NAC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees
- Chairman, NAC Board of Trustees
Adrian Burns was appointed Chair of the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees on December 11, 2014, and has served on the NAC Board of Trustees since 2002. In addition to her recent appointment as Chair of the NAC, Ms. Burns has also served as Vice Chair and as the Chair of the Human Resources Committee.
Ms. Burns has dedicated her career to Canadian broadcasting and the arts, education, corporate and public governance, and community involvement. A true community leader, Adrian has been recognized publicly for her dedication to many organizations and causes, including being named an Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy (2012); the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012); the Government of Saskatchewan Centennial Medal (2005); the Government of Saskatchewan Distinguished Service Award (2005), and the Order of Ottawa (2016). She received a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) from both the University of Regina (2012) and Carleton University (2016). Adrian Burns is a member of the CDS Council.
A businesswoman, Adrian Burns holds business real estate interests in Western Canada. She is a director of SHAW Communications, has been a member of the Copyright Board of Canada, and Chair of the Western Independent Producers Fund of CanWest Global Television. From 1988 to 1995, she was a Commissioner of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Prior to joining the CRTC, she was Business Editor for CFCN-TV in Calgary, and held the positions of anchor, writer, and producer between 1981 and 1988.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Principal
- Director of Canada 's NAC Orchestra
Alexander Shelley succeeded Pinchas Zukerman as Music Director of Canada's NAC Orchestra in September 2015. The ensemble has since been praised as being "transformed... hungry, bold, and unleashed" (Ottawa Citizen) and Shelley's programming credited for turning the orchestra into "one of the more audacious in North America" (Maclean's).
Shelley is a champion of Canadian creation; recent hallmarks include the multimedia projects Life Reflected and UNDISRUPTED,and three major new ballets in partnership with NAC Dance for Encount3rs. He is passionate about arts education and nurturing the next generation of musicians. He is an Ambassador for Ottawa's OrKidstra, a charitable social development program that teaches children life skills through making music together.
Alexander Shelley is also the Principal Associate Conductor of London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and, starting with the 2024-2025 season, Artistic and Music Director of Artis-Naples and the Naples Philharmonic in Florida, USA. In the spring of 2019, he led the NAC Orchestra on its critically acclaimed 50th Anniversary European tour, and in 2017, he led the Orchestra in a tour across Canada, celebrating Canada's 150th anniversary. Most recently, he led the Orchestra in its first performance at New York's Carnegie Hall in 30 years.
He has made eight recordings with the NAC Orchestra, including the JUNO-nominated New Worlds, Life Reflected, ENCOUNT3RS, The Bounds of Our Dreams, and the acclaimed Clara, Robert, Johannes four-album series, all with Canadian label Analekta.
Angela was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees June 2019.
Angela is an arts management consultant providing collaborative leadership in initiatives that enhance and enrich communities in Canada and abroad. For over twenty years she has served in business planning, advocacy and resource development, for municipal, provincial and national agencies and many arts organizations and institutions.
A seasoned advisor in government arts investment, Angela provides ongoing support to Australia Council for the Arts in the development of a flexible and responsive support framework for Australia's major performing arts organizations. Her portfolio has included all of Canada's professional orchestras and opera companies, organizations in theatre, the visual arts and museums sectors as well as industry associations. Her work with orchestras and opera companies at Canada Council for the Arts and Saskatchewan Arts Board from 1997 - 2007 coincided with a period of robust artistic and organizational development, audience renewal and Canadian creation.
