Theatre NS Board
Theatre Nova Scotia is a not-for-profit charitable organization and is governed by a Board of Directors elected each year by members in good standing at the TNS Annual General Meeting.
Executive
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Chris O'Neill, Co-ChairChris O'Neill (she/her) is a professional actor and playwright who co-founded Two Planks and a Passion Theatre and the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, where she is the Executive Director. |
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Elsa Pihl, Co-Chair & TreasurerGrowing up just outside of Stratford, Ontario, Elsa was exposed to theatre at a young age. For post-secondary education, she decided to pursue Theatre Studies at Acadia University because of their unique program that provided training and hands-on experience in all aspects of theatre. After graduation, she moved to Toronto and began a career as a Stage Manager. Twelve years, four moves and two children later, the East Coast called her and her family back. Elsa feels like the combination of her stage management experience, various retail jobs, and parenthood helped to prepare her for her current role as General Manager at Eastern Front Theatre. Elsa is eager to get involved with TNS’s board and help the organization evolve into the future. |
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Logan Robins, Co-SecretaryLogan (he/him) is a Halifax-based director, actor, puppeteer, and writer. Since graduating from the Fountain School of Performing Arts in the spring of 2019, he has trained as a puppeteer at the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, worked as an actor with Theatre Baddeck, as a producer with Theatre du Poulet, and as a director and founder of The Unnatural Disaster Theatre Company. Currently, Logan is working on creating an anthology play called “Forest Town”, which will premiere in late February 2020. He is passionate about collaboration and community building within the arts, the bridge between science and theatre, and finding innovative ways for artists to tell important stories about the world around them. His (proverbial) door is always open and he loves talking about theatre. |
Directors
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David Zinck, Co-SecretaryDavid Zinck is an art educator who works for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE). He currently serves as the Fine Arts Department Head for the Halifax Regional Arts, a supplementary funded school under the HRCE. As a high school drama teacher, David has been involved in more than 21 theatrical productions and has proudly brought students to the Nova Scotia High School Drama Festival for more than 20 years. He is a past board member of Eastern Front Theatre and currently serves as Vice President and Conference Chair for the Education Drama Association of Nova Scotia (EDANS), a professional association under the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. As a performer, David is a 3 time Halifax Slam Poetry team member who represented Halifax in the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Ottawa, Victoria, and here at home in Halifax. David is also a high school coach for the Canadian Improv Games and has attended the Canadian Improv Games National Festival several times. David is Dartmouth-born and Dartmouth proud. |
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Colleen MacIsaacColleen MacIsaac (they/she) is a multi-disciplinary performance and visual artist working in Kjipuktuk /Halifax. The former Managing Director of 2b theatre company and current Artistic Producer of The Villains Theatre, Colleen is a consultant at Strategic Arts Management and an avid supporter of The Bus Stop Theatre. Colleen has drawn over a thousand playwrights as part of a daily art project that has been ongoing for 3070 consecutive days and has performed with companies such as Xara Choral Theatre, Matchstick Theatre, and Lions Den Theatre. Colleen's play The Blazing World premiered at the Neptune Studio Theatre as part of the Open Stages program, and they are the winner of the Halifax Mayor's Award for Emerging Theatre Artist and the Bhayana Invisible Champion Award. See more of Colleen's work at littlefoible.net |
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Kristi WenausKristi is the owner and principal of Stagecoach Halifax - Performing Arts School for Children. Theatre has been in Kristi's blood since she first started "performing" at her parent's dinner parties when she was 5 years old. As a performing arts student all through her youth, she continued her education into college, studying Theatre Arts at Dalhousie University, eventually working as a singer and an actress in film and on stage and travelling the world. She eventually returned home to Nova Scotia to raise her family and her professional focus switched to International Business Development and Marketing in the tourism and hospitality field. Her passion for the theatre never died through and she is thrilled to be bringing her business management skills and commitment to children's performing arts education to the board of Theatre Nova Scotia. |
