Staff Directory

EVA CAIRNS

Contact Eva
email: click here

Eva was originally trained in classical ballet and made a transition to arts administration as tour coordinator for Judith Marcuse Dance Company in Vancouver. Since then she has with O Vertigo Danse, Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Shadow Theatre in Edmonton and The 2004 Magnetic Norh Theatre Festival. Since April 2006 she has been the Managing Producer for Catalyst Theatre where she has been responsible for the producing and touring of new works Frankenstein and Nevermore and Hunchback. Outside of Catalyst she has provided project development and tour market development assistance to independent theatre artists in Edmonton and served on the Executive of the Edmonton Arts Council. Eva is a recipient of the 2011 Canada Council's John Hobday Award for Arts Management, the 2011 Rozsa Award for Innovation (Calgary's Rosza Foundation) and the 2011 Margaret Mooney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts Administration at the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards (Edmonton).

JONATHAN CHRISTENSON

As artistic director of Catalyst Theatre, Jonathan has directed, written, composed and occasionally performed in more than sixteen original productions including such critically acclaimed works as Hunchback, Nevermore, Frankenstein, The Blue Orphan, The House of Pootsie Plunket, Songs for Sinners, The Abundance Trilogy, Carmen Angel and Elephant Wake. His productions have been seen at more than 45 different theatres across England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, the United States and Canada, including such preeminent venues as The Barbican in London, The Traverse in Edinburgh, The Playhouse in Liverpool, The Tron in Glasgow, The New Victory in New York, The Winter Garden & Bluma Appel Theatres in Toronto, Theatre Calgary's Max Bell, The Citadel's Shoctor Theatre in Edmonton and the Vancouver Playhouse. His work has also appeared at such festivals as the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT), Le Carrefour international du théâtre (Quebec City), and PuSh (Vancouver). His work on these productions has been recognized with numerous Sterling Awards (Edmonton), a Betty Mitchell (Calgary), two Fringe First Awards (Edinburgh), one Herald Angel Award (Glasgow) and two City of Edmonton Awards of Excellence. He brought more than fifty Edmonton-based artists together for the interdisciplinary performance events JAM, Twelve and Fusion: Let There Be Light (for which he received a special Sterling Award for Outstanding Theatrical Event); he co-created two installation works (Paper Flight Cocoon Storm and Love + Love); and he co-founded and curated Catalyst's international performance series Blind Dates that presented the work of cutting edge theatre companies from Russia, Ireland, England and South Africa to Edmonton audiences. In 2006 Jonathan was selected as one of Alberta's one hundred prominent theatre artists of the past one hundred years by Alberta Playwrights Network and in 2011 was named one of Alberta's "Fifty Most Influential People" by Alberta Venture, the province's leading business magazine. Jonathan has taught in the M.F.A., B.F.A. and B.A. Programs at the University of Alberta's Department of Drama, where he completed a Master of Fine Arts (Directing) in 1996. His first children's book, Maximilian's Mistake (illustrated by Bretta Gerecke), will be published in time for Christmas.

BRETTA GERECKE

Bretta grew up in Winnipeg and has resided in Edmonton for the past fifteen years. She graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Interior Design in 1992, and from the University of Alberta with a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Design in 1996. Bretta is the resident designer at Catalyst Theatre, where she has designed world premieres, which have toured internationally to Great Britain, Australia, and the U.S. and across Canada. Bretta also works at The Citadel Theatre, Canadian Stage, Workshop West Theatre, Edmonton Opera, Calgary Opera,, Theatre Calgary and The Globe Theatre.  She is the recipient of over twenty Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards, Jessie Richardson Awards and Betty Mitchell Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Set, Lighting and Costume Design; The Enbridge Award for Best Emerging Artist; The Global Women of Vision Award; Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 and was short-listed twice for the Siminovitch Prize.  Bretta designed a summer home on Devil’s Lake, Alberta, and continues her work as an archaeological illustrator.

BRENDA MCNICOL

Contact Brenda
email: click here

Bio pending...

KEVIN GREEN

Contact Kevin
email: click here

Kevin Green is a technician, artist and designer from Edmonton. He has been the Technical Director at Catalyst Theatre for almost four years. As a graduate of the Grant MacEwan Theatre Production program, he has worked in Edmonton for the past 5 years , working with a large percentage of Edmonton’s Independent theatre scene, and primarily with Catalyst Theatre. This has provided him with innumerable  experiences, and a wonderful context for understanding and loving live theatre. He has worked at major festivals ( Edmonton Fringe Festival, The Works Art and Design Festival, Edmonton International Jazz Festival, St Albert Children’s Theatre Festival, Taste of Edmonton, NextFest, Expanse Movement and Arts Festival) as a site manager, technician, or artist. He has worked as a sound, light, and stage carpentry technician for Theater Network, Shadow Theatre, Teatro de Quincida, St. Albert Children’s Theatre, Citadel Theatre, Workshop West Theatre, Northern Light Theatre, and of course Catalyst Theatre. Recent Design credits include lighting design for Art on Art (Catch the Keys Productions), The Tortoise and the Hare (Promise Productions), and The Christmas Carol Project (Brass Monkey Productions), with whom he toured western Canada in a Christmas flurry in December. Kevin really enjoys spicy root beers.

LANA HUGHES

Contact Lana
email: click here

Lana began as an intern at Catalyst in 2009, and has happily stayed on for the past two years. After studying journalism at Grant MacEwan College and working as a freelance journalist, Lana returned to school and recieved her B.A in Drama from the University of Alberta. She is an actor, writer and director, who's work has been produced at Nextfest, the Edmonton Fringe Festival and Calgary's Urban Curvz. As a performer she has worked with Promise Productions, the Citadel Theatre, Urban Curvz, Nextfest and performed several times at the Fringe. She is a one of the co-founders and the artistic director of Running In Heels Productions, Edmonton's only feminist theatre company. She also serves on the board of for Alberta Playwrights' Network.

FLO SCHULTZ

Flo answered an ad in August 1981 for a part time receptionist position answering telephones. Within a couple of months, she was asked to work full time and to take on the duties of bookkeeper and to help with other administrative duties. She worked at Workshop West Theatre as Assistant General Manager for 14 years. In 1995, she left her position and started her own bookkeeping business of which Catalyst Theatre was her first client. Various Organizations in Edmonton have and continue to benefit from her knowledge of Accounting and Theatre Finance some of which include Workshop West Theatre, Northern Light Theatre, Alberta Arts Touring Alliance, and Alberta Opera. Flo has been working in the Arts now for 29 years. Catalyst hired Flo in 1995 to continue to maintain the accounting system and to assist in the day to day operations as they were in the transition of hiring a new Artistic Director and General Manager. Flo received the Margaret Mooney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Administration in 2005.