Angela is honoured to have leveraged significant investment for renewed cultural policy objectives and capital expansion projects in the cultural sector. As a Board Member and President, she served New Brunswick Youth Orchestra in the implementation of Canada's first Sistema orchestra program, currently reaching over 1,000 children five days a week in eight municipalities. She has served on the Board of Orchestras Canada and chaired a number of United Way campaigns. A native of Manitoba and based on Ottawa, Angela holds a Masters in Music from Université Laval and an MBA from University of Ottawa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Executive Director of Strategy and Communications
Job Titles:
- Member of the NAC French Theatre Team
- Associate Producer, Zones Thé Trales and Special Projects Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Executive Director of Operations, Security and Parking Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Managing Director, National Creation Fund and Professional Development
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- President
- Managing Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra
- President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada 's National Arts Centre
Christopher Deacon was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada's National Arts Centre in June 2018. Throughout his career, he has been a champion of the arts in Canada who believes in supporting ambitious new creation and propelling Canadian artists on the world stage. He is also a strong proponent of making performing arts centres more open, accessible, and engaged with their communities. His first year as President and CEO celebrated the 50th anniversary season of the NAC with a number of special initiatives, including a European Tour by the NAC Orchestra, and an open house that welcomed thousands of Canadians to backstage tours and performances.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, Christopher Deacon has guided the organization through a challenging financial situation, and focused on leading and supporting the renewal of the Canadian performing arts sector - the vision of the NAC's three-year Strategic Plan, The Next Act. Under his leadership, the NAC artistic team has created many new digital initiatives in support of that vision, most notably #CanadaPerforms, which provided financial support (from privately raised funds) to 700 Canadian artists from across the country for their online performances. The two-year partnership now supports livestreamed performances at the NAC and in venues nationwide. The NAC has also spearheaded research about Canadians' attitudes toward returning to live arts and culture, and has published national re-opening guidelines for performing arts organizations and venues.
Christopher Deacon has prioritized diversity, equity and inclusion at the National Arts Centre. His tenure included the landmark launch of Indigenous Theatre and its highly successful first season in 2019-2020. More recently, he enabled NAC artistic leaders to bring forward initiatives such as the naming of Montreal's Black Theatre Workshop as Co-Curating Company of NAC English Theatre; the programming of an increasing number of IBPoC artists and companies; the hiring of a Director of Equity and Inclusion; and anti-racism training at the Board, Senior Management and staff levels of the organization.
During his 22 years as Managing Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Christopher Deacon was the driving force behind numerous ambitious initiatives. He led the Orchestra to tour nationally and internationally, including the seven-city China Tour in 2013 that included eight concerts and 80 education events, as well as the 2014 UK Tour, the largest Canadian initiative overseas to mark the centenary of Canada's entry into the First World War. He spearheaded Life Reflected, a multidisciplinary, critically acclaimed NAC commission that the Orchestra performed across Canada, and in Europe in 2019. He also led the Committee overseeing the NAC's recent Architectural Rejuvenation and Production Renewal Projects.
Christopher Deacon trained as a composer, studying piano, harmony and solfège at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec in Hull. He later received a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from the University of Toronto. He lives in Ottawa with his wife Gwen Goodier. They have a daughter, Charlotte, and he is stepfather to Katherine and Peter.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Managing Director, English Theatre
Appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees July 2021, Derral Moriyama, MBA, is President and CEO of Moriyama Consulting Inc. With over 40 years of experience in the banking industry and private industry, Derral possesses a wealth of knowledge and strong contacts in the business community across Canada. Prior to his retirement in 2017, Mr. Moriyama was with BMO Financial Group for 31 years, where he held a number of senior executive positions in commercial and corporate banking, natural resource account management, risk management and retail banking. In their Toronto headquarters Mr. Moriyama served as Senior Vice President in Business Banking, responsible for national strategy development and sales for the Canadian small business and mid-market areas as well as responsibility for Agriculture and New Canadian Strategy Development for the Canadian market. After moving to Vancouver in 2003 he became Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking in British Columbia and later Senior Vice President, Business Development for Western Canada.
Derral has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Toronto and completed executive development programs at the Kellogg School of Business in Chicago as well as the Banff School of Management. His board and volunteer experience includes serving as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel for 39 Signal Regiment, Chair of the Pacific Region for the Canadian Forces Liaison Council, Co-Chair of the JTFP Advisory Committee on Diversity, Knighted by the Sovereign Order of St John, Chair of Northstar Trade Finance, Vancouver Board of Trade (Chair, Economic Development Committee), Vancouver Foundation, Founding Member and Treasurer of the B.C. Football Hall of Fame, Vancouver Aquarium (Past Chair), Board member of Oceanografic Aquarium and Foundation in Valencia Spain, National Nikkei Museum, New Car Dealers Association of B.C., RCMP Diversity Council, Co-Chair of the Arts Club / Bard on the Beach Capital Campaign for the West First Theater project and board member, Bard on the Beach. Mr. Moriyama also serves in an advisory capacity to numerous companies and charitable organizations not listed above.
