artists
Pamela Baer
Pamela Baer is a theatre artist, queer mom and PhD candidate in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Pamela has been creating socially driven theatre with youth for the past ten years, including writing curriculum for drama and film camps, training and supervising artist facilitators, and generally enjoying the process of collaborative creative discovery with people of all ages. Drawn from a young age to storytelling as a way of connecting people and building community, her work revolves around personal narratives, oral histories, and life stories. Her current work focuses on LGBTQ+ families, stories, and representations. Pamela has a B.F.A in Theatre and Development from Concordia University, a M.A. in Theatre and Media for Development from the University of Winchester, and a M.A. in Education from The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Pamela is currently the Research Manager on the LGBTQ Families Speak Out project and part-time faculty in the Department of Dramatic arts at Brock University.
Sadie Epstein-Fine
Sadie Epstein-Fine is a second-generation queer artist and activist. Sadie has trained in devised theatre, dance, stage combat, playwriting, directing and performance and her work reflects and is a fusion of that training. Recently Sadie's work has focused on creating site-specific immersive shows, including SCAT, about queer, trans and women's experiences in bathrooms, housed in the Queen West Community Health Centre, and Eraser, about growing up in the Toronto District School Board, performed at Westside Montessori School. Sadie is continuing to develop Eraser in association with Theatre Direct Canada. Other companies that Sadie has had the pleasure of working with include Nightwood Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times, Canadian Stage, Theatre Panik and Epigraph Collective. Sadie is co-editing an anthology with Makeda Zook about the experience of having LGBTQ2+ parents (published by Demeter Press, forthcoming Spring, 2018). Sadie has also been teaching theatre to young people for many years, and has worked extensively with Cityview Alternative School and The Linden School. Sadie has lead workshops in devised theatre, playwriting and stage combat.
benjamin lee hicks
benjamin lee hicks is a visual artist, elementary school teacher and graduate student. They taught JK-grade 6 classrooms in the Toronto District School Board for 8 years prior to beginning graduate work in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto in September 2015. benjamin has written and designed curriculum materials for elementary schools on topics of sustainable community building, queer/trans inclusion and arts-based activism. http://leehicks.weebly.com/
Twysted Miyake-Mugler
Twysted Miyake-Mugler got his start with dance at the age of 8, where he was in a hip hop dance group at Firgrove community centre, in Jane & Finch. This is where he found his passion for movement, and artistic expression. He was introduced to dancehall through a competitive dance group formed by him and his friends called “Dream Team”. At the age of 16, he was introduced to an entirely new form of dance that embraced the femininity of black gay men, something he had never been exposed to before: The art of Vogue.
Twysted began teaching himself how to vogue and connecting with the international ballroom scene. He joined the Canadian House of Monroe as a founding member, and competed at his first ball in July 2008, where he won the “Virgin Vogue” category at Detroit Pride. Since then he has won balls in locally & in Western New York, and is now a Canadian ballroom pioneer organizing balls in Toronto & Montreal. In January 2013, he was inducted into the NYC Iconic House of Miyake-Mugler as the First International member.
Performer Credits Include: Egale Canada ad featuring Cindy Lauper, CBC Arts, Toronto Fashion Week, Toronto Pride, Hamilton Pride, Fierté Montreal (Canada Pride 2017), Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario College of Art & Design, SOY - Supporting Our Youth, Suono Il Popolo festival in Montreal, Toronto International Film Festival, and has been featured in 3 music videos as a voguer.
Teaching credits include: Bishop Morocco S.S., Black Lives Matter TO Freedom School, Humber College, York University, University of Toronto, and different community organizations in Toronto.
Kate Reid
Slam poetry meets folk music and LGBTQ-themed tunes in professional queer-musical-activist Kate Reid. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Kate holds a Master of Arts from The University of British Columbia's Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice. She is a guitar-playing, harmonica-slinging singer-songwriter, and bona-fide storyteller with rapid-fire delivery. Prior to becoming a professional musician and completing her MA, Kate earned a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Guelph, Ontario in 1994, and a Bachelor of Education from The University of British Columbia in 2000. She has more than twenty-five years experience teaching and working with youth, including at-risk youth, and differently-abled children, youth and adults. She combines musical activism with teaching by facilitating workshops, and delivering keynotes and concerts for schools, community agencies, and professional organizations. Kate is especially passionate about using songs to facilitate discussion with youth around gender and sexual identities. She is currently working on her PhD in Education with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. http://www.katereid.net/index/
Jenny Salisbury
Jenny Salisbury is a SHRCC funded PhD candidate at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. Her teaching and research interests include contemporary Canadian play creation and devising processes, with a focus on audience, community-engaged theatre, and the role of the artist as researcher. She is a co-founder and associate director of The Centre for Spectatorship and Audience Research. Recent publications include “When Qualitative Research meets Theater: the complexities of performed ethnography and research-informed theater project design” which she co-authored with Tara Goldstein, Julia Gray, and Pamela Snell for qualitative inquiry, and “Political Acts and Public Voices: Paying Time and Attention to The Public Servant” in vol. 166 Canadian Theatre Review. Her professional work involves project-based arts management, play development, directing, and community engagement, especially for Common Boots Theatre (formerly Theatre Columbus). She has enjoyed sessional work at Huron University College, Western University, as well as serving as the program coordinator for Ask & Imagine, a leadership program for youth and youth leaders.
