Geordie Theatre provokes thought, fires up the imagination, and seeks to encourage and challenge our audience. We celebrate the art of theatre and its social and global impact by working with emerging and established artists from various disciplines and cultural backgrounds to create works that are provocative, relevant and enchanting; inspiring dialogue between communities, children and parents as well as teachers and students of all ages. We look to build relationships with and extend our audience through inclusive practices and by visiting far-reaching communities in Quebec and abroad. Since 1980, Geordie has been producing and presenting plays that are important to young people; stories that are uniquely related to them in a context that reflects the world around them and their personal experiences at home. They are always about fostering the voice of young people and giving them a vessel in which they are represented, listened to, and encouraged while inspiring dialogue with the adults in their lives about what they see and recognize.
We are an award-winning professional theatre company that has presented live English-language productions for young audiences in Quebec and abroad since 1980. Pushing artistic boundaries with provocative and important stories, Geordie delivers more than 200 performances each season and reaches more than 40,000 young people and their communities annually.
Our 7-month 2Play Tour (the longest in Canada) travels over 35,000 km every year across Eastern Canada (Quebec, Ontario and parts of the Maritimes), visiting schools, theatres, libraries and community centres. For many years we have been the only company to visit all of Quebec’s regions including communities that have little-to-no access to professional theatre.
Our Mainstage Series invites general audiences from Montreal and away to our theatre! Featuring fresh theatrical adaptations of celebrated stories, new works, and presented productions from the city and across the country, this series of programming welcomes families of all ages; giving our young audiences new perspectives through the lens of insightful and beautiful theatre while giving the adults in their lives a way to engage in important conversations on the world around them.
Revamped in 2010, our acclaimed Geordie Theatre School (GTS) offers a series of public and after-school classes and workshops where children and teens build a solid foundation in acting taught by passionate and caring professional educators and artists. The school bases its curriculum surrounding fundamental values of Confidence, Creativity, and Craft where we not only encourage the value of theatre for young people but also offer important tools in fostering exceptional leaders of tomorrow.
Mike remembers the teachers in primary and high school who introduced him to the world of the arts and fostered the impact they can have on a young person’s life and spirit. Coming a long way from his Grade 2 portrayal of Winnie the Pooh, Mike is now very proud to be a part of Geordie’s remarkable history.
As an actor and director who has appeared at some of Canada’s finest theatres, Mike serves as a guest artist/instructor for many institutions including the National Theatre School of Canada, and acts on the Board of Directors of PACT (Professional Association of Canadian Theatres) and la Maison Théâtre in Montreal. His work on stage has been seen coast to coast in some of the nation’s finest theatres, as well as with great companies in his hometown of Montreal.
He was the co-founding Artistic Director of Tableau D’Hôte Theatre and past Assistant Artistic Director for Black Theatre Workshop, and is a two-time Montreal English Theatre Award (META) recipient. Some of his favourite moments have been working on shows that uplift and challenge the imagination while embracing the magnitude of the human spirit. Some of those productions include Harlem Duet (Black Theatre Workshop), A Line in the Sand (Tableau D’Hôte Theatre), Hosanna, and Choir Boy (Centaur), Around the World in 80 Days and Reaching for Starlight (Geordie), the Quebec premiere of Héritage – A Raisin in the Sun (Théâtre Duceppe) along with the national tours of The Tashme Project (Tashme Prod/Centaur/Factory/Firehall, Vancouver) and Lorena Gale’s Angélique (Black Theatre Workshop/Tableau D’Hôte/National Arts Centre/Factory/Obsidian).
He is very lucky and very grateful to have a supportive home and community that motivate and inspire him everyday.
Kathryn always thought she was destined to be an actor. From an early age she loved dancing (she famously played a male, blue toothbrush in a tap recital) and drama. In high school, Kathryn was cast in every musical theatre show that was produced and almost got the lead role in West Side Story in her final year. When Kathryn was at Queen’s University, she majored in Drama and did nothing of any significance until her third year, when she decided to audition for the school major. Needless to say, she was not cast but was kindly encouraged to seek work as an assistant stage manager. Kathryn quickly realized what others must have known all along – that her calling was not on the stage, but behind it. So she applied to the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) and was granted an interview. And then was given the entrance project to complete – which she decided was not worth it because she would never get accepted. But her father told her she would regret not trying, so she completed it in a week, and in August of 1996, the rest of her life began.