France Bélisle was born and raised in Gatineau (Hull sector). As the first woman mayor of Gatineau, she marked the return of an independent mayor's office to Quebec's fourth largest city.
A woman of action and conviction focused on results, she also brings her determination, enthusiasm and love of people to the residents of Gatineau.
A journalist by training, Mayor Bélisle spent 18 years at Radio-Canada, where she held various positions including director of public relations and public engagement in the office of the president of CBC/Radio-Canada. From 2015 to 2021, she was the general manager of Outaouais Tourism. Her mandate as head of the tourism association, which has more than 500 member organizations, was to raise the profile of the region in order to attract more tourists from across Canada and beyond.
France Bélisle holds a BA in journalism from the University of Ottawa and an MA in Journalism Studies from Carleton University. Throughout her career, she has taken numerous courses in human and financial resources management, governance and planning.
Job Titles:
- Orchestra Creative Partner
Guy Pratte was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees in January 2023.
An award-winning and highly sought-after lawyer, Guy Pratte has experience in complex commercial litigation (including class actions), administrative law and constitutional law cases.
Guy is one of the most frequent advocates to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), pleading in French or English, in cases involving either common law or Québec civil law. He also pleads before the Superior and Appeal Courts of Ontario and Québec, the Federal Court (FC) and Federal Court of Appeal (FCA).
Guy Pratte was named to the Order of Canada in 2022 in recognition of his contributions as a lawyer, notably to pro bono work, and for his volunteer commitments to the performing arts. He was the National Arts Centre Foundation's first Chair of the NAC Foundation and a member of the Stratford Festival Board of Governors for several years. He was the first president of Pro Bono Québec and subsequently Chair of Pro Bono Ontario.
Job Titles:
- Member of the NAC French Theatre Team
- Assistant to the Artistic Director and Project Manager
Guy Warin
Assistant to the Artistic Director
and Project Manager
guy.warin@nac-cna.ca
Heather Gibson is responsible for all non-orchestral music curation, and summer and community programming at the National Arts Centre (NAC). Heather and her team work with artists from all backgrounds -- from the most exciting new artists to the all-time greats -- to bring the best of the world to the NAC's stages, and the best of Canada to the world. Since joining the NAC team in 2016, Heather has been connecting and elevating artists via innovative and inclusive programs around the globe, including: EXPO 2020 in Dubai, which showcased the breadth and diversity of Canada's performing arts community and brought 130 artists to the UAE over six months; COP15, the United Nations' biodiversity conference in Montreal; and the Global Network for Women Music Producers, an initiative to support women and non-binary music producers that so far totals 35 members in six countries, offering an international network for producers and a resource for artists and record labels. Heather's commitment to the constantly evolving landscape of the arts continues by working to develop emerging performers, and deliver an equitable representation on our stages for women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ2S+ artists. In a direct and immediate response to the Covid-19 pandemic, in March 2020 Heather created the emergency artist relief fund #CanadaPerforms, which provided a season's worth of funding to nearly 700 performing artists and authors, non-profit festivals, and organizations. In the pandemic's first six months, #CanadaPerforms distributed almost a million dollars to arts workers across the country. Originally from Manitoba, Heather built her career in the performing arts in Halifax, where she was a successful artist manager, co-owner of Halifax's iconic queer listening room The Company House, and producer of multiple festivals and special events, including the Halifax Jazz Festival and In the Dead of Winter Music Festival.
Job Titles:
- Director of Artistic Administration at the Orchestre
- Director of Artistic Administration, Orchestre Symphonique De Québec
Joël Brouillette has been the director of artistic administration at the Orchestre symphonique de Québec since September 2017. A trained hornist, he was a member of the Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke and the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville and freelanced for several Quebec orchestras. He also plays horn for and has toured multiple times with the eclectic band l'Orkestre des Pas Perdus.
