What I'm Looking Forward to at Soulpepper

It’s been a whirlwind first three months producing at Soulpepper as we’ve opened our theatre doors to the public for the first time since March 2020! We’ve just closed our first production of the season (and it was a stunner, if I do say so myself): Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau, directed by Weyni Mengesha. It’s such an honour to be part of the (mostly new) team that is bringing this next chapter of Soulpepper to life. Earlier this spring, the Soulpepper blog welcomed some of the new staff by asking what we were most excited about at Soulpepper - you can read the post in full here. As I shared:

“I’m really excited to collaborate with Native Earth Performing Arts for two co-productions this spring/summer, Where the Blood Mixes by Kevin Loring, directed by Jani Lauzon, and Kamloopa, written and directed by Kim Senklip Harvey. Both of these plays are absolutely fantastic, with incredible artistic teams bringing them to life. Native Earth was the first theatre I worked at when I first moved to Toronto six years ago – I have a lot of fond memories from my patron services days, and I learned so much there about the kind of theatre I wanted to be a part of creating. Getting to collaborate with Native Earth on these two shows right now feels like a full-circle moment for me as I launch into this new position as Producer at Soulpepper.”

Saying Farewell to Generator

Four years after first joining the Generator team, I am moving on to a new role as Producer at Soulpepper Theatre at the end of this month. Generator and the people in and around it are such a big part of the person and the producer I am today, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to reflect on my time and my transition out of the organization in this blog post. I am also quite frankly humbled by the generous parting words long-time Generator leader Kristina Lemieux shared for the post:

“Annie has been Generator’s kiln. We have all brought her our incomplete drafts, our rough ideas, and our unpolished visions. She has a unique capacity to take it in and break apart what’s not ready and to clarify and solidify what is. Annie has been vital to what we have been able to accomplish and who we have been able to reach… Her sense of care and deep listening have brought our ideas further and our connections wider.”

On the Generator Blog: A Values-Based Approach to Hiring

One of the best parts about my job at Generator is the work we do with our Resident Companies. We recently published a blog post diving into the hiring processes resident companies Shakespeare in the Ruff and the Toronto Dance Community Love-In have been going through this fall. I wrote the article, which was based on interviews with Eva Barrie, Kaitlyn Riordan, Camille Rojas, Robyn Breen, Shelby Wright, and Kristina Lemieux, and learned so much from the values-led approaches taken by both companies. Each path offers insight for companies currently undergoing transition, as well as companies seeking to clarify values to support long-term transition processes and work culture. You can read the article here.

Communications Producer for F-O-R-M

Last September I did some social media support for the 2019 Festival of Recorded Movement, and now I’m thrilled to be part of festival team as Communications Producers as the all-digital 2020 edition approaches! F-O-R-M celebrates the body in motion through film - it is a singular joy to be working on a project that translates so beautifully to digital in the context of covid-19. As someone born and raised in Vancouver, it also feels great to be working on my first industry project based there - everything’s happening remotely this year, but the festival continues to be proudly Vancouver-based. Learn more here.

Producing in the time of covid-19

It’s…a time. As our governments rightly direct us to stay home to help stop the spread of covid-19, countless artists and administrators are grappling with what this means for the future of the live performance sector. In March, we announced the decision to postpone Discord and Din Theatre’s production of Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. Just this week, Shakespeare in the Ruff shared the news that we will not be able to bring As You Like It to Withrow Park this summer, as there is no way to do so that ensures the wellbeing of our artists and audiences. As anyone who works in theatre will tell you, years of dreaming and planning go into any one production. It breaks my heart to see so much of that work crumble in front of our eyes, even as we begin dreaming of brighter futures. We don’t yet know when we’ll be able to gather safely again, but in the meantime we can work towards better, more sustainable, more inclusive, and more respectful ways of creating and producing; we can support artists, and keep asking them what they need, so that they’ll still be there on the other side of this.

General Manager for Groundling Theatre

After a wonderful experience as Associate Producer for Groundling on the January 2020 co-production of Julius Caesar with Crow’s Theatre, I was delighted to be invited to join the Groundling team as their new General Manager, beginning April 1. I’ll be working with Artistic Director Graham Abbey as we plan for the company’s future following Groundling’s most successful production to date! Sign up for our newsletter or visit the Groundling Theatre Co. website here.

