CO CREATING ALTERNATIVE FUTURES

Join us as Canada participates in the 16th Prague Quadrennial. The world’s largest event dedicated to scenography, performance design, and performance space.


The curatorial vision for PQ2027 is to create an immersive sonic environment that brings silenced, overlooked, and forgotten voices into presence through sound. Set within a lodge-inspired space, the installation employs surround sound, recordings of Indigenous women, and original works by Canadian sound designers to create a living sonic archive. By centring listening as the primary mode of engagement, the work invites audiences to experience presence beyond physical visibility, demonstrating the capacity of sound to preserve memory, evoke connection, and reshape how absence is understood.

 “In building an exhibition to represent Canada on an international scale, it feels urgent and essential to highlight the voices and stories of our nations’ most invisible, silent and essential figures – specifically, Indigenous women and other matriarchs.” Their curatorial starting point is The Seventh Fire , an immersive, audio performance drawing on oral Anishinaabe stories and societal roles as a way to evoke ceremony in the everyday. Importantly, it presences those who have been historically silenced in Canada. The goal is to create a somatic link to ancestral realms, with sound design as the primary activating force, while also incorporating a highly intentional spatial design and a focus on audience care.” 

~Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen & Mishelle Cuttler



Curatorial Team

Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen

Curator

A tawny mix of Ojibwe/Swampy Cree and English/Irish, Lisa resides on unceded Coast Salish territory (aka Vancouver, BC). She is an award-winning multi-hyphenate theatre artist and scholar working across Turtle Island with deep roots in devised work, theatre, and new performance forms and processes rooted in Indigenous protocol, ontologies, and anti-colonial methodologies. Her work as an artist, consultant, leader and activator is recognized nationally and internationally for its rigour and artistic excellence.

Lisa is an Associate Artist with FullCircle: First Nations Performance, co-founder of the Talking Stick Festival, and founder of the Maada’oonidiwag Canadian Anti-Racist Theatre Exchange, an IBPOC-centred resistance and anti-racist mobilization that focuses on disrupting the colonial project called ‘Canadian theatre’.

Mishelle Cuttler

Curator

Mishelle is a sound designer, composer, and musician based in Vancouver, BC. Her work is centred around the integration of music, sound and storytelling, with projects spanning across theatrical, musical, audio installation, and interdisciplinary practices. As a sound designer, her work ranges from indie to regional projects, and she will be returning for her second show at the Stratford Festival in 2026. The Tao of the World. Some of Mishelle’s favourite interdisciplinary projects include The Seventh Fire; Made in Canada: an agricultural

Song Cycle – a live verbatim text album touring live concert (Rice & Beans Theatre), and Good Things To Do – a live interactive digital performance piece (Rumble Theatre). Mishelle has an MFA in Musical Theatre Composition from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BFA from UBC’s Department of Theatre, where she is an adjunct professor. She is the British Columbia Representative for ADC 659.


Designers & Technical Artists

Camellia Koo

Exhibition Designer

Toronto, ON

Camellia has received six Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Toronto), a Sterling Award (Edmonton), a Chalmers Award Grant, shared the 2006 Siminovitch Protégé Prize, was a member of the Third Prize team at the 2011 European Opera Directing Prize, and most recently received the 2016 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award for Costume Design. In 2018, she was shortlisted for the Siminovitch Prize for Excellence in Theatre for Design.

Camellia Koo is a Toronto based set and costume designer for theatre, opera, dance and site-specific performance installations. In addition to design for live performance, she is also a set designer and concept rendering artist for tv/film.

Recent designs for opera and ballet include new costume designs for La Bohème (Santa Fe Opera); sets and costume designs for Turandot (Helikon Opera, Moscow); JacquelineShawnadithit, Rocking Horse Winner, and The Shadow (Tapestry New Opera); Macbeth (Minnesota Opera); Hansel and GretelCarmen and The Tales of Hoffman (Edmonton Opera); Simon Boccanegra and Maria Stuarda (Pacific Opera Victoria), The Lighthouse (Boston Lyric Opera); Bremen Town Musicians, Second Nature, The Magic Victrola (Canadian Opera Company- Opera for Young Audiences), Marilyn Forever (Aventa Ensemble), Pélleas et MélisandeTurn of the ScrewLa Bohéme (Against the Grain), and sets and costumes for Sleeping Beauty (Ballet Jörgen).

