Our Staff & Board

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Artistic Director
Vern Thiessen

Vern Thiessen’s plays have been seen across Canada, the US, Asia, UK, and Europe, including Einstein’s Gift, Blowfish, Lenin’s Embalmers, Bird Brain, Vimy, Shakespeare’s Will, Apple and Of Human Bondage. He has had four plays produced off-Broadway. Vern is the recipient of the Sterling and Dora Awards for Outstanding New Play, The City of Edmonton Arts Achievement Award, the University of Alberta Alumni Award for Excellence, The Carol Bolt Award, the Alberta Playwriting Competition, the Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition, and the Governor General’s Literary Award. He is Past President of both the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Writers Guild of Alberta. He is currently at work on commissions from Epic Theatre Ensemble, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Concrete Theatre/L’UniThéâtre, and Touchstone Theatre/Patrick Street Productions. In 2014, Vern was appointed as Artistic Director of Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre.

General Manager
Marian Brant

Marian Brant has worked as a stage manager, production manager, stage technician, educator and general manager. Her extensive stage management credits include small and large-scale productions for companies such as the Catalyst Theatre, Citadel Theatre, Concrete Theatre, Edmonton Opera, Green Thumb Theatre (Vancouver), The International Street Performers Festival, The Second City, University of Alberta’s Timms Centre for the Arts, and Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre. National and International touring credits include Café Daughter (WWPT’s Serbia, Montenegro and NWT tours), The House of Pootsie Plunket (Catalyst Theatre’s UK tour), All My Relations (Catalyst Theatre’s Western Canadian tour), No’Xya – Our Footprints (Vancouver’s Headlines Theatre Canadian tour) and the Second City Expo ‘86 (Western Canada tour). Her production management credits include Sunshine Theatre (Kelowna), River City Shakespeare Festival, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Alberta Baroque Ensemble. From 2001 to 2007, Marian administered Edmonton’s award-winning Theatre for Young Audiences Company, Concrete Theatre. In 2012 the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards Committee honoured Marian with The Ross Hill Award for Outstanding Achievement in Production and in 2016 The Margaret Mooney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Administration. In October 2013, Marian was appointed as General Manager of Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre.