PlayShed was formed in October 2014.
OUR MANDATE
Our mandate is simple.
Be Inclusive – To be open to all cultures, ethnicities, abilities and genders. To search out material that sparks dialogue and stays true to the mosaic of humanity.
Be Ambitious – To challenge our selves, our collaborators and our audiences. We believe in the magic of imagination and the transcendent power of story telling.
Be Versatile – To have no set aesthetic and be accepting of all forms and styles. It is important to us to have a mandate that guides, but doesn't limit our ability to adapt.
Current Members
Birdie Gregor
(She/Her) - Co-founder/Artistic Director of PlayShed
Birdie Gregor works as a theatre artist and stage manager throughout Canada. A graduate of Concordia's BFA program, she specialized in theatre research, stage management and directing. Her passion for theatre has since led her to be involved in all stages of story creation and development, trying her hand at everything from directing, to teaching, producing, and writing.
Coined as a free spirit before she could walk, Birdie has been a storyteller since the first day she discovered the magic of making people laugh.
As much today as when the company first began, I hope that PlayShed will continue to provide opportunity, to bridge gaps, and reach out and touch the lives of our arts community. I see PlayShed’s potential to become a haven and provide shelter in a storm. We will move forward as a company that listens and responds to the needs of art workers and strives to create favourable working conditions and provide a living wage.
Ted Stafford
(He/Him) - Managing Director of PlayShed
Having a broad interest in all the technical tricks that make live events magical, and a mind for the mechanical, Ted has developed a diverse career working in lighting, rigging, staging, carpentry, audio, technical direction, and production management for theatre, tours and live events since 2004.
He has been the Stage Supervisor at Concordia University’s DB Clarke Theatre since 2011, where, along with overseeing the day-to-day of a busy rental and pedagogical season, he is proud to have mentored promising theatre design and production students.
Ted also has a busy practice as a freelance Technical Director, Production Manager and occasionally Lighting Designer, working for various clients across the entertainment sector.
When asked in 2020 to become the Managing Director of PlayShed, Ted jumped at the opportunity. Through PlayShed, he hopes to continue to hone, develop and share his skill set through new and exciting works in previously unexplored media, and by bringing new levels of magic and wonder to traditional theatre audiences.
Past Members
Jimmy Blais has been a part of Montreal's theatre scene since 2005. Jimmy is a graduate of Concordia's Theatre Performance program. He has since branched out into producing, directing and teaching.
With PlayShed Jimmy hopes to make theatre that makes people feel things; It's that simple really.
Olivier Lamarche. Actor, writer, producer, creator. Olivier is a Montreal born bilingual artist who lived internationally before coming back to his native city to complete a BFA in Theatre performance at Concordia University.