Kathryn spent the next 17 years in Toronto working as a stage manager and was the Managing Director of the Toronto Fringe for 3 years. In May 2013, she was a proud recipient of a Harold award (the Harold’s represent the independent and hard-working spirit of Toronto’s vibrant theatre community). Kathryn moved to Montreal in August 2013 and became Geordie’s Managing Director in January 2014. Kathryn has an honours degree from Queen’s University and is a graduate of the NTS Production Program and now teaches stage management and Fringe to the Production Students of NTS. She was a member of the Montreal English Theatre Awards Committee (METAC) for three years, recently finished two mandates (6 years) on the Quebec Drama Federation’s Board, is Board Treasurer of the International Association for Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY), is the Quebec Region rep for PACT (Professional Association of Canadian Theatres) and sits on PACT’s Advocacy and Labour Relations Committees. She is also the proud mum of an amazing daughter.
Jessica’s earliest memory of theatre is from when she was 10 years old and saw Geordie’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in her elementary school gym. That show inspired her to audition for her school’s production of The Wizard of Oz where she landed the part of the Cowardly Lion. This was followed by 5 years with an incredible high school drama teacher, Ms. Chalmers, who fostered a deep love for the performing arts through drama classes, school plays, and even competing in the Canadian Improv Games. Needless to say, she was hooked. So, when it came time to choose a career path in CEGEP the choice was simple.
Jessica went on to study acting – her first theatre love – at John Abbott College in the Professional Theatre programme and upon graduating started acting and creating her own work. Three years later she decided to broaden her theatre horizons and began the Theatre and Development program at Concordia University. It was here where she truly developed herself as an artist and solidified her belief in the power and importance of theatre. It was also here that she discovered her second and third theatre loves – theatre education and directing. Her new love for directing led to Jessica moving across the country to pursue the MFA in Directing at the University of Alberta – one of only two people selected each year!
Jessica has now spent 20 years in the theatre world which constantly inspires, moves, and challenges her. Some of her favourite performances as an actor include playing Tina from George F. Walker’s Tough! (Tableau d’Hôte Theatre), Sabine in The Most Massive Woman Wins (6th Avenue Players), and Callie in Amigo’s Blue Guitar (Tableau d’Hôte Theatre). Favourite directing credits include What Rough Beast (staged reading, Centaur Theatre), Squawk (Geordie Productions), Sedna: Goddess of the Sea – which she also wrote (Tableau D’Hôte), and Rapture! (Everything is OK Productions). A strong believer in the importance of inspiring the next generation of theatre makers, Jessica has taught for the Geordie Theatre School, Concordia University and currently directs the annual high school play at St. George’s School of Montreal. Jessica is a member of the Montreal English Theatre Awards Committee (METAC) and sits on PACT’s Membership Committee.
Farida grew up in Egypt until she was 19 then moved to Germany to pursue an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics with a focus on collective behavior. She has been always curious about understanding how the human brain works, what drives people to behave in a certain way.
She moved to Montreal in 2016 to study Public Relations and Communications at McGill and pursue her passion of creating communications campaigns that foster social change. After finishing her studies, she joined the world of theatre by working for almost a year with Teesri Duniya Theatre as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator and working as the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator for the 2019 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. Needless to say, it wasn’t hard for her to fall in love with theatre. It is a different experience and can have an impact not just on a group of people, but could also affect each individual on a personal level, in a way that a communications campaign can’t do on its own.
She is thrilled to be joining the Geordie Family to be able to promote their work!
Apart from that Farida loves to dance, do kickboxing and has been writing poetry ever since she can remember.
Michael has had a lifelong appreciation for theatre as a spectator. A lover of language(s), he has always admired the ability of theatre as an art form to lift characters off their pages and bring them to life. He had however never considered actually working in theatre until he moved to Montreal and discovered its vibrant English theatre scene.