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Pamela Baer is a theatre artist, queer mom and PhD candidate in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Pamela has been creating socially driven theatre with youth for the past ten years, including writing curriculum for drama and film camps, training and supervising artist facilitators, and generally enjoying the process of collaborative creative discovery with people of all ages. Drawn from a young age to storytelling as a way of connecting people and building community, her work revolves around personal narratives, oral histories, and life stories. Her current work focuses on LGBTQ+ families, stories, and representations. Pamela has a B.F.A in Theatre and Development from Concordia University, a M.A. in Theatre and Media for Development from the University of Winchester, and a M.A. in Education from The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Pamela is currently the Research Manager on the LGBTQ Families Speak Out project and part-time faculty in the Department of Dramatic arts at Brock University.
Sadie Epstein-Fine
Sadie Epstein-Fine is a second-generation queer artist and activist. Sadie has trained in devised theatre, dance, stage combat, playwriting, directing and performance and her work reflects and is a fusion of that training. Recently Sadie's work has focused on creating site-specific immersive shows, including SCAT, about queer, trans and women's experiences in bathrooms, housed in the Queen West Community Health Centre, and Eraser, about growing up in the Toronto District School Board, performed at Westside Montessori School. Sadie is continuing to develop Eraser in association with Theatre Direct Canada. Other companies that Sadie has had the pleasure of working with include Nightwood Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times, Canadian Stage, Theatre Panik and Epigraph Collective. Sadie is co-editing an anthology with Makeda Zook about the experience of having LGBTQ2+ parents (published by Demeter Press, forthcoming Spring, 2018). Sadie has also been teaching theatre to young people for many years, and has worked extensively with Cityview Alternative School and The Linden School. Sadie has lead workshops in devised theatre, playwriting and stage combat.
benjamin lee hicks
benjamin lee hicks is a visual artist, elementary school teacher and graduate student. They taught JK-grade 6 classrooms in the Toronto District School Board for 8 years prior to beginning graduate work in Curriculum Studies and Teacher Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto in September 2015. benjamin has written and designed curriculum materials for elementary schools on topics of sustainable community building, queer/trans inclusion and arts-based activism. http://leehicks.weebly.com/
Twysted Miyake-Mugler
Twysted Miyake-Mugler got his start with dance at the age of 8, where he was in a hip hop dance group at Firgrove community centre, in Jane & Finch. This is where he found his passion for movement, and artistic expression. He was introduced to dancehall through a competitive dance group formed by him and his friends called “Dream Team”. At the age of 16, he was introduced to an entirely new form of dance that embraced the femininity of black gay men, something he had never been exposed to before: The art of Vogue.
Twysted began teaching himself how to vogue and connecting with the international ballroom scene. He joined the Canadian House of Monroe as a founding member, and competed at his first ball in July 2008, where he won the “Virgin Vogue” category at Detroit Pride. Since then he has won balls in locally & in Western New York, and is now a Canadian ballroom pioneer organizing balls in Toronto & Montreal. In January 2013, he was inducted into the NYC Iconic House of Miyake-Mugler as the First International member.
Performer Credits Include: Egale Canada ad featuring Cindy Lauper, CBC Arts, Toronto Fashion Week, Toronto Pride, Hamilton Pride, Fierté Montreal (Canada Pride 2017), Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario College of Art & Design, SOY - Supporting Our Youth, Suono Il Popolo festival in Montreal, Toronto International Film Festival, and has been featured in 3 music videos as a voguer.
Teaching credits include: Bishop Morocco S.S., Black Lives Matter TO Freedom School, Humber College, York University, University of Toronto, and different community organizations in Toronto.
Kate Reid
Slam poetry meets folk music and LGBTQ-themed tunes in professional queer-musical-activist Kate Reid. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Kate holds a Master of Arts from The University of British Columbia's Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice. She is a guitar-playing, harmonica-slinging singer-songwriter, and bona-fide storyteller with rapid-fire delivery. Prior to becoming a professional musician and completing her MA, Kate earned a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Guelph, Ontario in 1994, and a Bachelor of Education from The University of British Columbia in 2000. She has more than twenty-five years experience teaching and working with youth, including at-risk youth, and differently-abled children, youth and adults. She combines musical activism with teaching by facilitating workshops, and delivering keynotes and concerts for schools, community agencies, and professional organizations. Kate is especially passionate about using songs to facilitate discussion with youth around gender and sexual identities. She is currently working on her PhD in Education with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. http://www.katereid.net/index/
Jenny Salisbury
Jenny Salisbury is a SHRCC funded PhD candidate at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. Her teaching and research interests include contemporary Canadian play creation and devising processes, with a focus on audience, community-engaged theatre, and the role of the artist as researcher. She is a co-founder and associate director of The Centre for Spectatorship and Audience Research. Recent publications include “When Qualitative Research meets Theater: the complexities of performed ethnography and research-informed theater project design” which she co-authored with Tara Goldstein, Julia Gray, and Pamela Snell for qualitative inquiry, and “Political Acts and Public Voices: Paying Time and Attention to The Public Servant” in vol. 166 Canadian Theatre Review. Her professional work involves project-based arts management, play development, directing, and community engagement, especially for Common Boots Theatre (formerly Theatre Columbus). She has enjoyed sessional work at Huron University College, Western University, as well as serving as the program coordinator for Ask & Imagine, a leadership program for youth and youth leaders.
MORE ARTISTS COMING SOON...