Recent designs for theatre include An Undeveloped Sound (Electric Company); The Lehman Trilogy and Fall on Your Knees (Canstage); Gem of the OceanMan and Superman, Henry V, Baroness and the Pig, The Orchard, Middletown, Adventures of a Black Girl in Her Search for God, Lady From the Sea, The Sea, When the Rain Stops Falling, Topdog Underdog, Peace in Our Time, In Good King Charles’ Golden Days, and The Stepmother (The Shaw Festival); Innocence Lost and August Osage County (Soulpepper Theatre Company), Oedipus Rex, The Changeling (The Stratford Festival), Wormwood, A God in Need of Help, Mimi, This is War, East of Berlin (Tarragon Theatre), The Wanderers, Bombay Black, The Sheep and the Whale (Cahoots Theatre Projects), The Ugly One (Theatre Smash), Sultans of the Street and Blue Planet (Young People’s Theatre), amongst many others.

She is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School (technical production), and completed her M.A. in Scenography at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (U.K.) and the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (Utrecht, the Netherlands), and the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab.

Camellia is also a puppet shoe maker with Ronnie Burkett’s Theatre of Marionettes, and also a published picture book author. Her debut picture book, Yaya and the Dan-Tats came out this past September with Annick Press, illustrated by the wonderful, Phoebe Xiao.

Carey Dodge

Technical Director, Sound Engineer

Vancouver, BC

Carey is a creative technologist whose work involves sonic arts, interactivity, installations, sound design, projection design and live performance. He specializes in developing novel immersive sound and projection systems for live performance and installations. These systems often include custom-made software, algorithmic composition, live processing, immersive sound environments and interactivity. He studied Electroacoustics at Concordia University and received a Masters at the Sonic Arts Research Centre in Belfast.
He has been the technology director for Boca del Lupo for over 15 years where he has worked on dozens of projects and collaborated with hundreds of artists. He has worked with the core creative team at Boca del Lupo to continually expand, challenge and grow what is possible and what are impactful uses of technology for expressing artistic vision and connection with each other.

Bocadellupo.com

Skene.Pub Interview

A national exhibition unlike any Canada has brought before: sound-first in a festival built on the visual, curated through a matriarchal lens that invites rather than excludes, and shaped by the PQ 2027 theme of absences and silences. Lisa is the first Indigenous co-curator across Canada’s fourteen editions at Prague, and Mishelle the first to lead with a sound design focus.

It’s a conversation about belonging and displacement, relationality over spectacle, and whether theatre can truly transform the people who enter it.


Tagged:

Artivism

Curation

Design

Donate to support getting artists to Prague!


Producers

April Viczko

Producer

Amiskwaciwâskahikan, Edmonton, AB Treaty 6

April has worked on over 100 productions during the last 30 years. She has designed sets, costumes, lighting, and projections for companies such as Citadel Theatre, Theatre Calgary, The Banff Centre for the Arts, The Only Animal, The Belfry Theatre, Persephone Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Factory Theatre, Vertigo Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Regina’s Globe Theatre, and Kill Your Television.

April is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Drama at the University of Alberta. She is a full member and past president of the Associated Designers of Canada. April was the project lead for World Stage Design 2022, which was co-hosted with CITT/ICTS at the University of Calgary. April is pleased to be in Edmonton, Alberta working in its vibrant and tenacious arts community.

In 2006, she shared the Siminovitch Protégé Prize. In 2000, she received a Tyrone Guthrie Award at the Stratford Festival of Canada, where she spent four seasons as an assistant designer. April has received multiple awards and nominations for her work onstage, for teaching, and her work with international and national arts organizations.

IATSE ADC659, ADC, CITT

Jo Pagnan

Producer

Ka’tarohkwi, ON

Joe Pagnan is a theatre designer, educator, and producer whose work bridges live performance, technology, and immersive storytelling. Recently chair of the Kingston Arts Council, Jo is on the advisory board for ADC Green Initiatives, a member of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, and ex officio board director of Frog In Hand: Stories that Move.