He taught horn for a number of years in secondary schools, including Collège Régina Assumpta, Collège Ste‑Anne in Lachine and École secondaire Pierre-Laporte, where he also taught music literature. He has also spent many a summer at the Camp Musical d'Asbestos.
Joël has always been interested in the administrative side of music, holding roles at several key organizations in the Quebec music scene over the years. Most notably, he was director of artistic operations for the I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra, personnel director for the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville for over a decade, librarian for the jury of the Concours musical international de Montréal, director of operations for the Orchestre de la Francophonie and head judge for the Fédération des harmonies et des orchestres symphoniques du Québec.
Joël Brouillette is a graduate of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, Université de Montréal and the State University of New York.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
- Company Manager
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees
Julia Foster was appointed as Chair of the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees in July, 2006.
She has extensive experience in arts and culture, particularly with not-for-profit boards.
Ms. Foster is the immediate Past Chair of the 13th Annual Canadian Arts Summit, Past Chair of the Ontario Arts Council, and of the Stratford Festival of Canada. At York University, she is a member of the Board of Governors and Chair of the Faculty of Fine Arts Advisory Board. Ms. Foster is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund; former trustee of the Bata Shoe Museum; past member of the Art Gallery of Ontario's Public Affairs Committee; and a past advisory council member of the Centre for Cultural Management at the University of Waterloo.
Her professional background in market research and financial management includes senior administration positions at McCann Erickson Advertising of Canada, Environics Research Group, and Olympic Trust of Canada, where she was President and CEO.
Ms. Foster's community contributions include the Advisory Board of the Non-profit Management and Leadership Program at the Schulich School of Business. In addition, she has been active on various international corporate boards, including the Board of Directors of Brascan Corporation, and a trustee of the Hospital for Sick Children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Instructor in the Fundraising Management Program at Toronto Metropolitan University
Executive Chef Kenton Leier brings enthusiasm, passion, and creativity to the kitchens at Canada's National Arts Centre.
Job Titles:
- Artist and Leader
- Artistic Director, Indigenous Theatre Nlaka'Pamux Nation, B.C.
Kevin Loring provides a powerful voice for Indigenous culture and history through his satirical play Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer.
Kevin Loring is an accomplished Canadian playwright, actor and director and was the winner of the Governor General's Award for English Language Drama for his outstanding play, Where the Blood Mixes in 2009. The play explores the intergenerational effects of the residential school system. It toured nationally and was presented at the National Arts Centre in 2010, when Loring was serving as the NAC's Playwright in Residence.
A Nlaka'pamux from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia, Loring created the Songs of the Land project in 2012 in partnership with five separate organizations in his home community. The project explores 100-year-old audio recordings of songs and stories of the N'lakap'amux People. Loring has written two new plays based on his work with the community including Battle of the Birds, about domestic violence and power abuse, and The Boy Who Was Abandoned, about youth and elder neglect.
A versatile artist and leader Loring has served as the co-curator of the Talking Stick Festival, as Artist in Residence at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, as Artistic Director of the Savage Society in Vancouver, as a Documentary Producer of Canyon War: The Untold Story, and as the Project Leader/Creator, and Director of the Songs of the Land project in his home community of Lytton First Nation.
Kimball Sykes joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as principal clarinet in 1985.
Born in Vancouver, he received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of British Columbia where he studied with Ronald deKant. In 1982 Mr. Sykes was a member of the National Youth Orchestra and was awarded the first of two Canada Council grants to study with Robert Marcellus in Chicago. He has participated in the Banff School of Fine Arts Festival, the Scotia Festival, the Orford Festival and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.
He has performed and toured with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. While in Vancouver, he was a founding member of the Vancouver Wind Trio. From 1983 to 1985 he was principal clarinet of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Sykes has performed as a soloist with the NAC Orchestra on numerous occasions. In May 2000, he gave the premiere performance of Vagues immobiles, a clarinet concerto by Alain Perron commissioned for him by the NAC, and in November 2002, he performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto, both conducted by Pinchas Zukerman. Other groups he has appeared with as soloist include Thirteen Strings, the Honolulu Symphony and the Auckland Philharmonia.
