directing, her favourite credit so far has been in assisting Ted Dykstra on the acclaimed Soulpepper production of Jitters, however she has also traveled out of Toronto to St. Catharines to assist for Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects on both Shakespeare’s Villains and Sexy Laundry. As well, Emma is delighted to be interning with Iris Turcott at Factory Theatre. Presently Emma spends part of her days working for STAF (Small Theatre Administration Facility) where she both writes grants and helps with publicity.

Ken Stephen grew up in Toronto and settled in Elliot Lake in 1978 to teach high school.  He became involved in the local Ptarmigan Players group as an actor, lighting operator, stage manager, director, and served on the Executive, and later joined the new Elliot Lake Amateur Theatre Ensemble (ELATE).  He was a delegate to the QUONTA Drama Region and served as President and Treasurer, and was Festival Chairman for three QUONTA Festivals held in Elliot Lake in 1999, 2004, and 2008.  The first of these was a co-production with the Elliot Lake Entertainment Series, a producing organization for which Ken held a board position for over ten years.  For over 25 years, he adjudicated semi-annual presentations of original one-act plays at ELSS.  In 2007 Ken received the Michael Spence 35th Anniversary Award from Theatre Ontario, upon the nomination of QUONTA, for “a sustained contribution to theatre in Ontario.”

Deb Sholdice spent “many happy years in my youth” as a volunteer usher at the Blyth Festival.  In 2000, she went with her son to a volunteer orientation session and became fixtures ever since, first as a member of the community company for all three productions of The Outdoor Donnellys and as a member of the Board of Directors. In 2007, the organization was searching for a General Manager and Deb was ultimately selected for the position.  Since that time, she has worked closely with many organizations and businesses to promote arts and culture in their rural region.