Having spent his youth and academic career in Germany and Switzerland and after graduating from law school at the University of Konstanz / Germany (and promptly resolving to never work in law again), Michael moved to Montreal. He planned to briefly live in Canada to finish a certificate in International Development at the University of British Columbia before returning to his native South Africa to work in this field, specializing in youth education – but life had other plans and as for so many others in Montreal, months turned into years until he postponed the departure from his new home indefinitely.His contact with the Montreal English Theatre community began as a volunteer and later staff member for the Montreal FRINGE Festival and has also taken him to the Segal Centre where he worked as an accent coach for German on Indecent under director Lisa Rubin. Michael is excited to be part of a company which shares his values of empowering youths and promoting education, diversity and inclusivity.
Kieran’s passion for theatre was ignited on the first day of junior high when he stepped into a drama class and discovered not a single desk in sight, and instead a room chock full of energy, potential, and creativity. Kieran works to bring that same brightness and excitement that he felt on his first discovery of theatre into every space he works in.
Growing up in Treaty Six Territory (Edmonton, AB), Kieran was fortunate to have opportunities to act and direct at Victoria School for the Arts and the Citadel Theatre’s Young Company program. He then moved to Lekwungen Territory Victoria, BC (Victoria, BC), completing his BFA in Theatre at the University of Victoria in 2019. Kieran’s studies took him as far afield as Thailand and Prague, and across a range of theatre studies including technical theatre, front of house, acting, directing, and especially theatre-in-education. His favourite projects include adapting Woyzeck into an immersive movement piece, facilitating an immersive political theatre piece called Ghostlight with a group of Thai university students, and using agit-prop theatre techniques to address the climate crisis in Are We All Dead? (co-directing alongside Leah Anthony).
Having recently relocated to Montréal (Tiohtià:ke), Kieran looks forward to learning and growing with Geordie Theatre, helping them provide theatre for audiences all over North America and showing young people the power that live performance can have to change lives.
Violette stumbled into theatre as a direct result of failing to become a classical musician. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise; she even wrote a play all about it! A former violin teacher, she is very happy to continue to bring together children and art.
Since graduating from John Abbott College’s Professional Acting program, she has worn several hats as a part of the cast and creative team of various productions: actor, director, playwright, puppet designer, musician… She particularly enjoyed playing Tomatina in Fridge Horror – in which a tomato has a star-crossed love affair with a red apple, in a fridge where racism is rampant and expiration dates all too near – and writing and performing A Joy that’s Mine Alone – a semi-autobiographical short film about a violinist living with bipolar disorder.
You might find Violette puppeteering various household objects, busking at your local metro station, or otherwise channeling her bitterness into art.
Elsa Bolam is the founding Artistic Director of Geordie Theatre. Elsa was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where she began her career working in different capacities at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and London. After directing freelance with many English theatre companies, she became a television director at the BBC in London. She then came to Canada, where she taught at the National Theatre School, helped found the Centaur Theatre, and continued to direct at theatres such as Theatre Calgary, Theatre Plus in Toronto, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Magnus Theatre, the Globe Theatre in Regina, and others.
In 1980 Elsa founded Geordie Theatre and was artistic director of the company until 2006. In October 2002, Avon Canada recognized Elsa Bolam as a “Woman of Inspiration” in the field of Arts and Culture, and in 2003 she was also awarded a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. The Montreal English Critics’ Circle honoured Elsa in 2005 with a distinction award in ‘recognition of her work nurturing young stage talent and taking theatre to far-flung audiences’.
Elsa was named to the Order of Canada at the end of 2008.
Theatre, at its best, gives us a safe space to revel in our imaginations, unpack assumptions, have fun, walk in someone else’s shoes, and discover new worlds, inside and out. That’s why I believe so deeply in Geordie’s mission. Every day, their artistic and administrative teams work to ensure theatre is accessible to all young people, regardless of their individual circumstances or challenges. It has never been more important for children and teens to have this opportunity, and I am proud to help Geordie pursue its goals.
President
It is a joy and honour to work on behalf of this organization which weaves storytelling magic here in Quebec and beyond. My Geordie volunteer work not only energizes and inspires me but reminds me of the beauty the arts bring to the world.