Mr. Sykes has performed numerous solo and chamber music programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He can be heard on the recent Chamber Players of Canada recording of Schubert's Octet. He has also recorded the Mozart Clarinet Quintet with Pinchas Zukerman and NAC Orchestra principal musicians Donnie Deacon, Jane Logan and Amanda Forsyth which is included in the NAC Orchestra's double Mozart CD for CBC Records which was nominated for a Juno Award in 2004.
Kimball Sykes is currently on faculty at the University of Ottawa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Executive Director of Audience Engagement
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Managing Director, Indigenous Theatre
Job Titles:
- Artistic Director
- Director
- Member of the NAC French Theatre Team
A 2008 graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Mani Soleymanlou has lived in Tehran, Paris, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, and has worked with such acclaimed directors as Alice Ronfard (Les pieds des anges), Brigitte Haentjens (L'opéra de quat'sous), Claude Poissant (Rouge gueule, The Dragonfly of Chicoutimi), Serge Denoncourt (Projet Andromaque, Les trois mousquetaires), Olivier Kemeid (Furieux et désespérés), Denis Bernard (Ce moment-là) and Eric Jean (Variations sur un temps). He is best known as the founding artistic director (2011) of the Montreal-based theatre company Orange Noyée. His distinctive artistic practice investigates notions of community identity (Un/One, Deux/Two, Trois/Three) and social relationships (Ils étaient quatre, Cinq à sept, 8). He pursued this approach more recently in Neuf [working title] and Zéro presented in fall 2019 in Montreal and Ottawa, and also in various artistic collaborations over the years: Lapin blanc, Lapin rouge, Les Lettres arabes II, and À te regarder, ils s'habitueront. Mani Soleymanlou was part of the impressive team behind Gabriel Dumont's Wild West Show (premiered at the NAC in October 2017), as director and co-artistic director. Mani Soleymanlou assumed the position of Artistic Director of NAC French Theatre on September 1, 2021. NAC media featuring Mani Soleymanlou Projects & initiatives Podcasts Videos Stories Close
Mark Sutcliffe was born at the Riverside Hospital to parents John and Florence, who were both immigrants to Canada. Mark has lived his whole life in Ottawa. He was elected Mayor of Ottawa on October 24, 2022.
Prior to entering municipal politics, Mark was an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, volunteer, and community activist.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Executive Director of Production
Job Titles:
- Acting Executive Director
Job Titles:
- Acting Executive Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the NAC French Theatre Team
- Associate Artistic Director, Youth Programming
Job Titles:
- Executive Producer
- Executive Producer, NAC Dance
Caroline Ohrt has held a variety of positions in various cultural organizations, acquiring a solid knowledge of the arts ecosystem, management and governance. She has built strong local, national and international professional network which allowed her to present the highest calibre artists from all over the world at the Place des Arts, Danse Danse's home. While there, she developed many partnerships. She cultivated opportunities for artists and audiences to meet on multiple platforms, whether at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, at the Arsenal art contemporain or virtually. She actively contributed to the growth of the organization and took to heart the support and development of artists, which remains a cornerstone of her work.
She has also held multiple positions in the world of contemporary arts, including with other dance organizations such as Compagnie Marie Chouinard and, more recently, at the Domaine Forget in Saint-Irénée. With a background in art history, Caroline has advised visual arts collectors and carried out assignments at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. She is recognized widely as a person in constant dialogue with the forces that shape contemporary creation.
Recognized for her innovative strategic vision, she is actively involved in the community through her participation on prominent boards and juries. She is vice-president of the Conseil des arts de Montréal and a board member of the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. Her advice is highly valued for her keen understanding of the cultural milieu and artistic realities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- General Manager, Food and Beverage
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Managing Director, NAC Orchestra
Job Titles:
- Director
- President
- Artistic Director, English Theatre
Nina Lee Aquino is an award-winning Filipino-Canadian director and dramaturg who has tirelessly advocated for the representation and flourishing of IBPoC voices in Canadian theatre. She was the Founding Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company and former Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre. She has directed world premieres and revivals at theatres across the country and has won a multitude of awards including the Ken McDougall Award, the Canada Council for the Arts John Hirsch Prize, the Margo Bindhart and Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award, as well as a Toronto Theatre Critics Award and Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Direction for School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian Theatre), in addition to two Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Sultans of the Street (Young People's Theatre) and paper SERIES (Cahoots Theatre). During her tenure, Factory cemented its reputation as a national leader for the development of new work and emerged as a leading training ground for the next generation of diverse Canadian theatre creators.