As an instructor at the DAN School of Drama and Music (Queen’s University), they are passionate about mentoring emerging artists and creating collaborative learning environments that encourage curiosity and innovation. Some noticed works includes ARIA: Augmented Reality for Immersive Accessibility, The Assembly, Crossroads Theatre (Dora Nominated); and environment designer of The Curious Voyage (London, UK). Their professional practice spans hundreds of scenic and lighting design projects in dance/opera/theatre, production management, and large-scale experiential events around the world, with a particular interest in environment-specific performance.

Through Living Edge, their creative research explores queer ecologies, examining how performance can cultivate deeper relationships between people, place, and the natural world. Look forward to 2027 when they drop what they cooked up in residency on Cedar Island with the Kick & Push Festival, Tett Centre of Creativity, and Parks Canada. They live with their partner Jeff (holding the memory of their dear coyote rescue, Aspen) in the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee peoples.

This is for you Tanit, we did the thing.

www.joepagnan.ca

IATSE ADC659, ADC, CITT, QUFA, GARN

Denyse Karn

Executive Director (Associated Designers of Canada)

Stratford, ON

Denyse Karn is an acclaimed Canadian designer specializing in set, projection, and costume design. Based in Stratford, Ontario, Denyse is celebrated for her innovative approach to theatre, seamlessly blending artistry with technology to create transformative and visually compelling performance environments. Her practice integrates new technologies, including multimedia, digital imaging, and video projection, enabling her to craft dynamic and immersive spaces that bring stories to life in exciting ways.

Collaboration lies at the heart of Denyse’s creative process. She thrives on working closely with directors, playwrights, fellow designers, and performers, fostering a spirit of experimentation and innovation. Denyse ensures that her designs not only serve the story but also enhance its emotional and visual impact. Whether through a projected image, a meticulously crafted costume, or a striking set piece, her work is a vital part of the storytelling process, captivating audiences and elevating theatrical experiences.

Denyse holds a BFA from NSCAD University and is a graduate of TMU Theatre School. Her contributions to Canadian theatre have been recognized with multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards and nominations, a Chalmers Award, and four Merritt Awards for Outstanding Set, Projection, and Costume Design.

As a full member of the Associated Designers of Canada and IATSE Local ADC659, Denyse continues to push the boundaries of theatrical design, collaborating with creative teams to craft bold and engaging performance spaces that resonate across Canada.

IATSE ADC659, ADC


National Jury & PQ CANADA Committee

David Vivian

National Jury

Niagara, ON

Professor at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

IATSE ADC659, ADC NASO, Brock University MIWSFPA

David Vivian

Shawn Kerwin

National Jury

Tkaronto, ON

Shawn is a set & costume designer with over 50 years of experience designing for theatre and opera companies across Canada, in the US and in England. Her work has been seen around the world with tours to New York, Australia and Europe. She is currently designing sets for The Night Logan Work Up for Artistic Fraud and Tarragon Theatre for fall of 2026 and sets and costumes for La Traviata (Vancouver Opera/ Pacific Opera) and True West (Theatre Calgary) for 2027/28. Shawn taught in York’s Department of Theatre for over 25 years, serving as Chair of the Department between 2003-2009. Between 1992 and 1996 she designed over 250 windows for Tiffany & Co. in Toronto. Her career has allowed her to design classics as well as world premieres, in theatres ranging from small independent companies to Canada’s Stratford Festival.

ADC 659, Professor Emeritus York University

Bridget Steis

National Jury

Hong Kong

Born, raised, and educated in Canada, Bridget developed a profound love for nature, fresh air, multiculturalism and fine food. Presently naturalized in Hong Kong, this critically-acclaimed costume and set designer’s creations have been featured in art house Hong Kong films, and in dance and theatre productions in North America, Asia, & Europe. Specialties including her costume design premiers for the Hong Kong Ballet. An installation and mural artist, Bridget has been commissioned by clients such as The Mandarin Oriental and The Venetian Macao as well as by numerous private collectors. Her fine art continues to challenge, with a refugee-focused piece shortlisted for a Hong Kong Human Rights Art Prize. Present throughout Bridget’s work is a playful yet enriching approach to tackling social, cultural and political issues, along with a harmonious blend of east and west narratives.