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Franziska GlenFranziska Glen (she/her) is an actor, puppeteer and theatre maker living in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. She is co-founder of Gale Force Theatre and is interested in theatre for young audiences, puppetry and in creating new work. Most recently she performed in Bouée with Satellite Théâtre (Moncton, NB) and Crypthand with Gale Force Theatre (Halifax, NS) and Ship's Theatre Company (Parrsboro, NS) which won the Theatre Nova Scotia Outstanding Emerging Production Award. She has worked and collaborated with Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, North Barn Theatre Collective and Bagel and Ballon. Franziska has trained in puppetry with Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, Bread and Puppet and in 2022 completed an apprenticeship with the River Clyde Pageant. Franziska is currently working on two new projects with Gale Force Theatre, Honey Harbour, an serialised audio drama for middle grades and While We Wait, a puppet show for children. She is the winner of the 2021 Theatre Nova Scotia Emerging Artist Award. |
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Briana Lynch-RankinBriana Lynch-Rankin (she/her) grew up and currently lives in Antigonish, NS and is now an X-Ray Technologist at St. Martha's Regional Hospital. Growing up in Antigonish allowed Briana to be exposed to theatre at a young age. She has volunteered with both FAST and Theatre Antigonish (TA) for many years. Briana had the opportunity to be an Apprentice SM of FAST and SM for FAST's Young Company in the past. Briana's work with TA, a community theatre company, began as an usher as a teenager and transitioned to on stage in 2002. She has continued with both on stage and back stage credits with TA since. Briana is also currently Vice Chair of the FAST and TA volunteer boards.
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Sean K.BurkeSean is a 35 year veteran of the Nova Scotia theatre scene.
He has work as a technician and/or designer for many of the provinces theatres.
He specializes in Lighting design.
He Has worked at Neptune theatre for over 20 years as a technician and can usually be found lurking in the Studio.
He is the 2018 Merritt winner as Outstanding Technician.
He looks forward to his time on the board where he will focus on issues concerning technicians, Designers, and Stage Managers
He is a member of IATSE680 and IATSE/ADC659
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Mary HannemanOriginally from PEI, affectionately known as the land of “Anne,” Mary's fascination with theatre blossomed during her childhood, captivated by performances at the Confederation Centre. However, it was through figure skating that she initially discovered her passion for the impact of performing . Her involvement in an innovative ice musical, guided by the renowned Anne Schelter, left an enduring impression, igniting a lifelong love for performing. While pursuing studies in Nova Scotia, Mary introduced theatre-on-ice to the Wolfville Skating Club. Years later as she moved into education as a school counsellor, she seized the opportunity to nurture her students' passion for performing, staging numerous large-scale musical productions.In the early 2000s, Mary established in the Annapolis Valley, a theatre group for teenagers out of a church basement. Over the past two decades, this initiative has evolved into the vibrant community theatre company known as Stage Prophets, culminating in last year's arena production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" involving over 220 individuals. Mary is committed to the privilege to serve on the Board for Theatre Nova Scotia. She looks forward to continuing to foster collaborative partnerships, believing in the power of uniting amateur theatre schools and community groups to create vibrant theatre experiences. |
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Ingrid RiskIngrid (she/her) has enjoyed a richly varied production career which has led her to take on a variety of roles such as stage manager, designer, technical director, production manager, prop builder, technician, and carpenter. Ingrid has helped shape venue design, curated arts-theatre spaces, taught theatre stagecraft courses at StFX University, and mentored young professionals.Ingrid has worked with many leading Atlantic theatre companies. She has toured extensively, taking productions to venues nationally and internationally, from Labrador to the Yukon to NYC, including several stops at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and the Cultural Olympiad at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Before returning to FAST as production manager, Ingrid’s focus had been on lighting design and stage management where she has received countless nominations for her work, and is the recipient of several Theatre Nova Scotia Merritt Awards. Her passion is for spare, interesting, and meaningful pieces of theatre that convey important ideas about the human experience. |
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Ryan SadlerRyan Sadler is the Drama teacher at Auburn Drive High School in Cole Harbour teaching Drama 10,11,12. He is a new member-at-large with TNS. |
