International Market Development Committee

Gillian Reid (She/Her/Elle) – Chairperson

CAPACOA Board Member

Agent and Producer, Felix Productions

Gillian brings over a decade of project management and special events production experience to her role as an Agent and Producer. Wearing different hats for different clients on a variety of projects, she aims to support the artists she works with in their quest to connect with audiences.

Gillian’s professional background includes over a decade with a corporate performance marketing firm in Toronto where she designed and produced incentive programs for the likes of GM Canada, VW Canada, and BP Oil. She has executed programs throughout North America and Europe. Gillian garnered experience as assistant producer with ShoCorp International on projects like The Cancun Jazz Festival, Volkswagen Trade Show and the EuroVan Launch. 

Gillian is an active member of her local community in Nova Scotia and has held volunteer positions as a board member of the Chester Playhouse from 2006-2012 and Vice Commodore of the Chester Yacht Club from 2014 to 2015. FELIX Productions won a Merritt Award for Outstanding Production by a New or Emerging Company in 2018.

Jim Smith (He/Him/Il)

CAPACOA Board Member

Agent, Presenter and Producer

DanceHouse, Eponymous and Vancouver New Music

Following studies in music and then commerce, Jim worked in tourism for the Government of Ontario. In 1990 he moved to Montreal and began working in the professional Canadian arts sector at La La La Human Steps. After a move to Vancouver, Jim co-founded Eponymous, an arts management and production agency. Under the aegis of Eponymous, Jim is currently associated with Company 605, Compagnie Vision Selective, Kidd Pivot, Les Productions Figlio, Wen Wei Dance, and Vancouver New Music. He also represents Veda Hille, Crystal Pite and Wen Wei Wang. In 2007 Jim co-founded and is the current Artistic and Executive Director of DanceHouse, a subscription series of large-scale dance presentations at the Vancouver Playhouse. Jim is a past President of the Canadian Dance Assembly, a founding member of Made In BC, and has sat on a number of other not for profit boards of directors. He is currently on the board of the Canadian Arts Presenting Association (CAPACOA) where he is chair of the International Development Committee.

Keith Barker (He/Him/Il)

Theatre Artist and Presenter

Director of the Foerster Bernstein New Play Development Program, Stratford Festival

Keith Barker is a Métis artist from Northwestern Ontario. Keith is the Director of the Foerster Bernstein New Play Development Program at the Stratford Festival, and the former Artistic Director at Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto. He is the winner of the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Playwrights Guild’s Carol Bolt Award for best new play. Keith was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for English Drama in 2018 for his play, This Is How We Got Here. He received a Saskatchewan and Area Theatre Award for Excellence in Playwriting for his play, The Hours That Remain, as well as a Yukon Arts Award for Best Art for Social Change. In 2023 Keith received the Johanna Metcalf Award.

Clothilde Cardinal (She/Her/Elle)

Presenter

Director of Programming, Place des Arts

Clothilde Cardinal is the Head of Programming Section at Place des Arts (Montréal, Canada) since 2014, a state society of the Government of Quebec. She has been active in the arts milieu for over the past 30 years in art managing and international artistic organizations like Danse Danse (2000-2015), Théâtre UBU and Festival TransAmériques (FTA). She sat on several Board of Directors in the culture and the social fields and participates frequently on consultative committees and conferences. She created in 1996 the still active professional annual meeting point “Fenêtres de la création théâtrale” at Théâtre de la Ville in Longueuil. She curated outdoor and indoor events including international regional focused events at Place des Arts. Clothilde was appointed « Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres » by the French Government in 2016.