Producer for Shakespeare in the Ruff's 'As You Like It'

Shakespeare in the Ruff is a company I’ve admired for years, and I jumped at the opportunity to produce for them this summer! We are scheduled to bring Jeff Ho’s new adaptation of As You Like It to Withrow Park in August, directed by Eva Barrie, but given the current situation with the covid-19 pandemic, we’re not yet sure whether it will be safe to do so. In the meantime, Ruff has made a wonderful video introducing the many incredible artists who will (hopefully) be bringing As You Like It to life this summer. Watch it here.

Associate Producer for 'Brain Storm'

When I raved about Brain Storm at the 2017 Fringe Festival and (lightly) cyber-stalked the creator/director, Taliesin McEnaney, I had no idea that it would lead to a job (or to Taliesin and I both winning knives as part of the festival’s inaugural Toshi Knife Cutting Edge Award). (They are really good knives, I definitely recommend nominating someone for this award.) But I really, really liked the show (so did NOW Magazine, calling it “visually striking and thoughtful - Brain Storm was one of the best shows at the festival”) so I was very happy to hear that it was getting another life! After the workshop production at Fringe co-created by Taliesin and the ensemble, all four actors are returning for the World Premiere at Dancemakers Studio Theatre, February 27-March 8. Tickets will be on sale January 6. Brain Storm is a Lucid Ludic production, in association with Why Not Theatre. Learn more.

Associate Producer for Groundling Theatre's 'Julius Caesar' at Crow's

I’ve had the Groundling/Crow’s co-production of Julius Caesar in my calendar since it was announced earlier this year, and after more than a decade of quietly obsessing over this play, I’m so pleased to have joined this spectacular project as the Associate Producer for Groundling Theatre, working with Executive Producer Derrick Chua. Julius Caesar runs January 7-26 at the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crownest. More details here.

Producing 'Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.' at Buddies

I am thrilled to be working with Discord and Din Theatre for the first time as producer for Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. by Alice Birch, directed by Jennifer Tarver as part of the 2019/20 Buddies in Bad Times Theatre season, April 12-26, 2020. Discord and Din’s Artistic Producer is Jenna Harris, who just received the Theatre: Production award at the May 2019 Cayle Chernin Awards for this production! Learn more about this explosive, witty, and radical play at discordanddintheatre.com.

Greetings from Paris.

This new website was born in my temporary home in Paris, where I arrived in January and will stay until July. In the meantime, I have been soaking up the city sights, continuing to work remotely as the Communications Producer at Generator, tweeting about all of the incredible theatre I am missing in Toronto, and reflecting on some of the highlights of the past year (see below).

In the Greenroom Interview

Associate Producer Emma Westray and I were interviewed by Brittany Kay of In the Greenroom about bringing Cannibal by Thom Nyhuus to the stage for the first time, the joy we take in building a team, and producing with a feminist agenda. Read the interview here.

Producing 'Cannibal' at the Next Stage Theatre Festival

Less than one year ago, Thom Nyhuus asked me to read a play he was working on, and thus began an adventure that brought us to the Next Stage Theatre Festival in January 2019. Directed by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster and featuring Michael Ayres, Justine Christensen, Joella Crichton and Thom Nyhuus, Cannibal ran in the Factory Studio space from January 9-20, 2019. Learn more.

Producing 'What I call her' at Crow's Theatre

What I call her was an In Association production, in partnership with Crow’s Theatre. Written by Ellie Moon, directed by Sarah Kitz, and featuring Michael Ayres, Ellie Ellwand and Charlie Gould, it ran November 16-December 8, 2018. Learn more.

Assistant Producing 'Music Music Life Death Music'

Music Music Life Death Music, a new absurdical and the latest from One Little Goat’s Adam Seelig, was on stage at the Tarragon Extra Space in June 2018. Executive Produced by Derrick Chua. Learn more.

Co-Producing 'Secret Shakespeare VI'

On April 2, 2018, I joined an incredible ensemble cast and lean behind-the-scenes team in the wild experiment that is ‘Secret Shakespeare,’ for a one-day-rehearsal and one-night-only edition of Antony and Cleopatra, directed by James Wallis, to raise money for the Jon Kaplan Fund.