WHAT WE DO
OUR MANDATE is to produce theatre that creates meaningful conversation around current issues and encourages societal awareness and action.
OUR MISSION is to engage artists and the public in theatrical experiences that go beyond intellectual understanding and ignite a heartfelt need for change.
OUR VALUES
We value the health and well-being of people first, including our employees, artists, board, volunteers and community partners.
We have a strong focus on creating safe, inclusive and accessible spaces, welcoming people who are new to our theatres and our artistic processes.
We engage with the complexity of both the issues we tackle and the people impacted, and embolden the creative voices of all involved.
WHO WE ARE
Adam Kostiuk is an emerging artist in the Calgary community, working as a production manager, stage manager, console operator, labour, and as an award winning lighting designer. Despite working in this creative field, Adam would say his passions lay more with supporting people than with theatre; theatre mainly being a means to help people bring important, personal, and engaging stories to life. In the same breath, Adam could not be more thrilled to help bring the 2022/23 season to life at Downstage as they seek to accomplish the same. Adam graduated from the University of Calgary in 2019 with degrees in Urban Studies and Drama, building a design portfolio that includes the lighting design award winning *antigone lives at the U of C in 2019, Mary Poppins at Keyano College in 2022, and assisting the lighting design for the Betty award winning Clue at Vertigo in 2022
Born and raised in the Philippines, Bianca Miranda is a fat, queer, Filipino theatre artist, grateful to be living and working in Moh’kins’tsis, Treaty 7 Territory. She is the Producer at Downstage. As a theatre-maker and playwright, her works most often start from a personal place and examines the intersections of her identities, born out of the necessity to tell stories of her communities that are underrepresented on stage. Her favourite works include: “Kisapmata” (Chromatic Theatre & Lunchbox Theatre) and “The F Word” (A Downstage production, presented by Alberta Theatre Projects in association with Handsome Alice & Theatre Calgary), co-written and performed with Keshia Cheesman. As an actor and performer, she has worked with theatre companies across the city, such as Hamlet Frequency (Shakespeare Company and One Yellow Rabbit), Little Red (Major Matt Mason and Ghost River Theatre), and Timmy, Tommy, and the Haunted Hotel (Pape & Taper). Bianca believes in the transformative power of theatre and storytelling.
Clare is a multidisciplinary artist who has worked with innovative creators across Turtle Island (Canada & US) as well as in Germany, Lebanon, Switzerland and Uganda. She has collaborated with Alberta Theatre Projects, Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, Banff Centre, Bayimba International Festival, BeMe Theatre, Blyth Festival, Buddies in Bad Times, Cahoots Theatre, Canadian Stage, Driftwood Theatre, Factory Theatre, fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre, FRICTION GROUP, Guild Theatre Whitehorse, Gwaandak Theatre, Handsome Alice Theatre, Kabin, Native Earth Performing Arts, New Harlem Productions, National Arts Centre, Nightwood Theatre, Paprika Festival, Stratford Festival, SummerWorks, Sundown Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Theatre Direct Canada, Theatre Monnot Beirut, Theatre Passe Muraille, Verb Theatre, Why Not Theatre and Young People’s Theatre, among others. She played Mathlete Caroline Kraft in the cult classic, Mean Girls (Paramount Pictures) and has acted in other feature films. Clare is a recipient of the Houselighters of the Citadel Theatre Award and has been nominated for various directing awards. She is the Artistic Director at Downstage.
Katherine (she/her) is a writer, producer, stand up comedian and mom to an almost-3-year-old who is her creative muse and actual boss. After living in Toronto and the US, Katherine is delighted to be moving to her hometown of Calgary to be a part of the dynamic Downstage team. Katherine has trained as an actor at RADA and BADA in London, UK, Stella Adler in NYC, and most recently performed on and produced her bi-weekly stand up comedy show "Pandemic Baby" at Comedy Bar in Toronto. She is the founder of Kabin, a social business that co-produces multi-disciplinary live arts including Dora-award winning "La Chasse-Galerie" (Soulpepper, Toronto) and "One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written (Factory Theatre, Toronto) and devised and hosted a free interactive lecture series that catalyzed conversations between working artists and those who don't identify as creatives. Katherine has an undergraduate degree in Social Anthropology from Harvard and a Master of Arts from New York University on the theory of creativity.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our volunteer Board uses their diverse professional backgrounds to provide oversight and strategic guidance.
Interested in applying to join us? Download our Board of Directors Application Form or email clare@downstage.ca for more info.
Christine is so thrilled to be joining the incredible group of artists and volunteers that make up the Downstage team. Christine's career has focused on the arts, education, and community relations. She currently spends her days creating community and culture within RBC's new Calgary Innovation Lab as its Employee Engagement Manager, and she's previously been the Impact Specialist with Calgary Arts Development, Community Relations Manager with Business/Arts, and Co-Founder of the arts advocacy group Creative Calgary. She keeps herself busy caring for her three young children, keeping active on a bike, tennis court or ski hill, and obviously attending as many Downstage shows as they'll let her!