Margaret Grenier

Dance Artist and Presenter

Executive and Artistic Director, Dancers of Damelahamid

and Coastal First Nations Dance Festival

Margaret Grenier is of Gitxsan and Cree ancestry. She is the Executive and Artistic Director for the Dancers of Damelahamid. She has produced the Coastal Dance Festival since 2008. Margaret’s multimedia choreographic works bridge Gitxsan and Cree dance forms with current expressions. Her works have toured internationally and include Setting the Path (2004) and Spirit and Tradition (2007), and Visitors Who Never Left (2009), Luu hlotitxw (2012), Flicker (2016), and Mînowin (2019). Mînowin premiered at the Mòshkamo Festival, National Arts Centre, Ottawa (2019) and at the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, Mexico. Margaret holds a M.A. from Simon Fraser University and a B.Sc. from McGill University. She was a sessional instructor for Simon Fraser (2007) and faculty at the Banff Centre (2013). She received the Reveal Award (2017) and the Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts (2020).

Ravi Jain

Theatre Artist

Artistic Director, Why Not Theatre

Ravi Jain is a highly acclaimed theatremaker known for making politically bold, accessible, and thought-provoking theatrical experiences that are changing the face of Canadian theatre. A visionary artistic director, versatile director, astute producer, and playful actor, he has spent his career reimagining what theatre can be, impacting the lives of both audiences and artists alike.

In 2007, Mr. Jain founded Why Not Theatre, which has become synonymous with innovative theatrical experiences that push boundaries. With Why Not Theatre, Mr. Jain has created over forty collaborations and performed over five continents, from small, intimate shows with non-actors to big, bold productions. His different forms of storytelling brings underrepresented stories and storytellers to the forefront, and invite audiences to reimagine stories. Off stage, he works to better the lives of artists and arts workers, spearheading innovative producing models for emerging artists, creating training programs for marginalized voices, and proposing bold policy ideas to activate civic spaces with art and rethink access through more affordable payment models.  

Select credits include: With Why Not: I’m So Close,Spent,A Brimful of Asha, Nicolas Billon’s Fault Lines which won the Governor General’s Award for Drama, Prince Hamlet, Like Mother Like Daughter (Complicite/Why Not Theatre), What you won’t do for love, with acclaimed environmentalists David Suzuki and Tara Cullis, Mahabharata (Shaw/Barbican). With Soulpepper: Accidental Death of an Anarchist, The 39 Steps, Animal Farm. With Theatre Centre: Alanna Mitchell’s Sea Sick (co-directed with Franco Boni), We are Proud to Present…With Shaw Festival: Lisa Codrington’s The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God and Sarena Parmar’s The Orchard After Chekhov. With Factory Theatre: Salt-Water Moon. With Stratford Festival: Shakespeare’s R + J.

Sherrie Johnson

Presenter and Producer

Executive Director, Crow’s Theatre

Sherrie Johnson began her tenure as Executive Director of Crow’s Theatre in February 2019, becoming Crow’s first Executive Director.
Sherrie brings a wide range of experience as an arts leader to her role at Crow’s Theatre. She was a member of the leadership team at Canadian Stage in Toronto from 2013 – 2019. Prior to joining Canadian Stage, Johnson’s artistic career included: serving as founding Artistic Director of Outside The Box in Boston, MA, Senior Curator at the highly esteemed PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver, B.C., and Co-Founder/Artistic Director of the Six Stages Festival in Toronto, Prague, Berlin and Glasgow.

An active producer and agent, she’s worked with Germany’s internationally renowned triumvirate Rimini Protokoll, Antwerp based artists Bart Baele and Yves Degryse of Berlin, filmmaker and installation artist Srinivas Krishna and visual artist Stan Douglas.
Sherrie successfully led the indie company da da kamera with Daniel MacIvor from 1993 – 2007. Sherrie was the inaugural recipient of the John Hobday Award for outstanding achievement in arts management from the Canada Council and the recipient of the 2019 Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award.

Cathy Levy, C.M.

Independent Dance Producer/Advisor/Mentor

NAC Dance Producer Emerita

Cathy Levy, C.M. has earned an enviable reputation throughout the Canadian and international dance communities. From 2000-2023, she was the Executive Producer of Dance at Canada’s National Arts Centre, presenting an annual season of national and international dance companies and artists, co-producing over 100 new works, and developing an array of enhancement activities to support artists, audiences and students throughout the country. Prior to joining the NAC, she was the Producer of the biennial Canada Dance Festival, the Dance Curator at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, the founder of the service organization DUO (Dance Umbrella of Ontario), and a freelance producer and organizer of many national and international performing arts events.