In addition to serving as the Founding Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian theatre company, Nina Lee Aquino is credited with a string of firsts in Asian Canadian theatre: she organized the first Asian Canadian theatre conference; she edited the first (two-volume) Asian Canadian play anthology, and she co-edited the first (award-winning) book on Asian Canadian theatre.
Nina Lee Aquino is currently President of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres.
Over 10 seasons at Factory Theatre, Nina programmed world premiere and Toronto premiere productions from playwrights such as David Yee, Anusree Roy, Marjorie Chan, Yvette Nolan, Kat Sandler, and Jeff Ho, among others; programmed bold and imaginative re-interpretations of classic Canadian plays from Judith Thompson, Colleen Wagner, David French, Linda Griffiths, Daniel MacIvor, Anosh Irani, and Claudia Dey. She fostered relationships with some of the best theatre companies from across the country and brought their productions to Factory Theatre.
Following the March 2020 pandemic shutdown, Nina fully embraced the new digital theatre medium, commissioning and directing new digital and audio theatrical works at Factory and with post-secondary institutions and festivals. Notable digital works include House: The Isolation Version by Daniel MacIvor (Factory Theatre), acts of faith by David Yee (Factory Theatre), Defined by Bone by Mayumi Lashbrook (CanAsian Dance), rabbit hole by David Yee (Ryerson University), and You Can't Get There From Here, an audio drama series (Factory Theatre).
Nina Lee Aquino co-wrote Miss Orient(ed) and her monologues have been published in Beyond the Pale (edited by Yvette Nolan) and She Speaks (edited by Judith Thompson).
Nina has taught and directed at educational institutions such as Humber College, University of Guelph, University of Toronto Mississauga-Sheridan College, Ryerson University, York University, and the National Theatre School. She is an honorary member of the Canadian Association for Theatre Research and was recently appointed Adjunct Professor at York University's Department of Theatre. Her leadership has extended into mentoring theatre students and emerging artists. She was also the 2019 winner of the Toronto Arts Foundation's Margo Bindhart.
The Factory Theatre Board of Directors wishes to express its deep appreciation to Nina Lee Aquino for her passion and leadership during 10...
Nina Lee Aquino appointed next Artistic Director of English Theatre
We're delighted to announce the appointment of Nina Lee Aquino - a leading figure in Canadian theatre who has pushed its boundaries throughout her career - as the next Artistic Director of NAC English Theatre.
Job Titles:
- Director of Canada 's NAC Orchestra
Job Titles:
- Administrative Director
- Member of the NAC French Theatre Team
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Administrative Director, French Theatre
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Executive Director, People and Culture
Job Titles:
- Producer
- Artistic Producer, National Creation Fund
- Producer of the NAC 's National Creation Fund
Sarah Conn was appointed Artistic Producer of the NAC's National Creation Fund in January 2024.
Sarah Conn is an interdisciplinary performance creator, producer, and curator. Her practice is centered in collaboration across disciplines, and the creation and dissemination of new performance. Her career layers together institutional and independent practice, collaborations with local communities and high-profile artists, international touring and hyper local work, and traditional and experimental productions. Her creative work includes site responsive performance installations and live art rooted in relationship and community, which have toured to festivals and galleries in Canada, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and England. Her research and writing focus on curatorial frameworks, creative process design, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the politics of co-existence. Her writing has been published in Canadian Theatre Review, Dance Research Journal and TURBA.