Autumn Coppaway

National Jury

Vancouver; BC (Canada) – Unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations

Autumn is the Vice President of the National Board of Directors at Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology/Institut canadien des technologies scénographiques (CITT-ICTS).   

Autumn is a council member of the Canadian Opera Company’s Circle of Artists and sits as Board President for Lucky Penny Opera (Vancouver). She has been involved in consulting and production execution for major collaborations such as Luminato, Edmonton Opera, and various corporate events and galas. She continues to work as a leadership mentor through a variety of educational, cultural, and community projects. She has a BFA from Toronto Metropolitan University and is working on an MSc. in Public Safety from Wilfrid Laurier University. Her past credits include Director of Production for Vancouver Opera; Program Technical Director for the Banff Centre for the Arts; Assistant Technical Director for the Canadian Opera Company; and Production Manager for Against the Grain Theatre.


CITT

The Miikana Project ; National Arts Centre

Stephen Elgar

National Jury

Vancouver, BC

Stephen is a versatile freelance Scenographer, Prop Builder, and Scenic Painter located in Vancouver, situated on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Since 2020, Stephen has held the position of Head of Properties at Vancouver Opera, contributing to the vibrant cultural scene in the city.

His extensive portfolio includes collaborations with notable organizations such as Search Party Productions, Firehall Arts Centre, Renaissance Opera, Ne Sans Opera, and Douglas College. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University, Stephen earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance Production, specializing in Scenic and Costume Design and Construction. Stephen also has a diploma in Industrial Design from Emily Carr University of Art and Design as well as a Certificate in Small Business Management from the British Columbia Institute for Technology. 

Upon moving to Vancouver, Stephen started working with vintage furniture and developed a love of all thing’s furniture before returning to the theatre industry. Now with almost 15 years experience Stephen brings a unique touch to his craft.

Brian Postalian

National Jury

Tkaronto, ON

Brian Postalian (Բրայն Փոսթալյան) is an arts administrator, educator, and creator born and raised in Toronto/Tkaronto by way of Armenia, Ireland, Wales, and the Czech Republic. Brian is the founding Artistic Director of Re:Current Theatre, which is dedicated to creating work that reimagines gathering. Together with his company, he produced the sold-out SummerWorks hit The Smile Off Your Face and most recently the digital tour of New Societies from Upintheair Theatre’s eVolver Festival to Kingston’s Kick & Push Festival and into Crow’s Theatre’s main season programming. Brian’s work has been featured on “Best of the Year” lists, received Outstanding Direction (NOW Magazine), Best Production (SummerWorks 2017), nomination for Outstanding Direction (MyEntertainmentWorld), and continues to make collaborative work that redefines what we think of as theatre. A reviewer once described him as “clearly unafraid to try just about anything.” His work co-creating Access Me with the Boys in Chairs collective will be published by Playwrights Canada Press as part of Interdependent Magic: Disability Performance in Canada(Link opens in a new tab) in Spring 2022.

Brian currently lives on the unceded Coast Salish territory of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations.

 www.brianpostalian.com

Brandon Kleiman

National Jury

Hamilton, ON

Brandon is a set and costume designer based in Hamilton with work appearing on stages across Canada. He’s had the pleasure to design at The Stratford Festival, Drayton Entertainment, Mirvish Productions, Theatre Aquarius, The Grand Theatre, Canadian Stage Co., The Globe Theatre, Young Peoples Theatre, Neptune Theatre, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Buddies In Bad Times, Thousand Islands Playhouse and countless other independent companies across our country. Brandon is a multiple Dora award nominee and two-time winner. He’s also won a Merritt Award for his work bringing Viola Desmond to life in the world premier or Controlled Damage in Halifax.