Since ending her tenure at the NAC – where her significant contribution was acknowledged with the honorific of NAC Dance Producer Emerita – Cathy has been working as the International Advisor for the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and as a consultant on numerous projects in the Canadian and international dance milieu, including the International Presenters Program for Toronto’s Fall for Dance North and with FABRIC Dance in the UK. She is also working as a Mentor to young dance producers, serves on several committees, boards and panels, and is regularly asked to write about dance, participate in round tables and host artists’ talks.

Cathy is the recipient of the prestigious Order of Canada in recognition of her dedication to the dance field (2019), and of the Order of the Crown (Belgium, 2022) in recognition of her commitment to presenting Belgian artists during her 23-year NAC tenure. Cathy is based in Montreal, Canada.

Heather Redfern

Presenter and Producer

Executive Director, The Cultch

Ms. Redfern, is the Executive Director of The Vancouver East Cultural Centre (The Cultch) where she curates a program of live and digital presentations and an extensive community engagement program. Using the stage as a tool for challenging assumptions, creating dialogue, and making change, the performances at The Cultch, celebrate the rich and diverse communities that populate this country and the world. Heather has dedicated her career to serving a diverse group of artists and audiences, she is particularly interested in the creation of new forms and in putting creative teams together that are working outside of their comfort zones.

In 2023 she was awarded the Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation in Theatre. Additionally, she has been honoured with the City of Edmonton, Business and the Arts Award for Excellence in Arts Management and the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award for sustained, inspired, and creative leadership in Canadian Theatre. 

She previously worked as the Executive Director of the Greater Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture, the Artistic Producer for Catalyst Theatre in Edmonton and as a freelance theatre designer. 

Ms. Redfern has recently joined the Board of Directors of The National Theatre School of Canada.

Kathi Sundstrom (She/Her/Elle)

Presenter and Producer

Executive Director, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks

After attending DJD’s premiere production Body and Sole in 1984, Kathi Sundstrom became an instant supporter. In 1989 she joined the DJD board of directors and in 1992 became President of the board. In 1993, Kathi made a courageous career move when she took on the role of General Manager of DJD. Shifting from the corporate world to the non-profit arts sector offered Kathi a whole variety of new challenges, which she navigated with finesse. She originally promised to work with the company for two years and now, more than 30 years later, she is still at the helm.  Kathi has been recognized for her arts management expertise with a number of awards including the 2005 Rozsa Award for Excellence in Arts Management and the 2017 Calgary Award for Community Achievement in the Arts. In addition to those awards and other achievements, Kathi also led the major expansion of DJD with the completion and opening of the stunning $28 million DJD Dance Centre in April 2016.

Kathi graduated from SAIT with a major in Business Administration and Consumer Marketing and was listed on the President’s Honour Roll. She has served as Treasurer of the Canadian Dance Assembly (2007-2011), was co-chair of the Mayor’s Lunch for Business and the Arts (1999 and 2000) and was a member of the executive committee of the Calgary Professional Arts Alliance (1994-2000).    

Charlie Wu (He/Him/Il)

Presenter

Managing Director, Asian-Canadian Special Events Association

and General Manager of the Society of We Are Canadians Too (VC)

Charlie Wu is a dedicated community builder in the arts and culture sector, bringing over 25 years of experience to his work. Currently, he holds key roles as the Managing Director of the Asian-Canadian Special Events Association and the General Manager of the Society of We Are Canadians Too in Vancouver. In these capacities, he oversees events including TAIWANfest and LunarFest in BC and ON, as well as the launch of the Jade Music Festival in 2022, with the aim of establishing Vancouver as the North American hub for Chinese-language music.

