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• JOAN CHANDLER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

  JOAN CHANDLER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

  Producer, director, writer, arts educator and workshop facilitator. Joan is the founding Artistic Director of Sheatre, a professional community arts company located near Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Her work focuses on interactive productions about social issues, and on plays that celebrate community and the creative spirit.

  She has a keen ability to work with groups, collaboratively spinning new plays with, by and about their own stories and concerns. She has led the collective creation of over 100 plays across Ontario and abroad, reaching audiences of about 85,000 primarily reaching under-served audiences in rural and small urban environments.  Credits include all of Sheatre’s work including A DESPERATE ROAD TO FREEDOM, BE OUR ALLY,  FAR FROM THE HEART / LOIN DU COEUR (film and stage play), SNOW WONDER, TOM and THE BALLAD OF KENNEDY’S. Joan was Artist-in-Residence with Lakeshore Arts during the project FOOD FOR THOUGHT. She has moved into the broad world of the internet with a ground-breaking online interactive film FAR FROM THE HEART and onto airwaves with the audio drama series MISHOO MIINWA NOKI ~ YOU, ME AND WRINKLES which was aired on aboriginal radio stations across Canada and on PRX. 

  Joan was honoured with the inaugural Phil Hartman Arts and Humanitarian Award for her over 25 year career in the arts. Theatre Producer’s Academy (Los Angeles) is presenting an online interview with Joan in 2015.  Her screenplay SOUL CAGES received Best Original Screenplay Award at The International Film Festival Ireland, Honourable Mention: Script award from The Los Angeles Reel Film Festival, and Finalist in Fantastic Planet Film Festival (Sydney, Australia).  Sheatre and  Joan received The City of Owen Sound Cultural Award for Theatre. The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General conferred a Victim Services Award of Distinction to her and Sheatre for FAR FROM THE HEART, the unique Forum Theatre production in 2008. She is a seven time recipient of the Ontario Arts Council Artists in Education award.  A specialist in Forum Theatre, Joan is featured in the book Playing Boal: Theatre & Therapy, Cohen-Cruz, Jan and Mady Schutzman, Eds. (New York: Routledge,1994). 

  As an organizer, she coordinated the Womenfolk Festival (Sauble Beach), Bread and Butter / Du Pain Sur La Planche! International Popular Theatre Festival (Guelph), and Billy Bishop  Heritage Days Aviation and Military Heritage Festival (Owen Sound). She was one of the founding members of ASTRO (Association  of Summer Theatres Round Ontario), several arts councils, Cobblestone Theatre for street people in Toronto, and Mixed Company's Community Arts program. She represented Ontario as a cultural ambassador to the UK in the community arts field. Joan is a seven-time recipient of the Ontario Arts Council Artists in Education award.

  Her academic credits include a B.A., M.A. (English) University of Waterloo and 3 years study in Play & Art Therapy (University of Western Ontario). She is a graduate of Robert McKee’s Story seminar, and an alumni of ScreenwritingU ProSeries.

  The scenario, the dialogue, the action, could all have ‘viewer discretion advised’ warnings, but that’s the point.  It makes you squirm in your seat.  It makes you think. - The Meaford Express

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• david sereda, ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE / CO-PRODUCER

  david sereda, ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE / CO-PRODUCER

  david sereda has over 35 years of experience and a national reputation as theatre artist, singer/songwriter, composer, producer and activist. He has worked with Sheatre and Joan Chandler since 2002.

  As a singer/songwriter, he has performed at major festivals and concert halls across Canada, and has been guest soloist with notable choirs: Nova Scotia Mass Choir, Montreal Jubilation Choir, Vancouver Men's Chorus and most recently the Echo Women's Choir (Toronto). He has released three albums on his indie label Rocky Wednesday Records. 

  He is a seasoned collaborator on new music theatre productions. He was nominated for a Dora Award for best musical (Love Jive, book by Don Hannah, music, lyrics and music direction by Sereda, Tarragon). Other music direction includes Last Call! (Belfry, Victoria), Songs of a Prairie Girl (U. of Sask., Saskatoon and Prairie Scene at NAC, Ottawa), The Dressing Gown (Buddies in Bad Times), The Destruction of Eve (Company of Sirens, Toronto and School of the Arts, McMaster U, Hamilton) and The Snow Queen: A Public Dream (director Paula Jardine, Public Dreams Co., Edmonton). Most recently he led music workshops in Owen Sound, Toronto and St. Catharines for the new musical, A Desperate Road to Freedom, inspired by Karleen Bradford's novel about Freedom Seekers on the Underground Railroad.

  In addition to work as Sheatre's associate artist, sereda led songwriting workshops for Workman Arts (Toronto), developed community choral workshops for New Dance Horizons (Regina, SK), collaborated with choreographers on new works with students in Toronto (National Ballet's Creating Dances in the Schools), and managed and co-led the songwriting and recording project Where were the Mothers? in Regina schools through UMBRA, with video artist Linda Duvall and composer Ramses Calderon.

  As a producer and administrator, david helped organize successful school tours for Sheatre’s ground-breaking Far From the Heart (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012) in Saskatchewan and Ontario, and the inaugural tour of Loin du Coeur (Spring 2013, N. Ontario). He also served as Communications & Outreach Officer for the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance (2011). Since 1991, he has been producer and host of over 45 Stray Dog Salons, exuberant evenings of music, poetry and theatre in Toronto. Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, david is now based in St. Catharines, Ontario.

  Listen to david’s music on Soundcloud.

  david sereda sings like an angel and writes like a sinner." - Author Michael Ondaatje

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• BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Kathryn Companion, President
  • Pauli Schell, Secretary
  • Nadia Danyluk, Board Member
  • Dylan Chauvin-Smith, Board Member

  Community members from Grey Bruce, Ontario are invited to apply for a position on the Board. Contact Us.

  Sheatre is a registered charitable organization able to accept donations and provide charitable tax receipts. Your support is welcome.