Meet Our Staff
EXECUTIVE AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR,
COLIN WOLF (he/they)
Colin is a Métis performer, theatre maker, and activist from Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary), AB on Treaty 7 Territory. He graduated with a BFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Lethbridge in 2014, and then spent five years making theatre all over the prairies. Colin co-founded Thumbs Up Good Work Theatre Collective with his sister Caleigh Crow in 2013. Colin felt the call of the North and moved to Whitehorse in October 2019 to serve as Artistic Director at Gwaandak Theatre. He wrote and produced CoyWolf, a story about loss and grief backdropped by a story of land displacement. Colin produced it as Thumbs Up in partnership with the Guild Hall Theatre in Whitehorse, and toured it to four rural communities in 2023.
Contact Colin at: colin@gwaandaktheatre.ca
ADMINISTRATIVE AND OPERATIONAL MANAGER,
REBECCA BALLARIN (she/her)
Rebecca is an arts administrator, theatre director and producer, and creative educator who is passionate about community building, collaboration and creating opportunities for artists to make art! A settler of Italian and British descent who grew up in Nogojiwanong (Peterborough), she studied theatre at the University of Toronto and has spent the last six years working for various theatre companies and arts service organizations across Ontario. After visiting Whitehorse to attend the 2018 N3 Summit and touring a show to the Old Fire Hall in the early days of 2020, Rebecca is grateful to have the opportunity to return to the Yukon; to learn more about and from the arts community here, and to support Gwaandak's work.
Contact Rebecca at: rebecca@gwaandaktheatre.ca
PRODUCTION AND MARKETING MANAGER,
RJ SMITH (he/they)
Raised and educated on Treaty 6 Territory and of primarily northwestern European settler descent, RJ has been living in the Yukon since the Spring of 2017. With a Media Arts Production Certificate plus two diplomas from MacEwan University (Theatre Production in 2017 and Arts & Cultural Management in 2020), RJ has put his post-secondary education to use and contributed to a wide variety of creative projects, including festivals, plays, and films. Experienced in designing, costuming, painting, set building, audio editing, videography, photography, and more, RJ is always up for trying new roles and further developing his skills. Graphic design may be his passion, but when left to his own devices he is most likely to found vibing with a mug of tea and a sack full of tomes. A fan of hats, cats, and white-ink tats, RJ is stoked to be creating content and uplifting storytellers with Gwaandak Theatre.
Contact RJ at: rj@gwaandaktheatre.ca
ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE,
KEIRA ASH (she/they)
Keira is a proud Tłı̨chǫ Dene Indigiqueer from Somba K’e Denendeh (Yellowknife, NWT). She is an artist, educator, student, beader, maker and doer. Keira grew up playing on the shores of Great Slave Lake. They flowed to and learned in Moh'kinstsis where the Elbow River and Bow River meet, as well as Amiskwaciwâskahikan which the North Saskatchewan River runs through. Now, she has flown south to where mountains and ocean meet during the school year resides on lək̓ʷəŋən lands that have been carefully cultivated since time immemorial. Last, last winter they migrated North to help create art along Chu Nínkwän, the Yukon River, and are now back to help with ISPR and to see how the territory changes with the seasons.
Contact Keira at: keira@gwaandaktheatre.ca
FUND DEVELOPMENT INTERN,
MACKENZIE SPELLMAN (she/her)
Mackenzie, a recent Arts and Cultural Management graduate from MacEwan University, is a strong advocate for arts and culture. Originally from Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg), she has a deep-seated passion for theatre and storytelling, shaped by her background in performing arts. Her education and experiences have honed her unique perspective on performance's power and its potential to bring diverse cultures and narratives alive. Offstage, she channels her creativity into screenwriting and creative writing, crafting narratives that entertain, provoke thought, and challenge perspectives. Her ultimate mission remains the same: championing arts and culture, ensuring their vibrancy within our shared human experience. Mackenzie is excited to start the role of Fund Development Intern at Gwaandak Theatre and to continue learning about the surrounding arts community and how we can best support it.
Contact Mackenzie at: mackenzie@gwaandaktheatre.ca