www.brandonkleimandesign.com

IATSE ADC 659

Snežana Pešić

National Jury, Chair of the PQ & Grants Committees

Toronto, ON

Her work has been seen across Canada and internationally. In Canada, she collaborated with companies such as the Banff Centre, Soulpepper Theatre, Canadian Stage, Crow’s Theatre, The Confederation Centre of the Arts, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre New Brunswick, Against the Grain, Ghost River, Obsidian, Volcano, Odyssey Theatre, Native Earth, and Cahoots, among others. Internationally, her designs were toured and performed in the US, Norway, and Serbia. In addition, Pesic’s designs have been presented in numerous international exhibitions, including the Prague Quadrennial (2007 and 2015), World Stage Design in (2009, Seoul and 2013, Cardiff), Innovative Costume of 21st Century; Next Generation and Costume at the Turn of the Century (Moscow, 2019 and 2015). Snežana designed and curated the Canadian Professional Exhibition, Individuality, and Interconnection at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space in 2019. As part of the exhibit, designer Michael Levine received Canada’s first-ever PQ Award for Excellence in Performance Design.  

Pešić is the recipient of the Betty Mitchell Award for outstanding lighting design and production, the Prix Rideau Award nominee for outstanding set and costume design and was shortlisted for the Pauline McGibbon Award for emerging theatre artists. She is a graduate of the MFA program in Theatre Design at the University of Alberta and the BFA and MFA programs in Costume Design at the University of Belgrade, Serbia.

IATSE ADC659, OISTAT

Ken MacKenzie

PQ Committee, Grants

Saskatoon, SK

Ken Mackenzie is an award-winning set, lighting, costume, and video designer whose work has appeared on stages across Canada, the United States and Europe. Ken was born and lived most of his life in Toronto but has recently moved to Saskatoon with his wife and kids where he has taken on a faculty position at the University of Saskatchewan.

Ken’s recent credits include the Set design for Is God Is at Canadian Stage, and Sherlock Holmes and the Raven’s Curse at the Shaw Festival.  Other credits include: Almighty Voice and his Wife, Jesus Hopped the A Train, Betrayal (Soulpepper), Towards Youth, Stars: Together (Crow’s Theatre), Angels in America (Arts Club Theatre) The Events, (Necessary Angel Theatre Company).

Since 2017, Ken has been the president of the Associated Designers of Canada/IATSE local ADC659.
IATSE ADC659, ADC NASO

Rachel Forbes

PQ Committee

Tkaronto, ON

Rachel Forbes is an award-winning set and costume designer creating for theatre, dance and film. Her work has been seen across the country on stages including at the Shaw Festival, Buddies in Bad Times, Obsidian Theatre, Neptune Theatre, Young People’s Theatre, Centaur Theatre and many more. She has designed, mentored and taught at Ryerson University. Rachel is currently serving on the board of directors of the Associated Designers of Canada. Rachel received a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her costume design for The Brothers Size (Soulpepper Theatre, 2019) and a Robert Merritt Award for her set design for The Bridge (2B/Neptune Theatre, 2019).

Rachel is particularly interested in the development of new works and interdisciplinary explorations. She has been experimenting with designer-led theatre projects and is keen to integrate design into the text creation process. Rachel is invested in exploring the artistic expressions of the African diaspora in North America and beyond. Much of her work has focused on creating worlds for these stories on stage.

IATSE ADC659, ADC NASO

Ian Garrett

PQ Committee, Grants

Tkaronto, ON

Ian Garrett is a distinguished designer, producer, educator, and researcher specializing in sustainability within arts and culture. Currently, he serves as a producer for Toasterlab, an innovative mixed reality performance collective and media production company. Additionally, he is the Venue Manager and Producer for Venue 13 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. As an academic leader, he is the Professor of Ecological Design for Performance at York University in Toronto, and he also directs the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts. He maintains an active professional and research practice strongly focused on the dynamic intersection of ecology and accessible mixed reality technologies in live performance. A founding member of IATSE ADC 659, he also sits on the boards of the Associated Designers of Canada’s national service organization; Counterpart, providing management and staffing alternatives for US artists; and Future 13 SCIO, a United Kingdom charity supporting accessible, sustainable, hybrid festival performances.