Vice President
I would like to share with you why I chose to join the Geordie Theatre Board of Directors. Growing up I was always the “emotional” one, the one who had a lot of energy and never knew how to use it. It was through the performing arts where I was able to take my emotion and channel it through a safe space. The stage was always a second home; if I was singing or performing in the Back to the 80s Musical, to simply watching my peers perform – my emotions and my energy was always most comfortable in those settings. Fast forward and life seemingly got in the way throughout my undergraduate degree and I realized that I was missing something; enter Geordie Theatre! I may not be on the stage, but I have joined a community that I have always felt at home with and I could not think of a better theatre company to support as they have supported me without knowing it for my entire life.
Secretary
I had the great opportunity to perform in shows and direct plays throughout high school, CEGEP and university. Theater was the perfect opportunity to develop communication skills and understand new perspectives, all through the lens of unique and exciting live performances. Not only do young actors learn to act with poise and confidence, they often develop their ability to communicate non-verbally and are exposed to the intricacies of contrasting perspectives and complex emotions. I’ve always believed that the fictional world of a play can widen our horizons and provide insight into our lives!
Treasurer
Theatre is culture. I love culture and so I love Geordie. I have been a proud board member of Geordie for a little over one year. In theatre you can be dramatic. Theatre is a safe place to exaggerate gestures, show emotions, mimic movements, and use rthymn to project an interpretation of character. This is fascinating. Life on stage. Thank you, Geordie, for all you do.
Gérald Cadet is Director of Bicentennial at McGill University. In this role, he’s leading the planning of McGill’s 200th anniversary celebrations. Prior to joining McGill, Gérald led Magerio, an Ottawa-based consulting firm specializing in political risks. Gérald first came in contact with Geordie in 2018 when he played Lord Duncan in the company’s holiday rendition of Robin Hood, despite no previous acting experience. He’s become a strong supporter of Geordie’s mission ever since. Before joining Geordie’s board, Gérald was a member of the board of the Centre d’entraide du Marigot, an organization providing meals on wheels and other services to seniors and disabled people in Laval.
Coming soon!
I’m really excited to be on the board of Geordie Theatre because I think the kind of opportunities offered by Geordie Theatre are so rare — and so important. As an educator, I’m shocked by the number of students I encounter who have had no opportunity to engage with or experience live performance. Geordie has a key role to play in giving young people a chance to see theatre — but also to be part of the creative process. That experience was so important to me growing up — and I’m grateful that Geordie is filling this important role for so many kids today.
Benjamin is currently an LL.M. candidate at Université de Montréal, writing his thesis on the legal implications of corporate governance. He also has been a student-at-law at Stikeman Elliott LLP since 2018 and will be doing his Quebec Bar articling there in September 2021. His long-standing belief in youth empowerment, reflected through his implication as a member of the Youth Council of Montreal, and of theatre as perfect medium to provide such development opportunities to the numerous young people who are directly touched by Geordie’s mission, will guide his mandate as a member of the Board.
Geordie Theatre values the diversity of its patrons, visitors and workforce, and is committed to making theatre that is inclusive and accessible to all members of society. We are working to ensure that every person, regardless of ability, may have equal access to our shows in a safe, respectful environment supportive of human dignity. We wish to communicate openly with our patrons with disabilities in order to remain informed of any issues they may face while participating in Geordie’s activities, so that we may continue to improve our audience’s experience and remove barriers to access where possible.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please contact us at 514-845-9810 or info@geordie.ca
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Geordie Theatre is located on the unceded Indigenous lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Tiotià:ke (known as Montréal) has existed as a meeting place of many First Nation peoples, including but not limited to the Abenaki , Anishinaabeg (Algonquin), and the Huron-Wendat. We extend our deepest respect to the elders of these communities and to all Indigenous peoples who carry the history of this island’s land and waters – caring for it and calling it home. We are honoured and privileged to share stories on this land.
We wish to also acknowledge that we are grateful to those seeking sustainable solutions to our global climate crisis, so that we may continue to inspire and challenge our audiences near and far.