Born in the vibrant city-state of Singapore and having embraced the vast landscapes of Canada, Larissa brings a unique blend of Eastern and Western influences to her life and work. With over 15 years of experience as a corporate recruiter, she has made strides in the energy and secondary education sectors, passionately advocating for diversity and focusing on hiring women for field roles in the energy industry.
When she’s not shaping careers, Larissa is a dedicated mom to a high-energy, artistic toddler who keeps her days dynamic and creatively charged. Her love for the arts extends beyond her home life—she is an enthusiastic participant in the arts community and a collector of music and art, with a particular fondness for movie prints. Balancing her professional ambitions with her artistic passions, Larissa is very much excited to join the Downstage Board and to be part of a community of people striving to create a world where diversity thrives in the vibrant, colorful world of art.
Alysha is an experienced energy professional with 15 years of experience in both the upstream and midstream space. She currently works for Keyera in Business and Strategic Development. She holds a Bachelor of Geological Sciences degree from Queen’s University and an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid. She currently works for Keyera in Business and Strategic Development. Prior roles include Director of Strategic Partnerships at Neo Financial, and Production Geologist & Business Planner for Royal Dutch Shell. Born and raised in Calgary, Alysha is passionate about facilitating and promoting the continued growth of Calgary’s diverse and vibrant community. As such, she is on her third term on the board for Centre for Newcomers as she currently serves as Vice Chair. She is incredibly excited to be joining the Downstage Board and help contribute to its growing success for the years to come!
Before joining the board, Brooklyn was Downstage’s biggest fan for over 10 years! She avidly attended Downstage shows and was enthralled by the captivating productions that seamlessly blended artistry and advocacy. Brooklyn's unwavering support and enthusiasm for over a decade laid the foundation for her eventual role on the board, a testament to her deep connection with Downstage's commitment to stirring conversations on important social issues through the power of theatre. Brooklyn’s expertise lies at the intersection of linguistics and artificial intelligence research, although she also has plenty of experience in management through her involvement in her family’s various businesses. She is very excited to bring her critical thinking skills, managerial experience, and enthusiasm to the Downstage board!
OUR RESPONSE TO 35//50 INITIATIVE
WE ARE WORKING WITH NIKKI SHAFFEEULLAH, OUR STAFF, BOARD MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY ON GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT THEM BY CLICKING THE BUTTON BELOW. YOU CAN OFFER YOUR FEEDBACK VIA OUR ONLINE FEEDBACK FORM EMBEDDED IN THE DOCUMENT.
August 31, 2020
Thank you to Michelle Thrush, Makambe K. Simamba, Pamela Tzeng, Gina Puntil, Jenna Rodgers, Kiana Wu, Thomas Geddes, Steve Gin and Kunji Mark Ikeda for offering The 35//50 Initiative and to all of the signatories and other supporters of this call to action.
Downstage has two current employees, Clare Preuss and Danielle Whyte. Both of us have signed on as individual signatories and commit to doing our utmost to work with all contract artists, employees and Downstage Board of Directors to uplift the principles and guidelines listed in The 35//50 Initiative.
We deeply value this work. We acknowledge that we have and will continue to make mistakes as we grow. We want to move forward with care, clarity and compassion as well as courage, knowing that this is a process of ongoing and fundamental systemic and personal change.
Downstage is led by two women and has a board with over 50% female representation. Our programming also tends to have good representation of female and non-binary people working in creative positions both on and off stage. As such, our NEXT STEPS outline our desire for more BIPOC focus, while we continue to honour the space for non-binary and female collaborators.
NEXT STEPS:
The Downstage team is examining the structures of creating, producing and training within a theatre context. We aim to grow into a more inclusive world view and way of working. This is an ongoing and multilayered process that will unfold continually as we engage with other elements of the work, outlined here.
Staff and board members will engage with ongoing Anti-Racism workshops and paid consultations with local, national and international individuals and organizations.
Staff and board will redefine our Anti-Harassment policy to include a more specific and nuanced approach to Anti-Racism by the end of 2020. We are accessing AD HOC ASSEMBLY’s Voluntary Addendum as a source of inspiration and will also work with BIPOC consultants as we finalize this document focused on EDIA within all facets of the Downstage working environment.
Downstage is hiring two part-time positions with a focus on these positions being offered to BIPOC individuals and with the goal of growing these positions into full-time leadership positions. We have been working with board member Christopher Butler on these job calls and he will also be included in the interview process. Christopher is dedicated to growing BIPOC representation within arts organizations.
We will expand board representation from our current state of 30% BIPOC to at least 40% BIPOC representation by the end of 2022.
We are collaborating with ARTICLE 11 as well as various other BIPOC artists this season. Our goal is to continue to grow a culture of centering BIPOC artists, stories and power throughout creation processes.
During the 2020-21 season, Downstage staff and board of directors will create a comprehensive succession plan for both Artistic Director and Managing Director roles. It is our goal to create an environment that will welcome BIPOC leaders to fill these roles as Clare and Danielle move on from Downstage in coming years.
We are eager to keep learning and being of service in our community as we support real change within the dynamics of theatre creation. For more details about any of these points, please contact Clare Preuss at clare@downstage.ca. Thank you