IATSE ADC 659, York University
IanPGarrett.com
Toasterlab
Venue13

T. Erin Gruber

PQ Committee, Grants

Amiskwaciwâskahikan, Edmonton, Treaty 6

T. Erin Gruber is an artist and educator. She works professionally as a visual storyteller and live performance designer with experience in set, lighting, costume and projected media design. She is an MFA Theatre Design graduate of, and professor at, the University of Alberta and lives in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton, AB, CA).

Her theatre and dance projects have toured nationally and internationally. In June 2019 her design work was featured at the Prague Quadrennial International Design Exhibition (PQ) and in 2023 she produced the Canadian National Exhibition at the PQ. She is committed to combining the powers of visual communication with the passion and emotion of live performance. The projects that excite her most connect her core values of compassion, empathetic awakening and joyful experience with the public. For more information visit her online: www.eringruber.com

IATSE ADC659, ADC NASO

Wladimiro Woyno Rodriguez

PQ Committee

Vancouver, BC

Wladimiro A. Woyno R. is a designer and technologist passionate about live performance. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, he holds a M.F.A. in Design from Yale School of Drama and a B.F.A. in Theatre Design and production from The University of British Columbia. A devoted collaborator with the creative teams of several companies, he is often prototyping tools, processes, images, and environments that engage the sensory imagination. With a technical background in lighting, video, and staging, his work explores the adaptation of new technologies into the theatrical tradition. He is Interested in the development of rapid prototyping tools, scenography, theatrical spaces, media servers, documentation systems, and show control systems. He is an avid learner, constantly creating, inventing, and exploring.

His credits include: Since I Can Remember (The Wooster Group, USA); Kiss (Yale Repertory Theatre, USA); Parade (Nederlands Dans Theater, Netherlands); The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst (Ghost River Theatre, Canada); This American Wife (Next Door @ NYTW, USA); Salome (M3 Productions, USA); If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka, Bulgaria! Revolt!, The Merchant of Venice (Yale School of Drama, USA); RE:UNION (Yale Cabaret, USA); Gallery+Lumia (Yale Art Gallery, USA); Ziriguidum (Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Canada); and Sometime Between Now and When the Sun Goes Supernova (Theatre Junction, Canada)

He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Theatre Production and Design Area at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts.

IATSE ADC659, ADC NASO

Carmen Alatorre

PQ Committee

Vancouver, BC

While studying a bachelor’s degree in art history in my former life in Mexico City, I fell in love with theatre and its visual language. I feel lucky for my childhood years, spent surrounded by scraps of fabric since my mother had a home-based sewing business. This sparked a lifelong curiosity about the creative and sculptural potential of textiles and other materials. Soon I found myself exploring several drawing, painting and sculpting workshops while developing a small silversmithing atelier.

These unrelated skills, put together, made great sense for the imagery of the theatre arts making, so I eventually decided to devote myself to performance design, in which I find myself constantly inspired, motivated and at home. As a Latina immigrant artist and having designed over 80 productions, I am grateful to be able to live and work in the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam xwməθkwəy̓ əm, Squamish Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Tsleil-Waututh səl̓ilwətaɁɬ First Nations (Vancouver) since 2006 and most recently in the Lekwungen lək̓ wəŋən people territories. I earned an MFA in theatre design from the University of British Columbia, where I have taught as an adjunct professor and have recently become an assistant professor in performance design at the University of Victoria, Theatre department.

I am the recipient of 4 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards for Outstanding Costume Design: 2014/15 in the large theatre category, 2016/17 in both large and small theatre categories and 2021/2022 LARGE THEATRE, as well as an Applause Musicals Society Ovation Award for Outstanding Costume Design in 2013.