Charlie is recognized for his ability to foster partnerships between arts organizations and cultural communities, collaborating with institutions such as Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, the PuSh Festival, and the Museum of Vancouver. As a presenter, he advocates for underrepresented artists locally and internationally. Thanks to his extensive connections in Taiwan and other Asian countries, Charlie facilitates meaningful exchanges and partnerships between Canada and Asia, enhancing cultural connections and diversity in the arts and culture sector.

Raeesa Lalani (She/Her/Elle)

Presenter

Artistic Director, Prismatic Arts Festival

Raeesa Lalani is an arts professional and trailblazing female leader who has made a significant impact in the world of creativity and culture in her region. With a deep passion for the arts from a young age, Raeesa’s journey has been defined by her unwavering dedication to fostering artistic expression and empowering artists.

She is currently the Artistic Director of the Prismatic Arts Festival, a nationally recognized organization with an innovative approach that, since inception, has mandated and prioritized supporting and showcasing Indigenous artists and artists of color. 

As a leader, Raeesa recognizes the transformative power of the arts. She has spearheaded initiatives that foster social change and promote diversity and inclusion within the arts to further her commitment in creating a more equitable sector. 

Beyond her professional achievements, Raeesa remains deeply engaged in philanthropy, supporting various cultural initiatives and using her platform to advocate for the transformative power of art in education and community development. She currently sits on the Downtown Halifax Business Commission Board of Directors as well as the Atlantic Presenters Association as Vice-President. Along with her work in arts administration, she has a knack for the stage!

Viviane Paradis

Presenter

Head of Programming, Theatre Le Diamant

For over twenty years, Viviane Paradis works in the arts fields as cultural manager, artistic director, programmer or writer for various organizations in Quebec City (Canada). From 2011 to 2015, she was artistic director of the Mois Multi, a international festival dedicated to digital and interdisciplinary arts. Since 2015, she is production manager for Ex Machina, the company of stage director Robert Lepage. In 2019, she joined the team of Theatre Le Diamant, a new venue in Quebec City founded by Robert Lepage where she is head of programming since 2021. Le Diamant is dedicated to performing arts – mainly theatre and circus – with a six hundred seats venue and present local, national and international works.

Franco Boni (He/Him/Il)

Presenter

Executive Director, Regent Revival

Franco Boni has served as an artistic director, builder, producer, facilitator, dramaturg, and programmer in the national performing arts scene for over 25 years.

He is currently the Executive Director of Regent Revival, leading the renovation of a $50M performing arts facility centre in midtown Toronto.

For over ten years he served as General & Artistic Director of The Theatre Centre in Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood, where he transformed a former Carnegie Library into a live arts hub. At The Theatre Centre, Franco designed programs that championed new ideas by cultural innovators (theatre & dance makers, composers, journalists, scientists, etc.).

Awards include the inaugural Ken McDougall Award for emerging directors, The George Luscombe Mentorship Award in Theatre, multiple Dora Awards, and the Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award, recognizing his outstanding leadership in the development of arts and culture in the City of Toronto.

Erin Kennedy (She/Her/Elle)

Presenter

Artistic Director, Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre

Erin Kennedy is the Artistic Director of the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre (VDPACS) located in Vernon British Columbia. For the past thirteen years, she has been programming a multidisciplinary 24-38 performance season. In 2022 Erin started the popular annual North Okanagan Children’s Festival. VDPACS delivers over 50 community engagement activities each season which help deepen the community’s connection to the artists’ work.

Erin is a member of the International Market for Contemporary Circus and is the co-chair of the working group Presenting Circus in Canada. In 2022 Erin won the BC Touring Council’s Presenter of the Year award.

Prior to her work at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre, Erin worked as a freelance theatre maker in design and management in Montreal, Vancouver and the interior of BC. Erin is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Technical Production Program.

The Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre is located in the North Okanagan, in Vernon British Columbia. The Vernon and District Performing Arts centre has a 750 seat proscenium fly house and a 65 seat flexible studio space.