She is a passionate collaborator, and has supported hundreds of Canadian artists of all disciplines in the creation, presentation, and touring of work on national and international stages. As the National Creation Fund's inaugural Artistic Associate and Senior Manager of Artist Engagement, she has collaborated with artists across Canada to create 88 bold new performance works, develop new creation methodologies, and drive emergent curatorial practices. The resulting productions have toured to 33 countries and won many awards, including the UK's Olivier Award. She has developed partnerships with industry leaders including artEquity, Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, and Fogo Island Arts.
Sarah holds a Master of Arts in Performance Curation from the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance. She is a recipient of the Ontario Arts Council's Pauline McGibbon Award and is a Siminovitch Prize Protégé.
Job Titles:
- Chief Information Officer
- Member of the Senior Management Team
Sherry was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees November 2023 for a four-year term.
Sherry has extensive board experience with public company boards, not-for-profits, crown corporations and independent boards. She is currently a board member of Organigram Inc. and the Halifax International Airport Authority. In her not-for-profit work, she is currently a board member of the QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation, where she also chairs the $100 million capital campaign, WE ARE. She has also been an active member of the Symphony Nova Scotia Foundation since 2014.
She chaired the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation board for eight years and was an independent member of the Pharmasave Atlantic board for seven years. Sherry was a Governor of Dalhousie University for ten years, serving as vice chair on three occasions and as chair of the human resources, governance and nominating committee for six years.
Sherry has had leadership roles for many not-for-profit organizations: including being Chair of the Boards of the Pier 21 Society and the QEII Foundation and board roles at Symphony Nova Scotia, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the United Way, Runnymede Hospital and the Working Miracles campaign.
Sherry's work experience involved senior corporate roles with Sobeys Inc, Nova Scotia Power, Shoppers Drug Mart and The Caldwell Partners. She also has CEO experience with trade associations in the grocery and retail drug area.
Job Titles:
- Communications Strategist
Job Titles:
- Executive Producer
- Co - Founder of Vérité Films
- Executive Producer, Governor General 's Performing Arts Awards Gala
Virginia Thompson is co-founder of Vérité Films a vibrant Toronto production company. She is an award-winning executive producer, content creator and audience engagement strategist. A champion of artists and their voices, she is the new executive producer of The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala.
Virginia is executive producer of the smash hit feature film Corner Gas: The Movie that reached 7 million Canadians across multiple platforms in December 2014. Working with Bell Media, Cineplex and Telefilm, Virginia developed a new "event based" release model for Canadian features to maximize viewership. She also executive produced Corner Gas the TV series (107 episodes CTV). The #1 rated sitcom changed the comedy landscape in Canada and has become an indelible part of Canadian culture.
Virginia co-created and executive produced the comedy series InSecurity (23 episodes CBC), the award winning youth series renegadepress.com (53 episodes, Shaw, APTN) and the internationally acclaimed children's series Incredible Story Studio (65 episodes, Disney, YTV). Incredible Story Studio was a highly interactive series that took short stories written by children from across Canada, the UK, France and Germany and made them into "movies" for television.
Virginia's productions have won or been nominated for over 114 Awards and have been distributed to over 100 countries. In 2012, she was inducted onto Ryerson's School of Media Wall of Fame. In 2008, Virginia won the WIFT Award for Creative Excellence. Virginia mentors emerging creators and lectures at the National Screen Institute and Ryerson University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the NAC French Theatre Team
Yazmine Laroche was appointed to the NAC Board of Trustees in February 2023.
Yazmine Laroche, ICD.D, was the first person with a visible disability to become a federal Deputy Minister in Canada and was Canada's first Deputy Minister for Public Service Accessibility. She is currently the Chair of the Disability Screen Office, and a member and past Chair of the Board of Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
Yazmine has had an eclectic career. From on-air host of community radio and tv and enthusiastic lead singer in local bands to drafting broadcasting legislation; from organizing Canada's first conference on the Arts and Broadcasting to securing funding to help launch the NAC's "Scene" series; from designing an award-winning talent management program for senior leaders to creating a multi-billion dollar infrastructure program for municipalities. She has built a reputation as an innovative leader with the ability to mobilize people to achieve results.
Yazmine is a compelling communicator, public speaker and idea-generator. Recognized as a Champion for inclusion, collaboration, and diversity, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Carleton University, in 2019, and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.