IATSE ADC659, CALTAC, IATSI 891

Simon Rossiter

PQ Committee

Treasurer ADC NASO

Tkaronto, ON

Simon Rossiter is a Toronto-based lighting designer who occasionally designs scenery. He has created more than 250 original designs, including works for Ballett am Rhein; Citadel+Compagnie; the National Ballet of Canada; Soulpepper Theatre Company; Sudbury Theatre Centre; Théâtre français de Toronto; Theatre New Brunswick; Toronto Dance Theatre; and he is the Director of Design of Fall for Dance North. Past collaborations with CôtéDanse include  x(Dix)  and Touch. Simon is the recipient of three Dora Mavor Moore awards and six nominations for outstanding lighting design and was twice nominated for the Ontario Arts Council’s Pauline McGibbon award. Simon also serves as the Business Agent for the Associated Designers of Canada, IATSE Local ADC659.

IATSE ADC659, ADC NASO

Michelle Ramsay

PQ Committee,

Chair of ADC NASO

Tkaronto, ON

Michelle Ramsay is an award-winning lighting designer who has created designs for dance, theatre, and opera companies across Canada and around the world. The evolution of Michelle’s unique aesthetic can be seen throughout her 20-year career on the spectrum between small, independent shows and large-scale productions.

Selected designs: acts of faith, Lady Sunrise (Factory Theatre); Sherlock Holmes and the Raven’s Curse, The Russian Play (Shaw Festival); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Our Town (Theatre Rusticle); Broken Tailbone (Nightswimming); Shanawdihit (Tapestry Opera); Lilies (lemonTree Creations/Why Not); School Girls(Obsidian/Nightwood); The Royale(Soulpepper); Daughter (Quiptake/Pandemic); The Magic Hour – co-designed with Jennifer Tipton (Jess Dobkin).

Michelle has also been a coach and mentor at the National Theatre School, X University, and Humber College. She is co-founder of the Designer’s Guild (a national social media discussion group) and on the Board of the Associated Designers of Canada.

IATSE ADC659, ADC NASO

Kimberly Purtell

PQ Committee,

Vice Chair ADC Naso

Tkaronto, ON

Kimberly Purtell is a Toronto-based lighting designer for theatre, opera, and dance. Her designs have been critically acclaimed across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Hong Kong, and Mongolia, as well as in Prague and Moscow.

She has designed for leading companies, including Mirvish Productions, the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival, Canadian Stage, Soulpepper Theatre Company, the National Arts Centre and the NAC Orchestra, Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera Philadelphia, Edmonton Opera, Theatre Calgary, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Citadel Theatre, Place des Arts, Dancemakers, BoucharDanse, and Toronto Dance Theatre, among many others. She has also designed productions for the Pan Am Games and the Vancouver and Beijing Cultural Olympiads.

Kimberly is a multi-award-winning designer, recognized with three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the Pauline McGibbon Award, a Montreal English Theatre Award, a Toronto Theatre Critics Award, an Ottawa Critics Circle Award, and the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award.

Kimberly is the Vice-President of IATSE Local ADC659 and the Associated Designers of Canada. 


IATSE ADC659, ADC NASO


Partners & Sponsors

Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology / Institut canadien des technologies scénographiques (CITT/ICTS)

Partner

CITT/ICTS is a national arts service organization that actively promotes the professional development of its members and works 
for the betterment of the Canadian Live Performance Community.
CITT/ICTS provides its members with unique opportunities to communicate, network, and enhance their knowledge and skills through online roundtables, commissions, workshops, conferences, trade shows, the Callboard electronic forum (soon to be replaced by a new digital interactive community platform!), and various publications in the areas of technology, management, design, architecture, and education for live performance in Canada

The National Office is based in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal on unceded Indigenous lands. Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on which we gather today.

www.citt.org

Canada’s Theatre Museum

Partner

Canada’s Theatre Museum is honoured to be working on what were and are the ancestral lands of the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Anishinabek Nation, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The site of the museum in present day Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

Canada’s Theatre Museum

Prague CZ

Partner

The Prague Quadrennial (PQ)
is the world’s largest event dedicated
to scenography, performance design,
and performance space.


PQ aims to create opportunities for
the presentation of contemporary
scenography, performance design,
and performance space, to map and
support innovative work in the field,
and to provide an inclusive platform
for dialogue among professionals,
students, and the broader public.

www.pq.cz

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